Click here to view the embedded video.

SEATTLE—Outraged citizens represented by the Animal Legal Defense Fund are filing a lawsuit against the City of Seattle today to stop the City’s unlawful use of taxpayer dollars to support the Woodland Park Zoo’s reckless and illegally cruel treatment of its elephants. As a result of inadequate facilities, abusive management practices, longstanding intentional neglect, and breeding practices in callous disregard for elephants’ welfare, the Zoo’s elephants Bamboo, Watoto, and Chai suffer from severe and chronic foot and joint injuries, unexplained physical trauma and bleeding, and sustained psychological harm. Chai’s daughter, Hansa, died in 2007 when she was only six years old as a result of the Zoo’s practices. Plaintiffs Mary Sebek and Nancy Farnam—both Seattle taxpayers—brought their concerns about the misuse of city funds to support illegal conduct at the Zoo to the national non-profit Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), whose attorneys are representing them.

Read the full text of the press release here. Also check out their video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bamboo with foot infection

Please join Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants in reminding donors attending Woodland Park Zoo’s (WPZ) largest fund raiser of the year, of the suffering endured by the three elephants on display at WPZ.

Three “human elephants” will perform neurotic behaviors exhibited by Bamboo, Chai and Watoto. One “human elephant” will be caged in a 4′ x 4′ enclosure; the human equivalent to the elephants’ barn stall.

Who: Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants, 206-595-7770, wpzelephants@yahoo.com
When: Friday, July 9, 2010, 4pm – 6:00
Where: Woodland Park Zoo’s NORTH entrance – N. 59th and Phinney Ave N., Seattle, WA  98103
Signs and banners provided.

Bamboo, Chai and Watoto, who live at Woodland Park Zoo, are locked in a tiny barn stall 16 – 17 hours a day for 7 months of the year.  WPZ medical records reveal they suffer from captivity-induced ailments such as colic, obesity, arthritis and painful foot problems.  (Foot problems are the #1 cause of death in zoo elephants.)

Outdoors, our elephants have less than 1 acre.  It is well documented that zoo confinement causes elephants to die decades before their natural lifespan.

The Elephant Sanctuary

The 2,700 acre Elephant Sanctuary has offered to give our elephants a home for life. For the first time, these intelligent, social animals would be able to roam thousands of acres and make companions of their own choosing.  They would be able to heal from the physical and mental trauma of zoo captivity.

Come show your support for the Zoo to make the humane decision to let them go.

This year’s “thank you for coming gift” is a grocery tote that proclaims:

“Proud supporter of free-roaming elephants
Out of the Zoo – Into a Sanctuary”

Last year, Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants, along with demonstrators in 33 cities and 7 countries brought awareness about the tragedy of keeping elephants in severe confinement.

Here in Seattle, Bamboo, Chai and Watoto spend 16 – 17 hours a day locked in a tiny barn stall – barely able to walk a few steps in any direction.  Due to our climate, this lock-up lasts 7 months each year!  Outdoors they get less than 1 acre.

Please spend an hour to expose the suffering of elephants worldwide. Voice your support for Watoto, Chai, and Bamboo to live at the 2,700 acre Elephant Sanctuary.

Where: Woodland Park Zoo, South entrance at N. 50th St. & Fremont Ave. N. in Seattle
When: Saturday, June 19, 2010, 11am – 12 noon

For more information please visit our Issues page.

Please also save the date for our fifth Jungle Party demonstration which is on Friday, July 9^th at 4pm at Woodland Park Zoo.

This week the topic is all about the elephants, Bamboo, Chai, and Watoto, at the Woodland Park Zoo. Find out why a Tennessee sanctuary has offered to pay for their permanent transfer there. Martha is joined by experts from all over the country who weigh in on the controversy. Find out why these magnifient creatures are miserable at the zoo and what you can do to help them.

Alyne joins the show approximately a 1/2 hour into the show.

Martha Norwalk: March 21 WPZ Elephants Part 1

Martha Norwalk: March 21 WPZ Elephants Part 2

Martha Norwalk: March 21 WPZ Elephants Part 3

Give the show a listen if you haven’t already and share it with your friends!

Martha Norwalk

Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants will be on Martha Norwalk’s Animal World radio show at AM 1150 from 9am – noon on Sunday, March 21, 2010.

The consequences of zoo confinement on elephants and specifically Bamboo, Chai and Watoto at Woodland Park Zoo will be discussed. Guests will include Carol Buckley, founder of The Elephant Sanctuary, who will share stories of how elephants heal at the sanctuary. Also on the show will be Dr. Mel Richardson, former veterinarian with Woodland Park Zoo, Catherine Doyle, elephant expert with IDA, and others.

Please e-mail comments or questions to animalworldlive @hotmail.com or call toll free 1-888-298-5569.  A good audience response will show Martha Norwalk you appreciate her help in spreading awareness.

Please call or write:

Sally Bagshaw, City Council, Chair of Parks Committee, 206-684-8801
Phillip Roewe, Legislative Assistant, Parks Committee, 206-684-8801
Richard Conlin, President, Seattle City Council, 206-684-8805
Tom Rasmussen, City Council, Vice Chair Parks Committee, 206-684-8808
Bruce Harrell, City Council, Parks Committee, 206-684-8804
Jean Godden, City Council, Alternate Parks Committee, 206-684-8807
Deborah Jensen, President, Woodland Park Zoo,  206-548-2416

Send email to the following:

sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov, Philip.Roewe@seattle.gov, richard.conlin@seattle.gov, tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov, bruce.harrell@seattle.gov, jean.godden@seattle.gov, deborah.jensen@zoo.org

Any calf born at WPZ may likely die from Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV) before the age of 10.  Here are the facts:

• Hansa (Chai’s calf and an Asian elephant) died from EEHV on June 8, 2007
• Watoto, who lives with Chai, tested positive for EEHV May, 2008.
• WPZ has no way to keep a calf from being exposed to EEHV since her/his own mother is likely a carrier, as are the other WPZ elephants.
• WPZ has no infection control in place and there is no cure for EEHV.
• Of the young Asian elephants who get sick with herpes, 85% die.
• EEHV causes an excruciatingly painful and gruesome death.

A calf will not contribute to elephant conservation or survival of the species because:

• He/she will never be released into the wild.
• Herpes is not an issue in the wild.
• Reproduction is not an issue in the wild.

Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants has made WPZ management, the Woodland Park Zoological Society, and the Seattle City Council aware of this deadly breeding program.  The facts, statistics and current science clearly show it is irresponsible to breed at this herpes-contaminated zoo.

“The public was deeply saddened by Hansa’s death from herpes.  Any calf born at WPZ is being set up for another tragedy” says Nancy Pennington, FOWPZE co-founder.

Watoto alone, pacing in Shower Room

Seattle, WA – Woodland Park Zoo (WPZ) has been inducted into IDA’s (In Defense of Animal) Hall of shame.  Lack of space, captivity-induced ailments, and the deadly breeding program all add up to suffering for Bamboo, Chai, and Watoto.  This suffering in addition to WPZ’s search for ways to cut costs, begs for the elephants to be released to the 2,700 acre Elephant Sanctuary (TES)— at no cost to Seattle taxpayers or WPZ.

From a humane perspective, elephant experts say WPZ’s less-than-one acre elephant exhibit is inadequate for these migratory giants who are genetically wired to travel great distances.

Seattle’s winters force the elephants indoors for 16 – 17 hours a day.  “Their stall permits them to pace only a few steps in any direction. Outdoors they have less than 1 acre!” says Nancy Pennington, Co-founder of Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants (FOWPZE).

WPZ’s  medical records reveal that Watoto, Bamboo and Chai suffer from colic, arthritis, obesity, herpes (which killed Hansa at 6-years- old) and foot infections.  Foot disease is the number one reason zoo elephants are euthanized and Chai has suffered from foot infections for over ten years.

“Particularly heartbreaking is witnessing Bamboo, Chai, and Watoto’s repetitive neurotic behaviors— the effects of long term suffering” says Pennington.

WPZ is planning to artificially inseminate Chai for the 56^th time in the spring.  Any calf born at this herpes-infected Zoo will likely die from the disease just as Hansa did.  WPZ has no infection control in place.   There is no cure for this excruciatingly painful disease that results in an almost certain death in young Asian elephants.

FOWPZE is calling for our elephants to join 15 other elephants at The Elephant Sanctuary; roam hills, forests and meadows; and swim in a 25-acre lake—all in a lush sub-tropical climate.

WPZ needs to make the unselfish and prudent financial decision to let Bamboo, Chai and Watoto heal from the traumas of zoo confinement.

Banner Drop on Aurora Blvd.

Nancy has been doing banner drops with some of our wonderful volunteers since June.  They can be seen on the highway 99 overpass where zoo is located, three mornings a week.

Running concurrently is the same banner for our bus campaign that spans 6 weeks.  Look out for the buses until Oct. 8th.

• We had two demos:  IDA’s International Day for Zoo Elephants and our fourth annual Jungle Party demo.
• We leafleted at the Solstice Parade, Hempfest, and Bumbershoot giving out nearly 5,000 informational pieces.
• We visited the Zoo for the 2 pm keeper talk which yielded the information that Chai was being artificially inseminated for the 56th time – yes, you read that correctly!  Luckily they missed her cycle and hopefully they’ll miss the next one in February.  FYI, baby Hansa died from the same fatal herpes virus that Watoto had in April 2008.  It is unconscionable that the herpes-infected Zoo would risk another calf dying such a horrific death.  So unethical.
• We met with WPZ upper management this week and a range of issues were discussed. Sadly, the elephants aren’t going to the 2,700 acre Elephant Sanctuary without a lot more work on our part.  There is reason for optimism which we’ll share in a future e-mail.

Bus Ad

As you can see, we’ve told the masses on highway 99 that the zoo is too small. Now we need a follow up banner that tells the solution:  Send elephants to Sanctuary.

If you would like to contribute to the cost of a new banner, we’d be so grateful.  Any donations over the cost of the banner will go toward printing costs of informational materials. Please help out by donating here.

New Banner - We need funds!

THANKS!