Donate

Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants is an all volunteer organization. We are very frugal and always ask for discounts or pro bono advice, however that is not always possible.  Your donation is tax-deductible. Please give generously. For more information, go to our Donate page.

Write to the City Council and Zoo

All addresses: sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov, richard.conlin@seattle.gov, sally.clark@seattle.gov, nick.licata@seattle.gov, bruce.harrell@seattle.gov, tim.burgess@seattle.gov, jean.godden@seattle.gov, mike.obrien@seattle.gov, tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov,deborah.jensen@zoo.org

Please send e-mails, letters or faxes to all members of Seattle City Council members below, asking them to support the immediate release of the elephants to The Elephant Sanctuary. Even a single-sentence message like:  ”Send the elephants at WPZ to The Elephant Sanctuary” will have an impact.

Consider the following points when writing your letters on behalf of the elephants incarcerated for life at Woodland Park Zoo or click on Issues for a complete overview of the elephant program.

  • They have an inhumane amount of space (less than 1 acre), whereas they would have between 300 and 2200 acres at The Elephant Sanctuary.
  • They are locked up in a small barn stall 16 – 17 hours a day for about 7 months of the year due to temperatures and wetness. At The Elephant Sanctuary, they would have 24-hour outdoor access all year long.
  • Many elephants with symptoms similar to the elephants at WPZ, have thrived at The Elephant Sanctuary with it’s hundreds of acres of varying terrain, fresh foliage, and water features.
  • The Woodland Park Zoo is managed privately but is still owned by the City of Seattle and overseen by the Parks, Neighborhoods & Education Committee.  About $6.5 million taxpayer dollars goes to support the zoo.
  • Anything else that is important to you about the elephants!

Individual emails listed below:

Sally Bagshaw, Seattle City Council, Parks Committee Chair
sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov, 206-684-8801

Richard Conlin, Seattle City Council, Council President
richard.conlin@seattle.gov, 206-684-8805
Sally J. Clark, Seattle City Council
sally.clark@seattle.gov, 206-684-8802
Nick Licata, Seattle City Council
nick.licata@seattle.gov, 206-684-8803
Bruce Harrell, Seattle City Council
bruce.harrell@seattle.gov, 206-684-8804
Tim Burgess, Seattle City Council
tim.burgess@seattle.gov, 206-684-8806
Jean Godden, Seattle City Council
jean.godden@seattle.gov, 206-684-8807

Tom Rasmussen, Seattle City Council
tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov, 206-684-8808

Mike O’Brien, Seattle City Council
mike.obrien@seattle.gov, 206-684-8800

Deborah Jensen, Woodland Park Zoo President
deborah.jensen@zoo.org, 206-548-2416

Or, write to each of the above council members at the following address:

[Name of Councilmember]
Seattle City Hall
PO Box 34025
Seattle, WA 98124-4025

Or, fax them at (206)684-8587.

Volunteer

We have a variety of educational/awareness opportunities:

  • Speakers. If you are comfortable with public speaking, we can use you!
  • Letter writers. Opportunities arise when we need people to write letters.
  • Handing out a kid-friendly fliers at the Zoo on weekends during the summer. We always have two volunteers at a time so you’d never be there alone.  You can sign up for Saturday or Sunday. June through September.  Do it once or do it often!
  • Banner drops. Twice a week from June through September, we hang banners off one or two of the overpasses on Highway 99 at rush hour.  The overpasses happen to be right where the elephant exhibit is located.