Lucy is an Asian Elephant who has spent 29 of her 34 years at the Edmonton Valley Zoo. She is the lone elephant there, since Samantha the African Elephant was (thankfully) moved to another facility, over a year ago. Edmonton is the northernmost zoo with an elephant living alone. The cold climate requires her to spend much of her time indoors.
Over the past 3 decades, we have learned a lot about animals in captivity in general and we have also learned a lot about the social and physical lives of elephants in the wild. We have learned about elephant's tight knit communities and their needs to walk large distances to sustain the health of their feet. In the fall of 2006, Zoo Check Canada, a national animal protection charity organization founded in 1984, sent a Kenyan elephant expert, Winnie Kiiru, to evaluate several zoos in Canada. Ms. Kiiru’s January 2007 report stated that the Edmonton climate was too cold and the elephant enclosures (a small barn and a outdoor enclosure less than one acre in size) too small for the elephants (Samantha was still at Edmonton Valley at that time). Furthermore, the report identified the Edmonton Valley Zoo as the worst in Canada for elephants.
Since that time, many individuals and organizations have tried to get the zoo to allow Lucy be moved to a warmer climate and larger facility. The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, United States had accepted Lucy in 2007, but the Mayor of Edmonton would not let her go. Zoo officials contend that Lucy is well cared for and that her existing health conditions make it too risky to move her to a sanctuary in the States. The Zoo is fighting hard to keep Lucy right where she is. From the various articles covering Lucy's situation, it appears that zoo officials and caretakers believe their love for Lucy outweighs the less than acceptable conditions for an Asian elephant.
Those trying to help Lucy include octogenarian, long time animal advocate and American icon Bob Barker, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), renowned elephant biologist Joyce Poole, California-based Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) Sanctuary co-founder, and experienced elephant transporter, Ed Stewart, exotic animal veterinarian Dan Famini and Zoocheck campaign director Julie Woodyer.
In the most recent effort, on September 17th, Bob Barker, Joyce Poole, Ed Stewart and Julie Woodyer participated in a media event and meetings with zoo and city officials to plead the case of Lucy's health and well being. This conference was well covered by the media, hopefully you have read the articles. The latest plan involves taking Lucy to PAWS Sanctuary, which would give her a 12-hectare enclosure and the company of 4 other Asian elephants.
The Vegetarian Star recently quoted Mr. Barker saying, "Before I go to my maker I would like to see Lucy in the sanctuary."
Lucy has provided a great service to the people of Edmonton, but she is old and could be in living conditions that give her the best chance at good health and happiness in her golden years.
Please deliver your polite, yet pointed, comments TODAY to Mayor Stephen Mandel and the city council, via phone, fax, snail mail or email. Your message can be as simple as "Please release Lucy the Elephant."
Mayor Stephen Mandel and the Edmonton City Council
City of Edmonton
City Hall, Second Floor
1 Sir Winston Churchill Sq.
Edmonton, AB
T5J 2R7
Canada
780-496-8100
780-496-8292 (fax)
stephen.mandel@edmonton.ca
councillors@edmonton.ca
Other Articles on Lucy's Plight and Sources for this Article
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/edmonton/story/2007/02/08/elephants-zoo.html
http://vegetarianstar.com/2009/09/18/bob-barker-still-fighting-edmonton-zoo-for-lucy-the-elephant/
http://www.savewildelephants.com/edmonton.asp
Photo: Lidara / Dreamstime.com / This is not Lucy; this is another Asian elephant in the Prague Zoo.