Toronto’s Elephants Need to Head South
A recent column by the inimitable Joe Warmington, scolded that “phony American activists” were seeking to “hijack” the elephants at Toronto Zoo and send them to an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee.
Joe’s heart is in the right place – but I think he is wrong.
One doesn’t have to be a “politically-correct wacko” (Joe’s term) to realize that the elephant exhibit at the zoo is haywire. There are three elephants, Thika, Toka and Iringa, confined to a 40-square meter pen in winter, and a paddock outside in summer.
A disquieting reality is that four elephants have died in the last five years, and seven since 1984. Most were under 40 years old.
Even zoo people acknowledge that Toronto’s climate is not conducive to elephants, especially as they grow older and become arthritic. Detroit’s zoo decided in 2004 to no longer exhibit elephants because of Michigan’s cold winters and the lack of an “appropriate physical and social environment” for captive elephants.
Three Toronto Zoo elephants died within 14 months --Tara, Tessa and Tequila. Each death was a traumatic shock for zoo staff who were attached to the animals, recognized their individual personalities, and regarded them as friends.
Everyone connected with the zoo knows something has to be done as the three remaining elephants are growing older. Estimates range from $15 to $30 million to build suitable facilities, and that sort of money simply isn’t available.
An alternative is to donate the elephants to an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee, where a couple of dozen “retired” circus and zoo elephants roam freely on 2,700 acres of forest and bush, with no daily visitors to stare at them.
The cost of shipping the elephants is estimated at $30,000 to $50,000. Another issue is whether being moved would endanger the elephants.
Rob Laidlaw, executive director of Zoocheck (not my favorite group) is on record saying it “should be a red flag” that zoo elephants are dying at around age 40 -- middle age for an elephant. The respectable Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) says Toronto Zoo should phase out its elephants.
For those who care about the welfare of elephants (as opposed to the voyeurism of the public), the sanctuary in Tennessee seems a natural.
Another who frets about Toronto’s three elephants is former game-show host Bob Barker (of The Price is Right fame) who flew to Toronto to persuade the zoo’s directors to ship the elephants to a sanctuary in California, “because Toronto is too cold for elephants.”
Barker has apparently spent some $1.5 million in rescuing elephants, and if Toronto were to agree to his proposal he’d pay for their transportation. Crunch time is looming for the zoo’s directors, on what to do about their elephants.
While there’s a reluctance to deny Torontonians the chance to see elephants, a more serious concern is the elephants themselves – nomadic, social animals who need lots of space and the company of their own kind.
There have already been reports that Toronto’s three elephants show signs of distress and mental anxiety, confined as they are to an unnaturally small space, without sufficient interaction with other elephants.
The elephant sanctuary in Tennessee seems to have no downside. It is sustained by donations from people who like the idea of aging elephants in retirement, without worries or concerns. So what if the public cannot stare at them?
If $15 million isn’t available for the elephants in Toronto, perhaps letting them retire in Tennessee or California is the best option, and would be doing the right thing.
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