Elephant lock up begins again at WPZ
Seattle, WA – October 4th, 2010 was the first day Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants (FOWPZE) observed the start of the 16 – 17 hour lock up of the elephants at Woodland Park Zoo (WPZ). This lock up will last into early May 2011.
WPZ claims “elephants are held in the warm barn . . . when overnight temperatures are below 40°F.” On October 4th the low temp was 49°; on October 9, the low was 56°.
Based on the elephant barn blueprints, the tiny barren stalls are the human equivalent of 4 – 5 feet square. Either Bamboo or Watoto are kept in solitary confinement due to their incompatibility—a consequence of severe confinement.
“It is unconscionable that these intelligent animals, who only sleep 4 hours a day, are kept in a space that causes such severe physical and psychological harm” says Nancy Pennington, FOWPZE Co-founder, “not to mention the crushing boredom.”
WPZ’s claim that space doesn’t matter has no scientific data to back it up. To the contrary, international elephant experts agree that this lack of movement wreaks havoc upon their joints and feet which are already in very poor condition. Foot problems are the main reason elephants in zoos die decades before their natural lifespan. It also contributes to the neurotic repetitive behaviors exhibited by all three elephants: pacing, rocking, swaying, head bobbing and swiveling.
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Why did seattlites raise millions of dollars for the elephant encloses and then fail to give them a humane environment for most of the year. Something needs to be done about this.
What is the latest on the lawsuit to get these poor creatures out of the zoo and to a sanctuary? This is incredibly tragic!!! What can people do to help w/ the lawsuit or other solution?
Thank you for sharing this to us