Editorial: Let Woodland Park Zoo’s three aging elephants retire to a sanctuary
Check out the latest Seattle Times Editorial about the Woodland Park Zoo elephants. Here’s an excerpt:
If the Woodland Park Zoo board of directors does not announce aggressive plans to relocate the zoo’s three aging elephants, then it has no credible response.
Last year, a task force and an expert review report looked at the zoo’s cramped elephant exhibit. A majority concluded the elephant exhibit needed to be renovated, and the youngest female, Chai, should be naturally bred to grow the herd with a calf.
A minority said the elephant exhibit needed to be improved, but the current elephants should be allowed to age out or retire. Once they are gone, closure of the exhibit should follow.
No. The next step, the best step, is to truly begin with the end in mind. Get out of the elephant-display business, and start the fundraising to move Watoto, Bamboo and Chai to a sanctuary with space to roam. Get these large animals out of a pinched life in a confined setting.
Read the full editorial in the Seattle Times
Subscribe
Please let these elephants go to a more humane refuge for the rest of their lives. It’s cruel to keep them like this.