News Release
Feds asked to investigate elephant death at Brookfield Zoo
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 19, 2009
Contact: Catherine Doyle, 323-301-5730
Suzanne Roy, 919-697-9389
San Rafael, Calif.–Zoo watchdog group In Defense of Animals (IDA) today filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, asking that it investigate the death of Affie, a 39-year-old African elephant who died at Brookfield Zoo last Friday.
"There is a high probability that this middle-aged elephant suffered from foot disease and/or arthritis, excruciating and often-fatal ailments caused by inadequate zoo conditions including lack of space for movement and hard, unyielding surfaces that damage elephants' feet and joints," wrote IDA president Elliot Katz, DVM. "If in fact Affie did succumb to a disease caused by zoo conditions, the Brookfield Zoo should be found in violation of the Animal Welfare Act."
According to Katz, several factors point to the possibility that Affie suffered from painful foot or joint conditions, including the elephants' small, quarter-acre exhibit and their restriction in tiny indoor cages for the majority of the long Midwest winters. The zoo recently installed softer flooring and a sand pile for Affie to lean on, both of which are often prescribed for elephants suffering from serious foot and joint ailments.
Dismissing the zoo's assertion that Affie was a geriatric elephant, Katz pointed to a recent study published in the prestigious journal Science (Dec. 2008), which reported that the median life span for female African elephants at Kenya's Amboseli National Park is 56 years.
"Despite receiving regular daily and veterinary care and being provided a controlled, nutritious diet," said Katz, "Affie died almost 20 years earlier than the age expected for her wild counterparts." Seven elephants have died at the Brookfield Zoo since 1975; more than half did not live to age 40.
In a separate letter sent to Brookfield Zoo director Stuart Strahl, Katz urged the zoo to permanently close its elephant exhibit and send its lone, surviving elephant, Christy, to an elephant sanctuary.
"While it's too late for Affie, it’s not too late for the Brookfield Zoo to do the right thing for Christy by sending her to an elephant sanctuary," wrote Katz. "Brookfield Zoo simply does not have the vast space, natural conditions and climate necessary to provide elephants, Earth's largest land mammals, with a high quality of life."
Katz also urged Strahl to publicly release Affie’s medical records and autopsy reports, as a matter of public interest.
Sixteen U.S. zoos have closed or plan to close their elephant exhibits. In recent years, zoos in Los Angeles, Anchorage and Philadelphia joined a growing list of zoos that have opted to send elephants to sanctuaries.
Read IDA's complaint letter to the USDA and letter to Brookfield Zoo director Stuart Strahl. For more information, please visit www.helpelephants.com.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Please write to Brookfield Zoo director Stuart Strahl and politely urge him to send Christy, now the lone elephant at Brookfield Zoo, to a sanctuary without delay.
Stuart D. Strahl, PhD
Director
Brookfield Zoo
3300 Golf Road
Brookfield, IL 60513
Phone: 708-688-8300
Fax: 708-688-7309
Email: bzadmin@brookfieldzoo.org