Philadelphia Zoo

Background

The Philadelphia Zoo made IDA's 2004 list of the Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants for good reason: elephants at this zoo, the nation's oldest, must endure long winters behind bars in a small 1940's-era pachyderm house with concrete floors and peeling paint.

The Philadelphia Zoo's captive herd of three African elephants (Petal, Bette and Kallie) and one Asian elephant (Dulary) spend their days sharing a quarter-acre yard and a dismal 1,800-square-foot barn - about the same amount of area as six parking spots. While this amount of space matches current national standards set by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), it falls far short of emulating an elephant's natural habitat of lush forests or savannahs and is associated with a host of serious maladies.

Elephants in the wild typically roam 30 to 50 miles a day, and therefore require a vast amount of acreage to maintain optimum physical and psychological health. Lack of space contributes to captivity-induced ailments such as degenerative joint disease, often-lethal foot problems, neurotic behaviors, colic and early reproductive shutdown. Due to inadequate living conditions, the average age of death for elephants in zoos (according to AZA statistics) is 34 years old, which is only about half the species' natural lifespan of 60 to 70 years.

Recognizing the inadequacy of its current elephant exhibit, the Philadelphia Zoo announced plans in 2005 to replace it with a brand new $22 million enclosure. However, even at an enlarged 2.5 acres, the exhibit would have still been woefully insufficient for the world's largest land mammals, whose bodies are designed for almost constant movement on soft soil and varied terrain.

In summer 2005, Dulary, the sole Asian elephant at Philadelphia Zoo, was gored near her eye by one of the African elephants and underwent surgery for the injury. Dulary was kept in solitary confinement for months due to the incident and Zoo officials refused to let anyone - including members of the media - see her, despite numerous requests from concerned Philadelphia residents, animal advocacy groups, and local media outlets. The sad fact is that the Philadelphia Zoo's current ¼-acre elephant enclosure is not large enough to allow Dulary the space to avoid another encounter where she could suffer even more severe injuries. In 2003, an elephant at Brookfield Zoo in Illinois was euthanized after sustaining severe injuries during an encounter with another elephant.

In October 2005, the Zoo announced it would not be moving forward with the exhibit that would have been outdated before it was even built. According to The Philadelphia Daily News, the Zoo stated it would consider sending the elephants to another zoo or even a sanctuary.

The Elephant Sanctuary (TES) in Hohenwald, Tennessee, a naturalistic habitat for elephants with over 2700 acres has offered the elephants a permanent home free of charge to the Zoo. There, they would have access to hundreds of acres of soft soil and varied substrates in a setting that meets their physical and psychological needs. The setting at TES has actually helped heal elephants suffering from degenerative foot and joint problems and turn "problem" elephants into gentle, social members of their herd.

Update

After four decades living in a decrepit 1940s-era exhibit at Philadelphia Zoo, 43-year-old Dulary finally arrived last week at her wonderful new home -- The Elephant Sanctuary (TES) in Tennessee! Here, she will have the chance to socialize with 15 other Asian elephants and finally be able to stretch her legs on the 2,200-acre habitat.

Almost as soon as she stepped out of the trailer that transported her to TES, Dulary made fast friends with Tara, another one of the sanctuary's elephant residents—a great start to her brand new life! "Dulary has remained in the constant company of her new sisters; eating, napping, sharing affection, and exploring her new habitat," writes TES founder Carol Buckley in Dulary's Diary. "Her assimilation into her new life has been remarkably instantaneous."

IDA is proud to have played a role in freeing Dulary from the stultifying confinement of her zoo enclosure. Change is happening for elephants around the country, and together we are making a big difference! Thank you to everyone who called, wrote, signed petitions, and demonstrated on Dulary's behalf, especially Friends of Philly Zoo Elephants.

Bios

Dulary was born in Asia in 1963. She was culled from the wild and taken from her family when just a baby. Since 1964, she has lived in the same quarter-acre exhibit at the Philadelphia Zoo, a world away from her native homeland.

Petal was born in 1955 in Africa. Caught in the wild, Petal was brought to the Philadelphia Zoo in 1957. Along with the other elephants at the Philadelphia Zoo, zoo handlers "manage" Petal using the outdated form of elephant management known as "free contact," which relies on bullhooks and chains to keep pachyderms in line.

Both Bette and Kallie were born in 1982 in Zimbabwe, and captured in the wild as infants. They have spent almost their entire lives in captivity, and came to the Philadelphia Zoo around April 2004. Neither Bette nor Kallie have been able to roam freely, forage for fresh grass or enjoy a natural habitat since infancy, nor will they ever be able to graze on the African plains with their mothers, aunts and sisters.

What is Being Done to Help the Elephants at the Philadelphia Zoo?

IDA Submits Legal Notification for Transfer of Off-Exhibit Elephant to Sanctuary

Grassroots activists in Philadelphia have been coordinating regular outreach events and gathering signatures from zoo patrons urging the Philadelphia Zoo to scrap its plans for an expensive but still exceedingly small elephant exhibit. You can join them by signing their online petition. Visit Friends of Philly Zoo Elephants' website for more information.

What You Can Do

Philadelphia residents, click here to contact the Philadelphia City Council to urge them to take action to get Dulary, Petal, Kallie and Bette, the four elephants living at the Philadelphia Zoo, sent to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.