San Francisco Zoo
San Francisco recently became the first U.S. city to acknowledge that standards for the care of elephants in zoos cannot meet the animals' physical and social needs.
Pressure from IDA and local activists to permanently close the Zoo's inadequate elephant enclosure resulted in a compromise with the city's Board of Supervisors. Ultimately a 15-acre minimum space requirement was established for any San Francisco Zoo elephant exhibit, a requirement the Zoo will most likely never be able to meet, essentially granting IDA's desired ban on future elephant exhibits. This new space standard far exceeds that of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), and greatly surpasses the amount of space given to elephants in any U.S. zoo.
Lulu and Tinkerbelle-the surviving elephants at the SF Zoo-were successfully relocated to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)'s Ark 2000 Sanctuary in San Andreas, California.
After spending five months at the sanctuary where she could finally roam on soft ground in a naturalistic environment with other rescued elephants, Tinkerbelle succumbed to her debilitating captivity-induced foot disease and had to be euthanized. Lulu and Tinkerbelle remained at the San Francisco Zoo after the 2004 captivity-related deaths of 37-year-old Calle and 43-year-old Maybelle.
SF Zoo Elephants Bios
Calle
Lulu
Maybelle
Tinkerbelle
Click to View Chronology:
March 25, 2005 Elephant from San Francisco Zoo Euthanized Due to Sever Captivity-Induced Foot Problems
March 7, 2005 Memorial Today: One-Year Anniversary of Elephant Death at SF Zoo
December 7, 2004 San Francisco to Establish 15 Acres Minimum Standards For Elephants at Zoo
November 29, 2004 Activists Applaud Transfer of Elephant to Sanctuary
June 23, 2004 Animal Protection Groups Praise City and Residents of San Francisco for Support of Elephants as Zoo Announces Transfer of Pachyderms to California Sanctuary
June 21, 2004 Living large with room to roam (San Francisco Chronicle)
June 1, 2004 San Francisco Supervisors to Zoo: Send Elephants to California Sanctuary Now
May 22, 2004 Supervisor wants zoo elephants relocated (San Francisco Chronicle)
May 20, 2004 San Francisco Board of Supervisors Committee Votes for Immediate Transfer of Elephants from San Francisco Zoo to Sanctuary
May 6, 2004 Thursday Morning: Special Hearing on Fate of Elephants at San Francisco Zoo
April 27, 2004 San Francisco Supervisors to take Action on Elephant Deaths at San Francisco Zoo
April 22, 2004 Second Elephant at San Francisco Zoo Dies in Less Than Two Months
April 9, 2004 San Francisco Commission Recommends Transfer of Elephants at San Francisco Zoo to Sanctuary
April1, 2004 Wild Animals in Zoos or Sanctuaries? Elephant's death should not be in vain (San Francisco Chronicle)
March 11, 2004 Animal Advocates Testify Before San Francisco Commission to Encourage Zoo to Move Elephants to Sanctuary
March 10 2004 San Francisco Zoo Retracts Accusations Against Elephant Advocates
March 8, 2004 Press Conference/Protest Today at San Francisco Zoo