Kevin Schofield (Woodland Park Zoo volunteer and Wallingfordian) writes:
The Woodland Park Zoo announced today that their two Asian elephants, Chai and Bamboo, will be moving to the Oklahoma City Zoo where they will join an existing herd of four female Asian elephants ranging in age from two months to 20 years and make it truly inter-generational. The OKC Zoo has a nearly-new elephant exhibit, opened in 2011, with four acres of outdoor space with room to expand further, and a 13,500 square foot barn.
A small group of protesters have been pushing for the elephants to be sent to a “sanctuary” run by PAWS in California, but the Woodland Park Zoo ruled out that option because that facility’s existing elephants have tuberculosis and so Chai and Bamboo would be kept isolated on their own – no better than their existing situation. Elephants are extremely social animals and need to be integrated in a herd for their health and well-being. In the Oklahoma City Zoo, they will be “aunties” to young elephants and have more space than they do at the current 1.1 acre exhibit at the Woodland Park Zoo.
The Oklahoma Zoo’s elephant program is very similar to the program in Seattle: keepers have restricted contact with the elephants, behavioral training is done through positive reinforcement (no bullhooks), elephants are monitored around the clock, and they have freedom to roam and forage. The veterinary and keeper staffs are first-rate and the zoo is financially stable and strongly supported by the community.
Bamboo and Chai will be sent on long-term loan; no money changed hands between the two zoos, and the transportation costs will be shared between them. The elephants need to be trained to enter and leave their travel crates, and when that process is complete they will be transported by truck sometime between mid-March and mid-April. The 2000-mile trip is expected to take 35-40 hours, driven straight through with stops every 2 hours for the vet and keeper staff to check on the elephants’ well-being. Some of the Woodland Park Zoo keeper staff will stay with the elephants in OKC for as long as necessary so that they can settle in there. The elephants will be in quarantine for 30 days upon arrival, and then will be slowly introduced to the rest of the herd.
All Sonics jokes aside, this is a great outcome for Bamboo and Chai and they should be very happy there. But we will miss them!
This is a sad result. Too small a range, a poorer climate, an arduous trip. Done because zoos have their own mission; the best life for the elephants is not the overarching goal.
If you really want to get upset, visit Point Defiance, assuming they still have the pitiful elephant habitat they had a couple of years ago when I saw it.
Six elephants, four acres? That sucks. There’s got to be a better solution. Any elephant associated with the WPZ (the ones still alive, anyway) deserves to live out the rest of their days in comfort and in an appropriate environment. I wasn’t aware of the tuberculosis situation at the PAWS sanctuary. Is that something that can be cured which would allow our girls to have more ranging room than four puny acres? Can we do some sort of crowd funding to produce funds to fix whatever is inadequate at the PAWS facility? These poor elephants have endured what amounts to serious abuse while incarcerated at WPZ. I want to help them get to some semblance of normal elephant life, but I don’t know what to do.
You should really learn facts before going public with misinformation. The tuberculosis situation at the OKC Zoo is virtually identical to the one at PAWS, which is to say that no elephant there has tested positive for the actual disease, but Rex tested positive for the antibodies which means that he was likely exposed and could get it at any time. And in a closely confined 3 acres/one barn situation, how would he be quarantined? And what if Chai and Bamboo can’t be integrated with the existing group – they’ll end up stuck in one of the 1/2 acre enclosures with even less room (and worse weather) than they have now. Not integrating is FAR from unprecedented – check out the National Zoo, which has had to keep the Canadian elephants who arrived last year completely separate from the longer-term resident elephants. At either sanctuary there is proper room for safe introductions, and enough space so that if groups won’t integrate they can each have areas large enough to maintain foot and joint health. This is a disaster for poor Chai and Bamboo and shame on the WPZ for dumping them like this.
It’s my understanding the isolation would be temporary, while the infected elephants at the sanctuary are undergoing treatment – a MUCH better solution. This is being brought to the city council on Monday, and supporters of the sanctuary solution will be there: Monday, March 9nd at at 2pm, Seattle City Hall at 600 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104. City Hall chambers on the 2nd floor
I agree that this is very sad. From what I read in the Seattle Times, the elephants would need to be kept separated at the PAWS sanctuary UNTIL THE TUBERCULOSIS IS CURED. So I don’t agree that the sanctuary option is no different from their current situation. Also, I haven’t heard anything about why the Tennessee sanctuary was not considered. It is cruel to keep elephants that would range hundreds of miles so confined, and hard for me to believe that the zoo has the elephant’s best interests at heart.
while it’s true there are elephants with TB living at PAWS, Rex, the, male elephant at OKC Zoo has also tested positive for TB antibodies, which means he could develop TB at any time. At PAWS Bamboo and Chai would not be integrated with the elephants with TB, at the zoo they will be. They will also have far more space to roam at sanctuary and have the chance to live again as elephants. Please visit our website for more information. http://freewpzelephants.org/
I vote sanctuary! Bob Barker spoke out about this as well!
this Zoo announcement is such elephant shit……and to do it on a day when Ringling Bros. has finally listened to compassionate people and won’t have elephants in their circus anymore….. The Zoo board has such wrong information, or IF they have the correct information, which anyone can get, they are LYING in their posts
a “small” group of protestors? Including PETA and all the other humane animal groups? I now hate Woodland Park zoo and won’t support it anymore and in fact will do everything to continue to stop Chai and Bamboo from going to an even worse zoo….by the way,, there is another city council meeting on this coming Monday, March 9, 1:45 to continue petitioning the mayor and council (who are FOR sending the elephants to a sanctuary) to use their rightful power to stop this
TB doesn’t kill elephants – the zoo environment does. One need not look further than poor Watoto. Her debilitating arthritis and lameness was directly caused by standing on hard substrates and getting NO exercise. The zoo’s scheme is industry driven and has nothing to to with the physical and psychological welfare of Bamboo and Chai..
Shameful and even more disturbing is that City Hall is doing nothing about it.
We can hope the Mayor of Seattle and council will overturn this appalling decision. No one looking at the huge space (2700 acres vs 3.6) the expert and devoted care, and the outstanding quality of life enjoyed by the resident elephants of either the Tennessee or California sanctuaries can make any reasonable case for a zoo transfer. The Tennessee sanctuary is able to immediately accept these elephants, and contrary to the zoo’s claim, the management team there is now and will continue to be very stable. Further, rescued Asian elephants bring all of their captivity-related illnesses, including TB, with them to sanctuary where their conditions are ably managed with first class medical attention . It is all too obvious why this zoo would reject the appeal from city council, but it is also very possible for the city council to reject the zoo’s choice. This is not over yet.
As others have stated articulately, there is no comparison between the care, expertise, and appropriate conditions for elephants at PAWS. Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, which certifies PAWS, has far higher standards of care than those of AZA, the certifying body for zoos. AZA is primarily a trade organization.
The bitter winters and grueling hot summers in OKC are completely unsuitable for elephants. Chai and Bamboo would be locked in the barn even more than they are in Seattle! The space for elephants at OKC Zoo is smaller per elephant than at WPZ, as the acreage is divided into 3 tiny yards. Disease, the smokescreen raised by WPZ in their misinformation campaign about sanctuaries, is an issue at OKC zoo, where Rex has tested positive to TB. In the limited space of OKC zoo, it seems unlikely that TB would not be considered as a potential contagion factor. In sanctuary, Chai and Bamboo would not interact with any TB positive elephants.
The WPZ misinformation campaign has also claimed to be interested in moving Chai and Bamboo into a larger social herd. Funny, WPZ didn’t seem concerned about this is the past 34 years for Chai and 44 years for Bamboo, when they have suffered as a non-bonded group with deceased African elephant, Watoto.
Elephants don’t thrive in zoos, they die there. No zoo can provide the conditions that elephants need to thrive. If WPZ cares a fraction as much as they claim to care, sanctuary would be the first and only choice.
The misinformation in this piece from a WPZ supporter is almost as bad as what the zoo itself spews out. 4 acres for 6 elephants means that Bamboo and Chai will have less space than they do here. And Oklahoma City’s appalling climate means our elephants will have to spend more time inside than they already do. There is no way that Bamboo can be an “auntie” after the behavioral problems she’s had (the cause for sending her to Pt. Defiance Zoo where her problems were even worse and they sent her back – this sweet elephant who was mild and content until captivity made her “crazy”)
And will you stop putting sanctuary in quotes (and out loud, saying “so-called sanctuary”). Both PAWS and The Elephant Sanctuary are fully accredited but NOT by the AZA, a trade organization dedicated only to their zoos making money but an organization that accredits sanctuaries on the merits of how the animals are treated.
Please, everyone, show up at the City Council meeting Monday, March 9 at 1:45. Meeting starts at 2:00. Wear ORANGE.
I agree with the previous comments. Sanctuary is the better option and the zoos refuse it because of money. I hope all these zoos will be shut down one day soon and people will stop exploiting animals. Chai and Bamboo have suffered in Seattle, they need sanctuary.
WPZ had no compunctions about sending the elephant Sri off to a zoo that that has
TB in its herd. She is now confined in St Louis, still carrying the dead fetus that resulted from artificial insemination.
This is the sad way Woodland Park zoo cares so much about their elephants
A few corrections on comments here.
Rex gave a false positive on an inaccurate test called Stat-Pak. The zoo staff immediately followed up with a more accurate test, and he tested negative. Rex has tested negative ever since, and Stat-Pak has been discontinued for testing for TB in elephants because it is so inaccurate. There are no Tb-positive elephants at the OKC zoo.
African elephants are known for walking long distances for food or water — when they need to. They don’t when they don’t need to. They are also known for hanging out for days near food and water sources. But all that is irrelevant, because Chai and Bamboo are Asian elephants, not African elephants. Asian elephants are jungle animals and have limited range. You can confirm this in 30 seconds on Google – just type “how far do Asian elephants walk.”
PAWS has one female Asian elephant (they euthanized the other one three weeks ago). It has TB. TB treatment takes 18-24 months, and even then is not guaranteed to be successful. So in order for Chai and Bamboo to move there, PAWS would need to raise money to build a new enclosure and then build it. And even then, Chai and Bamboo would be isolated from the TB-positive elephant, so they would still be alone. That is cruel.
You can cast whatever aspersions you like on the AZA, but it is hardly “a trade association only interested in helping its members make money.” That is an insult to the caring people who work at the AZA and at fine zoos such as ours — and who love the animals.
Oklahoma City’s climate is officially “sub-tropical” — and by the way is very similar to the climate at the elephant “sanctuary” in Tennessee. So if you’re going to argue that Oklahoma City shouldn’t have elephants, then you also need to argue to close the sanctuary in Tennessee. As for the heat, do you think it doesn’t get hot in Thailand or India???? Seriously?
The elephants in OKC are NEVER locked in the barn, unless they are under specific medical care or are going through some sort of procedure with the keeper staff. They are either exclusively outside, or can move freely between the barn and the outside. And apparently sometimes they like to play in snow.
The Elephant Task Force had an outside expert panel make a close examination of the elephants. Their conclusion was that the elephants are in good health and are well cared for. They recommended some improvements to the enclosure, some of which have already been done. Their biggest recommendation was to get them integrated into a multi-generation herd — like the one at the OKC zoo. PAWS can’t do that — they can’t even provide one additional elephant to integrate into a herd with Chai and Bamboo.
I will keep saying “sanctuary” in quotes because there is no common definition for what makes a facility a sanctuary. It sounds lovely and has great emotional appeal, but the reality can be quite different. I have said publicly and will continue to say that the people running these places like the PAWS and Tennessee facilities are good people doing important work. No one is saying “Sanctuaries are bad.” As a general class, they are not, though every individual sanctuary and zoo has its strengths and weaknesses. But the reality, today, is that there is no sanctuary that can give Chai and Bamboo the social environment that they need, because none of them can integrate them into a herd. This is not a referendum on sanctuaries; it’s a decision on what is the best option for Chai and Bamboo today. The experts have looked at it and made the decision that the best option is to send them to OKC.
Just as we look to scientists to tell us whether climate change is real, and doctors to tell us whether vaccinations are safe, we need to look to animal experts to tell us what is best for our elephants. Not politicians, not activists, not retired game show hosts.
So it sounds like what you’re laying out is that our girls are screwed no matter where they go. Humans need to stop trafficking in wild animals for human entertainment. And whether Asian elephants are couch potatoes in comparison to African elephants or not, they should still have the choice whether to roam several miles on a walkabout or park their pachyderm patooties at the local Jamba Juice and suck down (up?) a wheatgrass smoothie. They don’t get that choice in Oklahoma.
and I don’t agree with Kevin’s “pat” information; it sounds so put together like a zoo release but it isn’t accurate….
Bamboo and Chai deserve to go to a Sanctuary and not another zoo that doesn’t know what they’re doing with elephants….ours certainly doesn’t and neither does the Oklahoma Zoo considering the bad facts of its history with elephants
I was undecided until I viewed a YouTube video of Maggie at the Alaska Zoo and more recent videos of her at PAWS. Search on-line videos of Sri at the St Louis zoo. She looks worse the Bamboo. All three of the Asian Elephants who are owned by the Woodland Park Zoo deserve a happy retirement at PAWS. The City Council should fund the 3 WPZ elephants’ retirement with money from the Parks Levy.
I believe that the Woodland Park Zoo is getting something back in exchange for Seattle’s elephants. The WPZ has something to hide if they continue to refuse to comply with the Public Records Disclosure Act.
On Monday let the city council know we remember Sri and we will not forget Bamboo and Chai at the time of city council elections.
Just read in the Seattle Times that councilwoman Sally Bradshaw who’s been their biggest advocate for moving Chai and Bamboo to a Sanctuary, said the council won’t do anything more to stop the zoo from moving them to the Oklahoma Zoo….and that the mayor has said the same thing….it turns out they can’t (or think they can’t) do anything further because our zoo is run by a non-profit that’s backed by private and public money (who are the private monies making these zoo decisions is what I want to know) and that because of this our government doesn’t have that much power in this……so much for power to the people or the elephants….it’s the oligarchy money running the zoo that has whatever money interests at stake, and of course we won’t find out anything because the public isn’t allowed at their meetings
http://youtu.be/wxPYG2VYGmU As a neonatal intensive care nurse for over 25 yrs I watched with horror the delivery of the baby elephant at Oklahoma zoo. Men standing watching with a shock probe and an elephant with legs restrained in chains. I have attended hundreds of deliveries including many in third world countries and the inhumanity of this event brought tears to my eyes. No being is more vulnerable than when giving birth, and to think that a place exists where men trade comments, ready with the probe while this poor elephant tries to deliver her infant while shackled? Apparently Kevin is convinced that whatever moral injustice this elephant was subjected to at the hands of these keepers was all forgiven and forgotten when she was reunited with her herd. I am skeptical. Without being an elephant expert I think that is reasonable to raise the red flag, as many have, with regards to assuming that Chai and Bamboo will integrate. These elephants exhibit neurotic behaviors as a result of their time in captivity and it is unreasonable to make any predictions about how they will adapt to a new environment. The Oklahoma zoo appears to be moving forward assuming no elephant will have to be quarantined for illness or behavior. If both these events occurred the holy grail of the ‘herd’ would not exist and in its place would be several elephants living out their lives alone on tiny plots.
today friends of the elephants posted documents stating the history of diseases at the Oklahoma zoo…..this shows the zoo is going against its own criteria. Also, in the Times a council member said the council and major don’t have any more authority or power to do anything basically because the zoo is a private foundation run by a private board etc.etc. My question is, is this true? I don’t think it can be because that would mean we’ve regressed to a time where Abuse of a being was ok if it was in the privacy of your own home, or you could send that being to another abusive home….because it was all personal business. Not right, and I don’t think this can be the case…..if anyone knows the legal reasons the mayor and council Could act (since their sympathies are with the elephants going to a sanctuary) even in the face of this privacy argument? anyway, this is all so heartbreaking.
Penny, as I understand the ownership/management of the Woodland Park Zoo: the City of Seattle owns the Zoo and about a third of the operating budget is from taxes. A foundation operates the zoo according to a contract that has an expiration date. The foundation is not entitled to money from the recently passed Parks levy. The mayor and council have influence, not direct authority to decide what happens next.
It is also my understanding Chai and Bamboo will be required to ‘perform’ as the other elephants currently do at Oklahoma City Zoo for spectators in the adjacent amphitheater. OCZ has more extreme temperatures (per NOAA analysis) than that of Seattle and the space per elephant will be less than Chai and Bamboo currently have at Woodland Park Zoo. I also understand Chai will most likely be subjected to breeding again as if she hasn’t endured enough! This is a horrible situation for them!
Kevin Schofield, the zoo enthusiast says “PAWS has one female Asian elephant . It has TB.”
This is the zoo point of view: this animal is an “it” – like a machine or a tool, not a living breathing, thinking, suffering “she”.
Funny quote http://news.yahoo.com/massive-octopus-seattle-nearly-crawls-aquarium-display-115116969.html:
It’s so funny how people project feelings on to animals that are ludicrous just to make them feel better about what they are doing. As a member of both the zoo and aquarium, I think these organizations need to be honest to themselves and the public about what their motivations are.
It reminds me of when they used to say lobsters feel no pain. Someone actually had to create a scientific experiment to prove they do all because people believed that a lobster’s sensation was different from all other animals in the animal kingdom because they were so darn tasty boiled alive.
I feel so upset thinking of all the trapped animals!!!!! at the least they need More Room….ie, back to the Elephant Sanctuary….
what I can’t even think about are all the animals who are being used for medical experiments in Seattle and elsewhere…..it makes me want to break into the places and rescue all the animals….I wish I had a place to take them all; well, I do in some ways, i.e. releasing them back into nature for the wild ones….and fostering the others
p.s. both the major and the council are saying their preference is for a sanctuary….I’m reading up on (googling) the 2001 contractural 20 year agreement that the Zoo has where it’s run by a private non-profit (the aquarium is run by a separate non-profit)….it still is not right that Any business entity has the final say i.e. a say that can’t be overruled, when it comes to animal welfare….it’s back to that old horror of “what’s done in the privacy of your own home is ok” when child abuse and wife abuse used to be something that was private….anyway, I’m trying to learn ways in the law that we can help Chai and Bamboo go to a sanctuary before the council meeting this coming monday march 9 at 1:15 at City Hall 2nd floor across the blue bridge….thankyou for your posts explaining some of the law logistics to me