Winky and Wanda Find Sanctuary
Update—April 2005: After a safe journey from Detroit, Winky and Wanda arrived at the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in California on April 8, 2005. In December 2004, in a surprising turn of events, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association determined that Winky and Wanda were not needed for the zoo industry’s breeding program, allowing Detroit Zoo Director Ron Kagan to send both elephants to PAWS. Both aging elephants, who suffer from arthritis, can now look forward to full and enriching years of retirement, roaming through natural habitat, benefiting from access to expert veterinary care in a warm climate, and sharing their “golden years” with other elephant friends. For updates on their progress, visit: http://www.pawsweb.org/site/homepage.htm.
Detroit Zoo Closes Elephant Exhibit
In May 2004, Michigan’s Detroit Zoo announced its precedent-setting
decision to permanently close its elephant exhibit and retire two
female Asian elephants, Winky and Wanda, to a sanctuary. The Detroit
Zoo is the first zoo to voluntarily close its elephant exhibit for
ethical reasons and the
eighth U.S. zoo to stop exhibiting elephants in recent years.
In a memorandum that explained the decision, Detroit Zoo Director
Ron Kagan stated, “Now we understand how much more is needed
to be able to meet all the physical and psychological needs of elephants
in captivity, especially in a cold climate.”
Both Winky, aged 51, and Wanda, aged 46, were captured in the wild
as babies and have been companions at the Detroit Zoo since 1994.
Among the few lucky captive elephants in North America to find retirement
at a sanctuary, Winky and Wanda will have the opportunity to lead
lives similar to those of elephants in the wild. Thanks to the Detroit
Zoo’s humane decision, Winky and Wanda will enjoy full, enriching
years of retirement, roaming through hundreds of acres of natural
habitat in the company of many other elephants.
Under Director Ron Kagan, the Detroit Zoo has been a pioneer in animal
welfare. It is one of the few zoos that takes in rescued animals and
publicly denounces the mistreatment of animals in circuses. Please
write to the director and thank him for making the compassionate decision
to close the zoo’s elephant exhibit:
Ron Kagan, Director
Detroit Zoological Institute
8450 W. Ten Mile Rd.
Royal Oak, MI 48068-0039
248-398-0900
248-398-0504 (fax)
|
