Help Get Elephants Out of Rosamond Gifford Zoo in Syracuse, New York

On Thursday, June 8, 2006, the Rosamond Gifford Zoo subjected Asian elephant Romani to risky surgery in order to remove a dead calf from her womb. Romani had gone into labor four days earlier and was ultimately unable to give birth to the baby.

This is just the latest example of the suffering caused by the zoo’s elephant exhibit and breeding program. Half of the six elephants born at the zoo have died, including Romani’s 3-year-old calf, Preya, who succumbed to a deadly herpes virus. In August 2005, 4-day-old baby Kedar died after falling into the exhibit’s swimming pool, a tragedy that landed the zoo a $10,675 fine from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for improper animal handling.

Every time a baby elephant is born at the zoo, there is the risk that the herpes-infected herd will pass the disease on to the vulnerable baby. Furthermore, there is no chance that elephants born at the zoo will ever be released into the wild. But the Rosamond Gifford Zoo continues to breed elephants because babies draw in visitors and boost profits. Elephants born at the zoo face not only the threat of disease, but also the bite of Syracuse’s harsh winters and the cruel use of bullhooks. In fact, the Rosamond Gifford Zoo still practices an outdated, circus-style form of elephant “management” that uses dominance and fear, both of which are established by the barbaric use of bullhooks.

The Rosamond Gifford Zoo is an Onondaga County facility overseen by the county executive and the county legislature. PETA is calling on Onondaga County to cancel the zoo’s elephant-breeding program, close its exhibit, and send the animals to an elephant sanctuary. The Detroit Zoo, which is in a city that experiences weather similar to that of Syracuse, made the decision in 2004 to send its elephants to a warm-climate sanctuary. Please join us in asking Onondaga County officials to follow Detroit’s compassionate example:

The Honorable Nick Pirro, County Executive
Onondaga County Legislature
John H. Mulroy Civic Center, 14th Fl.
421 Montgomery St.
Syracuse, NY 13202
315-435-8582 (fax)
http://www.ongov.net/Contact/email/