Help Tinkerbelle and Lulu Find Sanctuary

Update: On November 28, 2004, Tinkerbelle finally arrived at her new home at The Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in California, followed by Lulu on March 10, 2005. After languishing for the majority of their lives in the unhealthy zoo environment that contributed to the premature deaths of their companions Calle and Maybelle, Tinkerbelle and Lulu will finally experience the joys of wandering through natural habitat, scratching against trees, foraging on fresh grasses, and swimming in ponds with many other elephant companions. Please send a thank-you note to the director of the San Francisco Zoo: Manuel Mollinedo, Director San Francisco Zoo 1 Zoo Rd. San Francisco, CA 94132 415-753-7080 415-681-2039 (fax) manuelm@sfzoo.org

Update—June 2, 2004: San Francisco Zoo Director Manuel Mollinedo announced his ground-breaking decision to retire Tinkerbelle and Lulu, the zoo’s surviving ailing elephants, to sanctuaries rather than to other zoos, as recommended by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). In announcing his decision, Mollindeo said, “Sanctuaries have additional space. But it’s not just the space, it’s how you manage the animals.” He also stated, “I realize this is an extremely serious situation we’ve placed ourselves in within the AZA, but I am looking at what is best for the two elephants currently in our care.

Background:

This year, two elephants at the San Francisco Zoo died in less than two months.

In March 2004, the zoo euthanized Calle, a 37-year-old Asian elephant, ending her intense suffering, which was a result of captivity-induced degenerative joint disease and foot infections that left her virtually toeless.

On April 22, 2004, Maybelle—a 44-year-old African elephant—died suddenly at the zoo, reportedly from heart failure.

Two elephants remain; they are suffering from similar ailments. Tinkerbelle, also 37 and Calle’s sole companion, has lived at the San Francisco Zoo since she was captured as a baby in India. Calle’s death marked Tinkerbelle’s second traumatic loss of a close friend and companion while in captivity. Lulu, a 38-year-old African, has also lived at this zoo since she was captured as a baby in Africa. Maybelle was the only companion she ever knew in captivity. The Elephant Sanctuary and the Performing Animal Welfare Society have offered Tinkerbelle and Lulu immediate refuge.

PETA is concerned that if the zoo’s two remaining elephants are not relocated to a sanctuary immediately, they, too, will suffer premature deaths. Because both the surviving elephants have now experienced the traumatic loss of a companion, they are even more susceptible to succumbing to their illnesses.

PETA is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to launch an investigation into Maybelle’s death. The San Francisco Zoo must be held accountable for the inhumane and apparently deadly conditions in which its elephants are kept.

The San Francisco Zoo cannot humanely house elephants. It denies elephants their most basic need—room to roam. Lack of exercise and long hours standing on hard surfaces are major contributors to foot infections and arthritis, the leading causes of death among captive elephants. Life in captivity—not worn-out joints—killed Calle.

In 1997, PETA pleaded with the zoo to send the already-ailing Calle to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, where she could probably have recovered and lived a full and enriching life in the company of other elephants, instead of dying prematurely in agonizing pain. Unless they are retired soon, Tinkerbelle and Lulu are headed for the same sad fate.