Breaking News!
New IDA survey shows scores of elephants spend winters warehoused in cruel conditions
IDA released an unprecedented survey showing that scores of elephants are being held in zoos in cold climates, where the elephants will be confined indoors for the vast majority of each day during the winter. Cold weather drastically increases the suffering that elephants already endure in zoos.
Read the survey report here. ---- Read the press release here.
Major Victory: No Bullhooks for Zoo-Backed Elephant Center in Florida
In a major victory for elephants, the St. Lucie County Board of Commissioners in Florida made it very clear that the use of cruel bullhooks on elephants is not welcome in their county. The commission today voted to allow the National Elephant Center (NEC), an elephant holding facility and breeding facility, to proceed, but applied strict conditions that prohibit bullhooks (a device similar to a fireplace poker used to inflict pain on elephants), limit the number of elephants at the facility, and encourage the formation of an advisory committee to monitor elephant welfare at the NEC.
Read IDA's statement here.
Leading Elephant Expert Joins IDA in Condemning St. Louis Zoo
In Defense of Animals (IDA), joined by a top authority on elephant behavior and biology, today strongly criticized the St. Louis Zoo for recklessly breeding elephants. The charge follows an announcement by the zoo that the elephant Rani is again pregnant, despite serious complications following the last two births at the zoo and the threat posed by a deadly elephant virus.
For full press release, click here
IDA announces its list of the Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants in 2009
The 2009 list of the Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants, released by In Defense of Animals (IDA), exposes the hidden suffering of elephants in zoos. In its sixth year, the list highlights how confinement of these giants to tiny enclosures wreaks havoc on their physical and psychological health and leads to premature death for many. For the first time, the list includes a Canadian entry, the Toronto Zoo.
Exposed: The Tortured Lives of Baby Elephants in Circuses
The Washington Post recently ran a story on how Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus brutally trains baby elephants to perform for its audiences. The story is based on firsthand reports and shocking photos exposing Ringling's cruelty under the big top. Sadly, it doesn't stop there. IDA is fighting to save baby elephants in circuses, like Baby Val and young Obert, who have been forced to perform since they were less than two years old.
Help Free Lucy Now! Solitary confinement is torture for an animal as intensely social as the elephant. Yet the Edmonton Valley Zoo -- home to the worst elephant exhibit in Canada according to one expert -- is resisting calls to send its lonely elephant, Lucy, to a natural-habitat sanctuary. Lucy has spent much of her life in solitary confinement, suffering from captivity-induced conditions such as painful chronic foot infections, arthritis, respiratory problems and psychological distress. She needs your help now!
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