Buttonwood Park Zoo to be the site of International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos event

 

The inaugural International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos, sponsored by In Defense of Animals (IDA), a California-based national animal advocacy organization, will be commemorated on Saturday, June 20th. 

The event is designed to focus attention on the plight of elephants in zoos, many of whom do not have adequate or appropriate space in which to roam or function as a herd.  A 2008 study of 4500 elephants, published in the journal Science, clearly demonstrated that the lifespans of elephants in captivity are considerably shorter than those who live in the wild.

In the Boston area, Peg Kelley will lead a small group of pro-elephant advocates who will demonstrate and distribute educational literature tomorrow, beginning at 10:30am, outside the gates of the Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford, home of two Asian elephants:  45-year-old Emily, who was born in the wild and who has lived at Buttonwood Park for the last 24 years; and 51-year-old Ruth, also born in the wild and eventually transferred to the New Bedford facility in 1986.  You can get a real sense of these beautiful elephant matrons, and a better understanding of the relatively small space in which they are confined, from a series of photographs that were taken of them last summer.

According to IDA, ButtonwoodPark has announced its intention to phase out its elephant exhibit, presumably after the passing of Emily and Ruth.  It is one of at least a half-dozen zoos who are in the process of doing so.

 For more info: Here's a list of the zoos which have already closed their elephant exhibits, are in the process of doing so, or have moved their elephants into sanctuaries.