Gillian Pleads for Lincoln Park Elephants
Posted at 7:02 AM (PST) on Tuesday, December 9, 2003

From PETA:

December 8, 2003
Contact: Michael McGraw 757-622-7382

As PETA feared, the three African elephants who were controversially shipped from the San Diego Zoo to Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo in April are in terrible shape. With Chicago's long, bitterly cold winters, the elephants, one of whom is 53 years old, will be kept in a small backroom for half the year, making their chronic medical conditions even worse.

Chicago native Gillian Anderson has written a letter to the director of the Lincoln Park Zoo, pleading with him to send the three to a sanctuary in a warmer location that is more appropriate for African elephants, who are accustomed to an equatorial climate.

Kevin Bell, Director
Lincoln Park Zoo
2001 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60614-4757

Dear Mr. Bell:

I was horrified to learn from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that three aging elephants from the San Diego Zoo, who had lived there since they were infants, were recently transferred to the Lincoln Park Zoo where they are now getting their first taste of winter in one of the coldest regions of this country.

These elephants were accustomed to being outdoors year-round in San Diego's warm climate. Now, when the temperature dips below 40 or 50, they will be confined and isolated from one another in a small concrete back room. I understand that Peaches, one of the oldest African elephants in captivity, suffers from chronic lameness, colic, nail abscesses, and facial sores and recently broke off a tusk. Her long-time companions, Wankie and Tatima, reportedly suffer from recurring colic, and one has developed a serious limp since arriving at your zoo while the other shows signs of being angry and frustrated.

I kindly ask that you give serious thought to letting Peaches, Tatima, and Wankie retire to a warmer climate where they will have lots of room to roam, forage, play, swim in a pond, or do anything else that comes naturally to them. The Elephant Sanctuary, which operates on several thousand acres in the town of Hohenwald, Tennessee, has eagerly offered to take these elephants under its wing so that they can rest, recuperate, and live out the rest of their days in a more natural habitat with other African elephants. PETA would be happy to pay for transportation costs.

I hope you'll take the best interests of these elephants into thoughtful consideration and release them to a well-reputed sanctuary. I look forward to your reply. You can reach me through Debbie Leahy, PETA's director of captive animals and entertainment issues, at 630-393-9627.

Sincerely,
Gillian Anderson

The Chicago Sun-Times reports:

In response to Anderson's charges, zoo spokeswoman Kelly McGrath said Monday, "We are encouraged by Ms. Anderson's obvious commitment to wildlife and are grateful for the opportunity to respond to her concerns, most of which appear to be based on erroneous information or miscommunication.

While Chicagoans do experience some very cold temperatures, many days even in the heart of winter are mild, and Peaches, Wankie and Tatima will spend more than three-quarters of their time outside in the yard. They will at all times have access to the indoors, where they are never 'isolated,' but are housed in a social situation.

Lincoln Park Zoo has been home to elephants for more than half a century and is proud to have on its staff animal keepers and veterinarians who are experts in elephant care."

NEW!

PETA has an update that includes:

A copy of their letter warning Lincoln Park Zoo officials that the San Diego elephants would be miserable in Chicago.
A video of the elephants hobbling around their tiny enclosure.
What you can do to help.