In the video, elephant handler Don RedFox enters Louie’s stall twice. The first time, he’s carrying treats for the 7-year-old bull elephant, which appears startled and acts aggressively toward the handler he has known since birth.

Mr. RedFox retreats from the cage, returning moments later with a hooked stick used in elephant training. The young bull turns his back on the handler, but when Mr. RedFox touches Louie with the stick, called an elephant guide or bullhook, the elephant pushes him against a wall of the enclosure, backs off, then moves forward again, crushing Mr. RedFox against the wall. When Louie backs off a second time, the handler is able to stumble out of the cage.

Read the entire article here.

Toledo Zoo patron Jennifer Kohler and her family walked up to an exhibit hoping to see 4,000-pound Louie the elephant go through some training exercises, she told The Blade Friday.

What the Findlay woman ended up doing instead that July 1 afternoon was to call 911 for help after she saw an elephant trainer – Don RedFox – in distress.

“I’ve been in the elephant cage at the Toledo Zoo, and the zookeeper here has just fallen over. He’s been attacked by an elephant. …” she told a dispatcher.

“He’s all by himself, and there’s nobody here. We’ve got people running for help, but we need an ambulance out here now.”

Ms. Kohler, along with her three children and her sister, had just walked up when they saw Mr. RedFox close a gate to an inner area to secure the animal that had just attacked him.

Read the entire article here.

BOSTON – Unfortunately, when it comes to the worst zoos in the world, the stories are pretty much all the same: small cages and living spaces, unnatural surroundings of concrete and iron, under-feeding and under-watering and well, cruelty in general.

However, some zoos go above and beyond expectations of horrible.

Ever hear of a zoo misplacing a few animals? How about one that slowly turns into a taxidermy museum? Animals being shipped two-by-two on a “Noah’s Ark” to a different country?

The zoos listed here are places you don’t want to bring the kids. Or yourself for that matter.

Read the entire article here.

The zoo’s elephant exhibit can only hold two pachyderms, and although the zoo could try to acquire a second elephant, it probably would not be able to comply with elephant standards set by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums that require zoos have no fewer than three female elephants, the group says.

The animal group said that because sanctuaries have more space, elephants integrate easily into social groups and soon form lasting bonds with companions of their own choosing.

The two leading U.S. sanctuaries, The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee and PAWS in California, have set the standard for the care of captive elephants by providing spacious and complex environments that give elephants the space they need for movement, large social groups, and high-quality veterinary care, the animal group says.

Dr. Elliot Katz, the animal group’s president and a veterinarian, said, “At Maude’s age, if she stays in a zoo she’s likely to develop arthritis or other health complications. … Arthritis is a painful and potentially deadly condition for an elephant. A sanctuary provides the soft soil, space and exercise that elephants need to stay healthy.”

Read this entire article here.

Davenport has been cited with multiple USDA violations and failure to properly care for the three elephants.

Thanks to IDA’s work and public outcry, Tina and Jewel were finally removed and sent to the San Diego Zoo’s Conrad Prebys Elephant Care Center where they’re reportedly doing well.

Sadly, and unbelievably, Queenie was left behind with Davenport in Texas when Tina and Jewel were taken away.

From IDA:

The USDA filed serious charges against Davenport in October, and we expected the agency to negotiate a prompt settlement which would result in Queenie going to a sanctuary. It now appears that Davenport intends to fight the charges, and no settlement has been announced. Queenie is still in his hands, although he is not permitted to exhibit her or to move her without the USDA’s consent. No governmental authority will acknowledge responsibility for her well-being.

IDA continues to monitor the situation closely, as we have for over two years. We continue to explore all legal options for helping Queenie. And we continue work to persuade the USDA that they have both the ability and the obligation to get Queenie to safety.

It is frustrating to contact the USDA only to be rebuffed by their claim that they have no jurisdiction – but the truth is that they are Queenie’s best hope for a happy ending. The USDA can – as it has in many previous cases, including the Hawthorn elephants – reach a settlement with Davenport, who faces substantial fines and possible jail time for the violations alleged against him. Sanctuary for Queenie should be a part of that settlement.

Both the PAWS sanctuary in California and The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee are ready and willing to take Queenie into their facilities and care for her for  the rest of her life.

Read the entire entry here.

Los Angeles, Calif. (December 17, 2009) - In Defense of Animals (IDA) is applauding today's California Supreme Court decision that assures a taxpayer lawsuit against the Los Angeles Zoo and its controversial $42 million elephant exhibit will go back to court for a full trial.

The California Supreme Court denied a City of Los Angeles petition asking for review of an Appellate Court decision on the suit, which seeks to stop the display of elephants at the zoo. The Appellate Court had reversed in full an earlier Superior Court dismissal of the suit. The City filed the petition November, in an attempt to prevent the lawsuit from going to trial.

By its decision, the California Supreme Court upholds the Appellate Court decision in which the justices concluded, in part, that the "physical characteristics" of an elephant's enclosure may constitute "abusive behavior" under California state law.

"The California Supreme Court decision rightly allows the taxpayers of Los Angeles to have their day in court," said IDA campaign director Catherine Doyle. "It’s wrong for the City of Los Angeles to waste public money on an inadequate elephant display that we can't afford and in which elephants will continue to suffer and die prematurely."

Attorney David Casselman filed the suit in 2007 on behalf of actor Robert Culp and real estate agent Aaron Leider. It alleges ongoing illegal, damaging and wasteful actions by the zoo, including construction of an exhibit that will not provide the large spaces elephants need to maintain health, perpetuation of captivity-caused foot disease and arthritis that kill elephants prematurely, and abusive handling practices.

Construction on the 3.5-acre elephant display resumed after a Los Angeles City Council vote in January. Since then, the zoo has twice returned to the City Council for funds needed to cover cost overruns in excess of $1 million.

The zoo holds one male Asian elephant, Billy, at a cost to taxpayers of $156,000 annually. The new exhibit will hold up to 11 elephants.

For more information, please visit helpelephants.com.

Contacts:
Catherine Doyle, 323-301-5370, zoos@idausa.org

By Ben Bauman

Topeka - Zoo watchdog organization In Defense of Animals (IDA) is urging the city of Topeka to close the Topeka Zoo's elephant exhibit. IDA recommends the closure as a necessary part of the city's efforts to improve animal welfare at the highly troubled institution, where several animals have died in recent years. In a letter sent to City Manager & CEO Norton Bonaparte today, IDA calls for sending the elephants to a facility far better suited to their needs, such as a spacious, natural-habitat sanctuary.

"IDA is deeply concerned that the elephants at the Topeka Zoo are living in woefully inadequate conditions that fail to meet their most basic needs, including room to roam, large social groups, and an appropriate climate," said Catherine Doyle, IDA captive elephant specialist. "IDA urges the City to close the elephant exhibit and divert the vast resources required for elephant care to improving the welfare of many more animals at the Topeka Zoo."

City spokesman David Bevens acknowledged receipt of IDA's letter.

"We appreciate the input and the time she (Doyle) took to tell us of her concerns," Bevens said. "As we look toward a fresh start at the Topeka Zoo, we will think about what she has said."

Zoo Director Mike Coker's retirement is effective December 25. Bevens said today the available zoo director's position has not yet been posted.

The group's release goes on to say: "Zoo records indicate that both elephants suffer chronic foot disorders that zoo industry experts acknowledge are caused by lack of space and movement, and hard surfaces such as concrete. The elephant Sunda suffers "deterioration of digits" (bones) in one front foot, and displays abnormal repetitive rocking, a sign of stress and poor welfare. The elephants - one of whom is Asian and the other African – have acted aggressively toward one another, resulting in injuries, likely due to differences between the two species."

IDA also says; "The Topeka Zoo provides only three-quarters of an acre for the elephants, who, in the wild, would walk tens of miles a day. Cold weather further compounds the problem, as elephants are forced indoors into tiny cages for the majority of Topeka's long, freezing winters, greatly restricting movement necessary for good health."

According to IDA, elephants are the most expensive and challenging animals to keep in a zoo, where they require intensive maintenance, especially of the feet, due to lack of space for movement.

IDA says 18 zoos have closed or will close their elephant exhibits, including major urban zoos in Chicago, New York, Detroit, Anchorage, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

San Rafael, Calif., December 16, 2009 – Zoo watchdog organization In Defense of Animals (IDA) is urging the city of Topeka to close the Topeka Zoo’s elephant exhibit. IDA recommends the closure as a necessary part of the city’s efforts to improve animal welfare at the highly troubled institution, where several animals have died in recent years. In a letter sent to City Manager & CEO Norton Bonaparte today, IDA calls for sending the elephants to a facility far better suited to their needs, such as a spacious, natural-habitat sanctuary.

“IDA is deeply concerned that the elephants at the Topeka Zoo are living in woefully inadequate conditions that fail to meet their most basic needs, including room to roam, large social groups, and an appropriate climate,” said Catherine Doyle, IDA captive elephant specialist. “IDA urges the City to close the elephant exhibit and divert the vast resources required for elephant care to improving the welfare of many more animals at the Topeka Zoo.”

Zoo records indicate that both elephants suffer chronic foot disorders that zoo industry experts acknowledge are caused by lack of space and movement, and hard surfaces such as concrete. The elephant Sunda suffers “deterioration of digits” (bones) in one front foot, and displays abnormal repetitive rocking, a sign of stress and poor welfare. The elephants – one of whom is Asian and the other African – have acted aggressively toward one another, resulting in injuries, likely due to differences between the two species.

The Topeka Zoo provides only three-quarters of an acre for the elephants, who, in the wild, would walk tens of miles a day. Cold weather further compounds the problem, as elephants are forced indoors into tiny cages for the majority of Topeka’s long, freezing winters, greatly restricting movement necessary for good health.

According to IDA, elephants are the most expensive and challenging animals to keep in a zoo, where they require intensive maintenance, especially of the feet, due to lack of space for movement.

To date, 18 zoos have closed or will close their elephant exhibits, including major urban zoos in Chicago, New York, Detroit, Anchorage, San Francisco and Philadelphia.

For more information, visit www.HelpElephants.com.

Contact: Catherine Doyle, 323-301-5730, zoos@idausa.org

San Rafael, Calif. (December 10, 2009) - The international zoo watchdog group In Defense of Animals has sent a letter to the Toronto Zoo Board of Management calling for an end to the Zoo's ill-fated elephant exhibit in which four elephants have died prematurely in less than four years. At today's meeting, the Board is expected to discuss whether to bring new elephants into the exhibit or close it altogether.

"Elephants at the Toronto Zoo are dying at an unprecedented rate," said IDA captive elephant specialist Catherine Doyle. "The Toronto Zoo and the Board of Management can no longer ignore the mounting death toll or scientific evidence of the devastating effects of captivity on elephants. The exhibit must be shut down now before more elephants die."

Tara, age 41, died suddenly in November, leaving only three elephants and bringing the Zoo to a crossroads in an elephant program that has seen its elephants all die prematurely. The four elephants who died since 2006 ranged from 38 to 41 years, an age at which elephants are considered to be in their prime. The Zoo's own web site claims elephants have "a potential lifespan of 55 to 70 years."

In its letter to Board Chairman Raymond Cho, IDA urged the Board to reject a proposed $40 million elephant exhibit renovation and instead relocate the remaining elephants to a spacious, natural- habitat sanctuary that can better meet their needs. The group says that even with a costly renovation, the exhibit still will be woefully inadequate. The plan currently is unfunded.

Citing recent scientific developments and leading elephant authorities, IDA says the Toronto Zoo lacks the space and natural conditions necessary for elephants to live healthier and longer lives. Cold weather compounds the problem, as elephants are forced indoors into tiny cages for the majority of long, freezing winters, greatly restricting movement necessary to good health.

IDA's letter to Board Chairman Cho is available upon request.

For more information, please visit helpelephants.com.

Contacts:
Catherine Doyle, 323-301-5370
Suzanne Roy, 919-697-9389

Express News File Photo

Zookeeper Mike Huff sprays water on Lucky, the San Antonio Zoo’s only elephant. A complaint filed with the USDA says the animal is being mistreated, but zoo officials say she is healthy and content.

By Brian Chasnoff - Express-News

A nonprofit animal-rights organization based in California filed a complaint this week with the U.S. Department of Agriculture against the San Antonio Zoo, claiming the zoo’s treatment of its only elephant violates federal law.

Catherine Doyle, a member of the California-based group In Defense of Animals, held a news conference Thursday outside the zoo’s entrance.

“We are alarmed that Lucky is living in woefully inadequate conditions,” Doyle said. “We are calling on the zoo to do the right thing and send Lucky to a sanctuary.”

Doyle and others — including Mel Richardson, who worked at the zoo as a veterinarian in the early 1990s — cited a litany of complaints, asserting that Lucky is suffering from a lack of companionship and that her enclosure is far too small and its surface is too flat and hard, resulting in painful arthritis in her feet and legs.

The 49-year-old Asian elephant has lived at the zoo for 47 years in an exhibit that spans about half an acre. Her previous companion, a female African elephant named Alport, died in November 2007 after tearing a knee ligament and falling.

Despite its stance that “it is inappropriate to keep highly social female elephants singly,” the Association of Zoos and Aquariums renewed a variance last year that grants the zoo until March to find Lucky a companion.

“We’re very close,” said Steve McCusker, the zoo’s executive director.

Steve Feldman — spokesman for the AZA, which reaccredited the zoo last year — said finding another Asian elephant is “not an easy thing.”

“Yes, elephants are social,” he said. “But this elephant is closely bonded with its keepers. There’s a lot of love and attention this elephant gets every day.”

McCusker took a hard-line stance against anyone who argues that the zoo is mistreating its animals.

“I think they’re out to close all zoos,” he said. “They don’t know anything about medical science, they don’t know anything about biology, they don’t know anything about captive management, they don’t know anything about what we do for field research and for rare and endangered species.”

He added, “I would suggest that arguing with them is fruitless.”

McCusker rebutted a rumor that the zoo plans to ship Lucky and her future companion to another zoo when it eventually completes the third phase of its Africa Live attraction, which will include African elephants.

“We’re committed to keeping Asian elephants,” he said.

He added that Lucky does not suffer from arthritis and is in good health.

Advocates such as Doyle and Richardson would prefer to make that determination independently. They complain that the zoo has refused to release any medical records on its animals.

“They’ll never get them, ever,” McCusker said. “They would utilize those documents for all the wrong reasons and don’t have people capable of interpreting them.”

The USDA inspects any publicly filed complaints, a spokesman with the agency said.