Category — Opinion

An article against the use of elephants and other animals in the Ringling Bros. circus. – The Examiner

An opinion piece that discusses behavioral issues in captive animals. The article mentions Jenny, who lives in the Dallas Zoo. The article also mentions Maggie, who was the elephant that a treadmill was built for when she lived in Alaska. Maggie has since gone to live at PAWS, the Performing Animal Welfare Society.

Jenny at The Dallas Zoo

Taiwan News Online

A letter to the editor of The Free-Lance Star that discusses why elephants don’t belong in the circus.

The Free Lance-Star

“Now Councilman Tony Cardenas wants the City Council to halt construction and build a more appropriate-sized sanctuary for Billy, or relocate him to an existing sanctuary that can give him the space, companionship and stimulation elephants need to live happy lives.” – L.A. Pet Rescue Examiner

“What her fans don’t know is that the Commerford Petting Zoo has a tarnished history and has been cited a number of times for “failure to meet minimal federal standards” for the care of animals. In a number of cities, the CPZ has been told that it is no longer welcome. I urge the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show, and the town of Augusta, to tell them the same.” – Daily Record

“In its editorial “Stop Micromanaging the Dallas Zoo,” The Dallas Morning News argues that investigating a decision made by city of Dallas staff to relocate Jenny, the city’s last remaining elephant, to a zoo in Mexico is tantamount to micromanagement.” – Dallas Morning News

“Zoos are the imperfect alternative, and the Dallas Zoo’s imperfections are most evident when it comes to Jenny, the zoo’s only remaining elephant. The zoo wants to retire her to Africam, a 617-acre park near Puebla, Mexico. Africam is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which maintains high standards of full-time veterinary care, feeding and exercise. ” – Dallas Morning News

“Why, it’s Jenny the elephant! (Who also happens to be todays (belated) topic of the day!)” – The Dallas Morning News

“While some zoos, such as New York’s Bronx Zoo, are phasing out their elephant-breeding programs in favor of spending money on conservation in the wild, the Syracuse zoo is at the forefront of efforts to breed them in captivity. ” – Bloomberg.com

“The San Francisco Zoo dropped its elephant exhibit. So have zoos in Anchorage, Detroit, Madison and Chicago. In each case, the zoos could no longer justify their cramped and lonely quarters in the name of education and conservation. ” – OregonLive.com

“Elephant culling at the Kruger National Park is unnecessary and not a last option, the Earth organisation said on Wednesday.” – IOL

“An African elephant in Philadelephia’s zoo died recently at age 52. While wild elephants sometimes live into their 60s, that left a 48-year-old in Salt Lake City as the oldest African elephant in a U.S. zoo. ” – seattle pi

“An outbreak of a human strain of tuberculosis (TB), called mycobacterium tuberculosis, is infecting and killing captive elephants in the United States. The number of elephants harboring TB is unknown. Several elephant handlers have tested positive for the disease.” – Mt. Vernon Register

“Winky was an Asian elephant. She was euthanized early Monday at the Ark 2000 animal sanctuary operated by the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in the rolling foothills near San Andreas.” – sacbee.com

“It is too soon for conservationists to ring the alarm bells over South Africa’s elephant management plan that includes culling, argues Dr Richard Leakey. In this week’s Green Room, he says the measures are necessary and based in animal welfare concerns.” – BBC NEWS

“In this issue of Global voices environment, we check in with various blogs around the world. The themes are varied, and some are of global concern with commentary from Kenya about elephant culling in South Africa, commentary from Europe on “Eco-colonialism” in Botswana, Brazil, DRC, Patagonia and other countries.” – Global Voices Online

“There are 6 billion people in the world, and counting. The planet’s resources are spread dangerously thin among all humans. But despite our conscious overpopulation problem, we’re not going to start systemically killing people to bring down the increasing numbers. Killing isn’t the answer, nor is it the answer for South Africa’s elephant population problem.” – The Daily Aztec

“After 13 years of relative peace, government-sanctioned gunfire will again be heard in the Kruger Park – as will the trumpeting and screaming of elephants as closely knit families watch the massacre of their kin or die in terror as bullets smash into their skulls.” – Star