Members of Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants and Sound Animal Rights Alliance will demonstrate in front of Woodland Park Zoo this afternoon, to renew their calls for the zoo to send its three elephants to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.
An airplane also will fly over the zoo and surrounding areas, pulling a banner that says “Zoo Elephants Suffer.”
Demonstrators will be in front of the zoo’s West Entrance on Phinney Avenue North at North 55th Street from 4-6 p.m. The banner will fly over from 5-6 p.m.
“When people see the aerial message, we hope they will contact the Seattle City Council and WPZ to ask for the release of these long-suffering elephants to the Sanctuary,” FWPZE member Sandy Clinton said in a press release.
More from the Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants press release:
According to scientists, animal experts and WPZ’s own medical records Bamboo, Watoto and Chai suffer from captivity-induced ailments including crippling arthritis and chronic foot infections. These are directly caused by lack of space and severe confinement which will likely lead to premature death.
The three elephants display severe neurotic behaviors such as swaying, pacing in circles and head bobbing; all signs of serious distress. According to behavioral experts like Dr. Gay Bradshaw, “stereotypies are a common symptom of people in prisons as well as animals in zoos. They are a coping mechanism that helps to protect the mind against unbearable stress and trauma.”
