Please tell the Bronx Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society that elephants do NOT belong in captivity and it is time to send their elephants to a sanctuary.
The Bronx Zoo currently houses three elephants: Patty, Maxine and Happy. However, you only see two elephants on display. Where's the third?
Driven mad by their captivity, Patty and Maxine killed Grumpy, a male companion to Happy, one of the Bronx Zoo's best held secrets. Grumpy was the same age as Happy and captured the same year as she, meaning he was probably a brother, cousin or other close relative (Brad Hamilton, New York Post). They were constant companions throughout their zoo-hopping lives before landing at the Bronx Zoo in 1977. After Grumpy's untimely death as a result of attacks from Patty and Maxine, Happy was removed from the exhibit and put in solitary in 2002.
Happy is one of the world's most famous elephants for proving elephants have self-awareness. After being captured from the wilds of Thailand, she has spent the last 37 of her 43 years in the cramped Bronx Zoo, with inadequate room to roam and inadequate companionship.
The Detroit Zoo, praised by animal advocates, scientists and behaviorists alike, has retired elephants once housed at their zoo to a sanctuary and now have better attendance in their zoo than ever. The Bronx Zoo has announced it would close its elephant exhibit after the remaining three elephants have died, but it cannot come soon enough for these very social creatures.
Tell the Bronx Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society that it is time to honor their commitment to animal welfare and close their elephant exhibit, sending Patty, Maxine, and Happy to a sanctuary.