Contrary to what this article implies,
Convinced that elephants at the San Francisco Zoo have led a miserable existence, the Board of Supervisors here has approved a law that will make it difficult for the zoo ever to keep elephants again. The law, which requires the creation of a 15-acre habitat before elephants can return to the zoo, comes as animal welfare groups nationwide are questioning whether zoos can provide an adequate environment for the world's largest land mammals Earlier this year, the Detroit Zoo stopped exhibiting elephants after 81 years and agreed to send two of the animals, Winky and Wanda, to a sanctuary. Zoo officials said the elephants would do better in a warmer climate with more room to roam. ... Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, home to African elephants Wankie and Peaches, has been targeted recently by PETA, which has staged several demonstrations at the zoo, including a protest outside the zoo's November formal-attire annual fundraiser. Among other charges, PETA maintains that the cold Chicago weather forces the elephants to spend too much time indoors. When another elephant at the Lincoln Park Zoo, Tatima, died in October, PETA stepped up its calls to end elephant captivity at the zoo. "The zoo does not want the public to know how badly the elephants are suffering," said Nicole Meyer, elephant specialist at PETA.nobody thinks that the Lincoln Park zoo mistreats elephants, nor that the zoo officials don't actually love the elephants. No, the point is that the elephants are constrained in such a small environment that this is cruel. Elephants should have large, open spaces (warm) to roam in. We actually feel empathy for all the mammals in zoos; they all should have larger spaces to frolic in. Kudos to the City of San Francisco for at least recognizing that their elephants were better off elsewhere.
