AR-News: SF City Zoo Supervisor requests sanctuary for 2 elephants.

[Phyllis Bedford]

Hey,
   Passing on this good news sent by a fellow activist. YEA!
Take care,
Phyllis
http://www.examiner.com/article/index.cfm/i/042804n_elephants

Heavy politics
Supervisor requests elephants in the zoo be transferred to sanctuary.

By Ethan Fletcher
Staff Writer
efletcher at examiner.com
Published on Wednesday, April 28, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO -- Following the death of two elephants within two months of
each other at the San Francisco Zoo, city Supervisor Fiona Ma is calling
for the transfer of the two remaining elephants to an accredited
sanctuary. 

The zoo has drawn criticism from animal rights groups, and now
politicians, after two of their four elephants, Calle and Maybelle, died.
Calle, a 37-year-old Asian Elephant, was euthanized because of physical
ailments on March 7. Maybelle, a 43-year-oldAfrican elephant, died of
apparent heart failure last week. 

Ma introduced a resolution at Tuesday's Board of Supervisor's meeting
calling on the zoo to transfer the two remaining elephants, Tinkerbelle
and Lulu. 

"It is in the best interest of the elephants to be relocated to a credible
sanctuary where they will have the company of other elephants," Ma said.

Ma's resolution follows the Commission of Animal Control and Welfare
unanimously recommending the elephants' transfer this month and Supervisor
Matt Gonzalez calling for hearings on the issue next week. 

Activists have seized on the deaths as evidence that the small captivity
areas for elephants in zoos, specifically in San Francisco's smaller,
outdated pens, cause mental and physical disorders for beasts used to
walking up to 50 miles a day in the wild. They cite figures that
elephants' average life spans in zoos are typically significantly less
than the 60 to 70 years they reach in the wild. Zoo officials said that
both Calle and Maybelle suffered from joint ailments.

The zoo's new Executive Director, Manuel Mollinedo, has expressed the
desire to keep elephants at the zoo because of their educational value.
Mollinedo said by pursuing plans to expand the pen area from its currently
inadequate quarter-acre to a full acre, staff could successfully take care
of elephants in the additional space. 

Zoo spokeswoman Nancy Chan said they have already committed to
transferring Tinkerbelle, Calle's former pen-mate, to an accredited zoo or
a sanctuary. She said the zoo was also exploring the possibility of moving
Lulu, and whether to keep its elephant program. 

"We're disappointed that they decided to go this route [to the Board of
Supervisors] when we already decided to transfer Tinkerbelle," Chan said,
adding, "to have this type of thing happen is unfortunate ... S.F. is
stepping over boundaries that they shouldn't." 

Animal rights activist Deniz Bolbol said that time was of the essence to
transfer the elephants because of the inadequate habitat could lead to
another death. During public comment at Tuesday's supervisors meeting Pat
Derby from the Performing Animal Welfare Society urged the board to
transfer the elephants to one of her sanctuaries -- including thousands of
acres on locations in San Rafael and Sacramento.