DawnWatch: New York Times on Alaska Zoos elephant treadmill plans

The article, by Sarah Kershaw, is headed, "A 9,000-Pound Fish Out of Water, Alone in Alaska" (Pg A 12.)

Kershaw tells us,
"The zoo has been under fire from national animal rights groups and some Alaska residents, who, in atypical acceptance of outside interference, have called for a boycott of the zoo until Maggie is moved south. Other zoos across the country, including those in San Francisco and Detroit, facing similar criticism and internal debates about the treatment of elephants in captivity, have closed their elephant exhibits in recent months, saying they were relocating the animals to warmer climates and to wide-open sanctuaries where they could roam for miles, as they do in the wild."

There is a quote from Nicole Meyer, of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, who calls the treadmill idea a ''truly ridiculous concept.''

Even those from the zoo community, not involved in animal rights, comment negatively. Mike Keele, deputy director of the Oregon Zoo and chairman of the elephant species survival program for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association is quoted:

"People use treadmills. I guess it's an interesting concept. But I'm not sure what the message is -- for visitors to come up and see an elephant on a treadmill and somehow make a connection with nature? That's a tough one for me.''

You can read the bizarre but true story on line at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/09/national/09maggie.html

And you can send a letter about the way our species treats elephants, or more generally, about keeping wild animals captive for human entertainment, to letters [at] nytimes.com

Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Shorter letters are more likely to be published.

Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets.
You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. If you forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts, please do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this tag line.)