Lucy is a female Asian elephant captured from the wild in Sri Lanka when she was just a baby. She was shipped to the Edmonton Valley Zoo in 1977, where she remains today.
Elephants in captivity require very large spaces, complex natural terrain, pasture, lots of things to do, other elephants to socialize with, and a warm climate. Unfortunately Lucy's life at the Valley Zoo is deficient in many respects.
Female elephants spend their entire lives in relatively stable family groups. They need to have friends and be around others of their own kind. But Lucy lives alone at the Valley Zoo. She has no elephant family or friends and is currently one of only a few elephants living alone in North American zoos.
Elephants have amazing adaptations that allow them to cope with hot climates. However, the Valley Zoo is located in Edmonton, and its weather is very different from the tropical climate of Sri Lanka where Lucy came from. During cold weather Lucy is kept inside a cement-floored barn, as well as at night when the zoo is closed.
You can learn more about Lucy's story at http://www.savelucy.ca/
If you have suggestions or ideas about how to make life better for Lucy, like moving her to a different facility that has other elephants and a warmer climate, you can share them with the Zoo Director at denise.prefontaine@edmonton.ca.
No comments:
Post a Comment