Global March for Elephants Rhinos & Lions

Join hundreds of other animal activists for the Global March in Toronto on Saturday October 4th at 2 pm. Meet up at Trinity Square (between the Eaton Centre and Nathan Phillips Square). The March is to bring attention to the senseless killing of elephants and rhinos for their tusks, and the farming of lions for tourism and trophy hunting. Take action by participating in this event and letting your voice be heard. The animals need your help! 

Elephants at the Bowmanville Zoo

Photo From thestar.com RYAN PFEIFFER / METROLAND

On December 3rd, Limba the elephant was euthanized at the Bowmanville Zoo. Elephants are very social animals but Limba has lived alone for many years.  In October a mass was discovered in her abdomen and later a tumour on her spleen. Despite her serious illness she was still made to walk in the Santa Claus parade a few weeks before. 

Many are concerned that the Bowmanville Zoo is planning to purchase a new elephant to replace Limba. According to CAZA (Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums) zoos should make every effort to maintain elephants in social groupings. They also state it is inappropriate to keep highly social female elephants singly long term. 

Please let the Bowmanville Zoo know how you feel about elephants being kept alone, socially isolated from a group, and how you feel about them acquiring an elephant to replace Limba. You can email them at info@bowmanvillezoo.com, call them at 905-623-5655, or send them a letter at 340 King Street East, Bowmanville, Ontario, L1C 3K5

You may also be interested in signing a petition about this issue at  Change.org

Toronto Elephants Are on the Move!

Thika, Toka and Iringa, the three elephants from the Toronto Zoo are now on the road, heading for a new chapter in their life at an elephant sanctuary in California. Yesterday, after a long day of waiting for the journey to begin, the elephants were finally loaded onto two trucks, and left the zoo around 10:30. The elephants are doing well on their journey so far. To follow their trip, check out the CBC coverage. And stay tuned to the fifth estate on Friday October 25th to see the full documentary of the elephant trek. 

Limba the Elephant

Limba is known to be the oldest elephant in Canada. She was born in Vietnam in 1964. At one year of age she was captured and has lived the rest of her life in captivity. Limba is used in the entertainment industry, as part of Cirque Mondo, as well as at fairs, parades, movies, commercials and children's parties.

Learn more about Limba and join a growing movement that wants Limba granted the freedom to retire and enjoy the rest of her years at an elephant sanctuary.
http://www.facebook.com/notes/cara-concordia-animal-rights-montreal/my-name-is-limba/388718027851528

Support Bill 69 to Help Elephants

In Ontario, Bill 69 would amend the OSPCA Act in protection of elephants. If passed, the Bill would help captive elephants. The bill would restrict the use of bullhooks and electric prods. It would also restrict the use of restraints (like chains) in elephant management, training and handling.You can learn more about the Bill at: http://www.zoocheck.com/campaigns_elephant_EPA2012.html
You can help elephants today by supporting the Bill. Write a personal letter to Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and All Members of Provincial Parliament letting them know that you support Bill 69 because you care about captive elephants.

Elephant Mud Bath

 Check out this video of a herd of wild elephants enjoying a mud bath. THIS is what an elephant's life should be all about! Many elephants in captivity don't have access to mud baths or bathing water, or grass and trees for grazing. And if they live in a colder climate, they are often confined indoors for long periods of time. Learn more about Canadian elephants in captivity, including Lucy, at: http://www.savelucy.ca/

An Elephant Resource for Teachers

Hey teachers, check out this great resource, Take Action for Elephants: A Resource Guide, created by Zoocheck Canada and Everyone Loves Elephants. The resource includes information about elephants in the wild and in captivity, a section on books, websites and organizations, fifteen great classroom activities geared towards elementary students, and more. The resource will soon be available on our Keep It Wild website, http://www.keepitwildeducation.com/, or if you would like to receive a copy of it, please contact Zoocheck directly.

An Elephant Talk

Join Zoocheck on Friday March 23rd for an interesting and exciting evening focussed on elephants. Winnie Kiiru will be sharing personal stories and photos of African elephants. The event will take place at the Northern District Library in Toronto, and only costs $5.

An Elephant's Life

Check out this comic for kids about elephants in the circus. It's a great way for kids to learn more about captive elephants and some of the issues that they face. It's also a great way to learn more about elephant sanctuaries. The comic is available from PETA: http://www.petacatalog.com/

Sanctuary Song

Join Zoocheck Canada and Everyone Loves Elephants for a special celebratory fundraising performance on Saturday February 11th. A 1 hour performance of the Dora-award winning opera "Sanctuary Song", inspired by the moving true story of Sydney, a wild-caught Asian elephant and her journey from captivity to freedom at The Elephant Sanctuary, will take place at The Wychwood Theatre at the Barns. The evening also includes talk back with the creative team, additional entertainment, reception and silent auction. Contact Zoocheck for more information and for tickets: http://www.zoocheck.com/

Elephant Sanctuary

The elephants at the Toronto Zoo will be moving to an elephant sanctuary soon. If you want to learn more about elephant sanctuaries, check out these children's books about The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.

Travels with Tarra
This book tells the tale of one captive elephant and her devoted human caretaker, who realizes that Tarra's needs as an elephant are more important than anything else in their life together.

Tarra & Bella: The Elephant and Dog Who Became Best Friends
After retiring from the circus, Tarra became the first resident of the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. When other elephants moved in and developed close friendships, only Tarra remained independent - until the day she met a stray mixed-breed dog named Bella.

Just For Elephants
Shirley spent years as a circus elephant and then a zoo elephant. When she is finally moved to the Elephant Sanctuary, Shirley recognizes another elephant, Jenny, and greeted her with great excitment and joy.  Jenny had been a baby elephant at the circus where Shirley had worked so long ago. (Elephants do remember!)

All the books were written by Carol Buckley who is the co-founder and president of The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. She arranged for the release of and provided care for 24 elephants at the Sanctuary over 15 years. Learn more about her, the books, and elephants at: http://www.carolbuckley.com/

Toronto Elephants on the move!

Two of the elephants at the Toronto Zoo

Toka, Thika and Iringa, the 3 female African elephants that live at the Toronto Zoo, will soon be living in a new home! The Toronto City Council voted 31 to 4 in favour of sending the elephants to an elephant sanctuary in California.

This is great news for these three elephants. They will be living in a warmer place, rather than having to live in a cold climate with freezing temperatures and snow. They will have other elephants to socialize with. And they will have so much more space and freedom. 

A Photo from PAWS' website of Mara roaming in the sanctuary

The Sanctuary that the Toronto elephants will go to is run by PAWS (Performing Animal Welfare Society). PAWS rescues captive wild animals that are neglected or abused, or in need of a new home. They work to stop exotic animals being kept as pets, and to stop wild animals from being used as entertainment.

The elephants at the PAWS sanctuary have hundreds of acres to roam across. There are hills and trees and grassland. There are also lakes for the elephants to bathe in. To learn more about PAWS and the other animals that they have rescued, check out their website at: http://www.pawsweb.org/  It will be exciting to visit their website next year, and to see Toka, Thika, and Iringa at the PAWS Sanctuary!


A photo from PAWS' website of two elephants visiting the lake in the Sanctuary

An Elephant Singing Opera?

Check out Theatre Direct's upcoming opera for youth, Sanctuary Song. This opera, conceived by playwright Marjorie Chan, with music composed by Abigail Richardson, is based on the remarkable true story of an elephant named Shirley, and her journey from the wild to the circus, the zoo, and finally to freedom in the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. What a unique way for young people to explore the issue of animals in captivity and the meaning of freedom!

Sanctuary Song premiered at the 2008 Luminato Festival and was the winner of a 2009 Outstanding Opera Dora Award. It will be back for a week's worth of performances in February 2012. Teachers can book their class for a daylong program which includes a performance of Sanctuary Song and a workshop that explores the artistic and performance elements used in the play.

You can learn more about Sanctuary Song, (and book your class for a workshop)  at Theatre Direct's website.You can also learn more about Shirley, the real elephant who inspired the story by watching this video.

Learn more about Wild Elephants

The Elephant Scientist by  Caitlin O'Connell and Donna Jackson, photography by Caitlin O’Connell & Tim Rodwell

If you are interested in learning more about elephants in the wild, check out this new book co-authored by Caitlin O'Connell. The book is intended for readers aged 9-12, and is filled with lots of information and photos. Students won't just learn about elephants, they'll also learn what it's like to study them in the wild. It's always great to see new books about animals in their natural habitats, and to learn about the amazing things they do in the wild. Did you know elephants "listen" with their limbs?

Check out this picture, which is based on a diagram from the book. Can you figure out what it is, and why someone who studies elephants in the wild would need it?

Find the book at your public library to learn more. Happy Reading!

Lucy the Elephant


 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.