The debate is on...still.
Should they stay or should they go?
An article written by Perry Crowe in this week's Citybeat lays out the basics of this still-hot debate.
If you have been, before now, unaware that there was a debate about the elephants of the LA Zoo in Griffith Park, consider yourself "in the loop."
The local elephants 'round these parts have not been happy. They have developed various health problems and some have even died. The solution, some say, is to permanently remove the regal creatures from the LA Zoo and send them off to retire at PAWS (Performing Animal Welfare Society), a sanctuary that specializes in taking animals that have formerly been the object of entertainment in national circus tours and the like.
According to Crowe, "Animal rights activists have long advocated sending L.A.'s elephants to the PAWS sanctuary, complaining the L.A. Zoo's elephant exhibit is woefully inadequate, especially after the death of two of L.A.'s elephants in as many years."
So where do we, the average Zoo visitor stand in this debate?
Personally, the majestic elephant is, by far, my favourite exotic creature; many times I have been quoted to have a fantasy of having one as a companion-jokingly. I used to love going to visit the resident L.A. elephants, but that was years ago. Now when I go to the zoo, a spot I happen to visit when I need to clear my head during a busy semester, I cannot enjoy visiting these creatures because they fill my head with worry and concern.
Going to see the elephants now, is a painful excursion because you can clearly see how depressed and unhappy they are. Oh, and if you are one of those people who will accuse me of anthropomorphising,read this, and see how your views may change on the subject.
Should they stay or should they go?
An article written by Perry Crowe in this week's Citybeat lays out the basics of this still-hot debate.
If you have been, before now, unaware that there was a debate about the elephants of the LA Zoo in Griffith Park, consider yourself "in the loop."
The local elephants 'round these parts have not been happy. They have developed various health problems and some have even died. The solution, some say, is to permanently remove the regal creatures from the LA Zoo and send them off to retire at PAWS (Performing Animal Welfare Society), a sanctuary that specializes in taking animals that have formerly been the object of entertainment in national circus tours and the like.
According to Crowe, "Animal rights activists have long advocated sending L.A.'s elephants to the PAWS sanctuary, complaining the L.A. Zoo's elephant exhibit is woefully inadequate, especially after the death of two of L.A.'s elephants in as many years."
So where do we, the average Zoo visitor stand in this debate?
Personally, the majestic elephant is, by far, my favourite exotic creature; many times I have been quoted to have a fantasy of having one as a companion-jokingly. I used to love going to visit the resident L.A. elephants, but that was years ago. Now when I go to the zoo, a spot I happen to visit when I need to clear my head during a busy semester, I cannot enjoy visiting these creatures because they fill my head with worry and concern.
Going to see the elephants now, is a painful excursion because you can clearly see how depressed and unhappy they are. Oh, and if you are one of those people who will accuse me of anthropomorphising,read this, and see how your views may change on the subject.
Nevertheless, the elephant exhibit is still under fire, and may never win the ownership of these delicate and lofty giants. Especially since, according to Crowe, even after they do all they can to "pimp out" the habitat for them at the zoo, it will not meet basic legal standards of decency.
If you want more information on this debate, check out the article in Citybeat here.
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