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In 1977, 2-year-old Sri Lankan elephant Lucy, was captured from her family herd to be sold to the Edmonton Valley Zoo when she still should have been nursing. She has spent this entire time at the zoo without the company of another Asian elephant. Elephants are very intelligent and social; they normally spend their entire lives with their familial herd.
Lucy now 49 years old, deserves to finally retire to an elephant sanctuary where she can enjoy her remaining years with the company of her own species, living in a climate appropriate for an elephant. Two sanctuaries in the U.S. have offered her a home but the Edmonton Valley Zoo will not release her. They refer to Lucy as a geriatric elephant but at 49 she is a middle-aged elephant who should still be in the prime of her life. In the proper conditions elephants can live as long as humans, however zoo elephants die decades prematurely. There are elephants in sanctuaries who are in their 70’s and 80’s who could walk circles around Lucy, I have seen this myself as I volunteer in the world’s largest Asian elephant sanctuary, Elephant Nature Park. Comparing Lucy to elephants in sanctuary is heartbreaking, she is sad and withdrawn and appears to be in pain with every step she takes.
Zoo elephants die prematurely because of a myriad of captivity related conditions such as arthritis, foot disease and obesity to name a few. These are caused from a lack of exercise and standing on hard unnatural substrates such as concrete. Elephants normally roam and forage for up to 25-50 kms a day, Lucy’s yard is only 0.3 acres and because of Edmonton’s climate, many days she never leaves her tiny concrete barn. Captive elephants also suffer from psychological distress known as Zoochosis. This is a self soothing behaviour characterized by repetitive rocking and swaying back and forth. Lucy suffers from all of these conditions and several more. We have numerous videos documenting Lucy’s suffering on our YouTube channel.
The Valley Zoo claims Lucy’s life would be at risk if she was transported to sanctuary. There is no factual evidence to support this claim. This is rhetoric used by many zoos when pressured to release their elephants to sanctuary. Elephants bring people through the gates, and they resist letting them go. Globally, much older and sicker elephants are routinely transported safely and go on to thrive in a more natural and hospitable environment. In fact, in 2022, Lucy was examined by two sanctuary experts who opined that she needs to be relocated to a sanctuary to extend and enhance her life and outlined how she could get there safely. It’s long past time to #Retire Lucy, the City of Edmonton owes her nothing less.
If you would like to learn more, please visit our website www.leapforlucy.com or find us on all social media platforms.
Mary-Ann Holm is President & Founder, Lucy’s Edmonton Advocates Project (LEAP)
They claim Lucy’s life would be at risk if she was transported,
Keeping an elephant in the sub arctic climate in Edmonton is inhumane and experts state that keeping a female elephant alone is one of the cruelest fates they can endure.