Set Dumbo Free

Bull Elephant Stands his Ground

                                                                                   Photograph by Chris Johns

Male African elephants usually travel alone and are significantly larger than females.

In his 2005 Washington Post article " Let the Elephants Go," Les Schobert claims that elephants in zoos and circuses are dying young, because of inadequate space and living conditions.  These poor living conditions are causing the pachyderms to suffer from foot and joint problems so severe that the elephants have to be euthanized to take them out of their misery.  He explains that in the wild, elephants have an extensive home range and live in herds.  These herds are necessary for their social development.  Many elephants in zoos and circuses live either alone or with only a few other elephants.  Mr. Schobert asserts that, though zoos and circuses have come a long way in treating elephants in their care much better than they have in the past, it is not enough.  These elephants need to be put in sanctuaries, set aside for them to live out their lives and heal from the damage of zoo and circus life.

I wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Schobert about the elephants needing help with better living arrangements.In a world full of humanitarians where our minds have been opened to all kinds of animal abuse; where we as a race have a better idea of our role in the scheme of things, we need to stand up and pass laws that will no longer allow zoos to keep elephants unless they meet proper space, terrain, and surface requirements.

I am a foster parent, and in order to be certified to take care of children, my home, myself and my husband, and my life have to be thoroughly investigated in a rigorous and sometimes tortuous manner.  On top of that, every six months a social worker will come in and inspect every inch of my home to insure that I am still not abusing the kids or making drugs.  I also have to get 40 hours of training every two years to make sure I am current on the laws and changes in the system.  I believe that such a system should be implemented for zoos, circuses or others who want to keep elephants (or other wildlife, for that matter.)  If we are going to take animals out of their natural environment for our entertainment or education, we owe it to them to give them the best, most comfortable, and closest to their original habitat living arrangements that we can.  If we can’t do this, then we should leave them in the wild.

http://youtu.be/eRF-guicWOM

Through my research I came across this video off an elephant sanctuary. 

This Sanctuary is closed to the public, if you give a big enough donation you maybe lucky to get a private tour.

Check it out !