Care2 Urgent Update:
The Natural Bridge Zoo, where Asha lives, is being fined $41K by the USDA for animal welfare violations. How many more violations will it take to shut down this zoo and Free Asha to a sanctuary? According to the Roanoke Times, here are just a few of the heinous violations: "Zoo officials improperly euthanized guinea pigs by slamming them to the ground before they were fed to tigers, failed to provide proper veterinary care to a tiger cub and a mandrill that later died, and allowed visitors to ride an elephant without the pachyderm's handler always nearby."
Sign and keep sharing the petition. We can't stop until Asha is free!
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ELEPHANTS DON'T BELONG IN ZOOS
Asha the elephant has spent the last 31 years of her life alone in a Virginia roadside zoo, forced to give visitors rides in the sweltering summer heat and humidity. She needs to be sent to a sanctuary!
When Asha isn't being used like an amusement park ride, she spends her time in a tiny barren paddock. With little shade, no pool, or toys for stimulation, she simply
stands there rocking back and forth out of boredom and depression. During the winter months, when the zoo shuts down for the season, a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) investigation found that Asha spends most of her time in a very damp, cold barn with a concrete floor. Keeping her in these types of enclosures can lead to all kinds of mental and physical ailments.
Despite
numerous USDA investigations resulting in suspended licenses and heavy fines, the Natural Bridge Zoo remains open. And Asha remains one of its biggest attractions. But how much longer can she last in these deplorable conditions without any interaction with other elephants?
This is not the life that elephants are meant to live. In the wild, they live in tight knit communities and roam for miles. They certainly don't spend any time standing in the snow or on cold concrete floors. Asha is being abused for human entertainment and financial gain.
So sign this petition right now to demand that the Natural Bridge Zoo send Asha to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. There, she would have the opportunity to roam acres of natural habitat, play in a pond, forage for fresh vegetation, befriend other elephants, and enjoy a full, healthy, and enriched life.
