After years of public protest, Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo finally closed their elephant exhibit last year. Animal welfare advocates rejoiced at this news and called on the zoo to send its two elephants, Chai and Bamboo, to a sanctuary. Instead, they were transferred to the Oklahoma City Zoo where things got even worse.
Chai, 37, died this past January from emaciation and a systemic blood infection. The zoo claimed that there were no warning signs of Chai's illness leading up to her tragic death, but records recently released under a FOIA request tell a different story. Apparently the poor elephant had suffered from weight loss, skin lesions, and other health problems - all signs of her deteriorating health - months before she died.
And now, despite the Oklahoma City Zoo's public statements, it looks like Bamboo's health is also in jeaopardy. Records show that the 49-year-old elephant has dropped from weighing 8,600 pounds in May 2015 to just 7,420 pounds on July 1, 2016.
Bamboo is not thriving in her new home. She was expected to become the matriarch of the Oklahoma City Zoo's existing elephant herd, but has gotten into repeated fights with the other elephants. She has been biten on the tail at least three times, with one wound considered an "amputation" that took months to heal. Just this past April, another female elephant chased and pushed Bamboo, leaving a six-inch scrape on her trunk.
As a result of the conflict between Bamboo and the other elephants, she has been separated from the other elephants overnight at least 28 times over the course of three months.
Bamboo has gone through enough. She should be allowed to live out her remaining years in peace. Please sign this petition demanding that the Oklahoma City Zoo retire Bamboo to a sanctuary. Please follow Oklahoma Friends of Elephants (OFE) on Facebook.
Actualizar #3hace 7 años
With over 120,000 plus signatures - I am sending the petition and all of our signatures to the Oklahoma City Zoo. Please follow any updates on FB by going to either the zoo's site or there are two very active groups following Bamboo. One is Friends of OKC Zoo elephants and the other is Friends of Woodland Park Zoo elephants and I too will post updates. Now we wait but we won't stop the pressure to send Bamboo to a sanctuary! Continue to share this petition!
Actualizar #2hace 7 años
The OKC Zoo sadly has refused to speak with us regarding options for Bamboo. There also is very little support locally in OKC so at this point I have decided to let the petition stand, continue to gather support and hope that together we can all continue the momentum and public education. Sometimes change is slow but it is happening! Thanks everyone.
Actualizar #1hace 8 años
Thank you all for supporting this petition. Since the number of supporters is growing steadily, I am going to continue this for a few days longer before sending this on to the OKC Zoo.
