Happy, an Asian elephant, is one of the loneliest elephants in the U.S. She is 47 years old, and has been without a companion of her own species for 12 years. During her time at the Bronx Zoo, she has fallen victim to bullying by other elephants, sustained injuries, and suffered illnesses. As a result, she has been kept isolated for over a decade.
Happy was born in 1971 in Thailand. She was captured as an infant, and taken to zoos in Hawaii and Florida before arriving at the Bronx Zoo in 1977. Ever since she first arrived in the United States, she had a constant companion - a male named Grumpy.
But in 2002, Grumpy died. Initially the cause of death was listed as "unknown." A follow-up record uncovered by a Swedish elephant authority, however, showed that Grumpy died from injuries sustained during an attack by two other elephants at the Bronx Zoo named Patty and Maxine. Another elephant also died at the Bronx Zoo that same year from an unknown cause. The passing of Grumpy and Tus went unreported in the press.
Happy was left all by herself until the zoo found her a new companion, a young male named Sammy. But Happy's luck didn't last. Sammy passed away from liver disease four years later, and she was alone once again.
After Sammy's death in 2006, the Bronx Zoo announced it would close its elephant exhibit after its three remaining elephants die. But Happy should not have to die alone in a zoo considered one of the worst in America. She deserves to live out her final years in a sanctuary where she would have the opportunity to roam acres of natural habitat, play in a pond, forage for fresh vegetation, and befriend other elephants.
Please sign this petition to urge the Bronx Zoo to release Happy to the Tennessee Elephant Sanctuary.
