LA Zoo Elephant Drama

The LA Zoo recently spammed its member email list and urged everyone to call local government and to take shuttles to city council meetings to voice their support for the Pachyderm Forest elephant exhibit that is currently under construction. The used a very nasty tone in emails sent and referred to the animal rights activists and city council member who are against the exhibit as "a small group of extremists" and continued on to say they were trying "to deny your families and your children the opportunity to see these magnificent creatures in a spacious, nurturing environment at the Zoo."

Reading this made me quite angry. I strongly disagree with the zoo and side with those opposing this exhibit. The zoo should be spending their money and using their extra space to expand and repair the existing animal exhibits to make life a bit better for the creatures already having to live there.

My husband and I took our son for a visit recently and most of the exhibits were small, bleak and quite run down looking. Also, a good deal of the animals at the zoo seemed less than thrilled with their situations too but who can blame them? I certainly wouldn't want to be taken from my natural habitat and confined to a small unnatural space so mobs of people could walk by and stare at me through glass or fencing.

I think it was out of line for the zoo to shamelessly spam their members list to ask people to do their bidding for them and I will definitely NOT be getting my son a membership renewal when our current one runs out. I will instead be donating and taking him on visits to reputable animal rescue facilities like Farm Sanctuary and Animal Acres. When he wants to see more wild/non-farm type animals we will watch quality animal programs on DVD, read books together and have fun with theme related educational activities and playtime. I will be urging my friends and family (many with small children of their own) to do the same.