It was a chilly day for a protest, with a temperature of -7 degrees celsius. And even though it might not seem that cold to many, that wind made it almost too cold to bare. My feet and fingers were completely numb by the time we called it a day. And yet as I stood in the cold with at least fifteen other protesters, blocking the cars from entering the Edmonton "Valley Zoo", all I could think about was how cold Lucy must of been. She is an asian elephant who was born in the tropical forests of Sri Lanka, and is kept in both an inside and outside enclosure year round. (She's able to access her outside enclosure from inside, but tends to stay inside most of the time in the Winter season as it is most likely too cold for her). She must of been freezing for the last 35 years of her life, living in such a cold and chilling environment. This was my first protest for Lucy, even though there have been numerous protests over the years as Lucy's situation continues to gardner local and international attention. Iconic TV show host Bob Barker, known more now for his animal rights work was in Edmonton back in 2009 to see Lucy; and has even gone as far as to say he will put up $100,000 dollars if the City of Edmonton would be willing to move Lucy to an elephant sanctuary in California, where she will be able to live a better life, away from the tortures of solitude and confinement. The City of Edmonton however, has refused to move Lucy to Paws (Performing animal welfare society) in California. The City and the Valley Zoo state that she is too sick to move, and that if she were to be moved, it would most likely resolve in Lucy's death. Lucy has a long list of health issues which include chronic respiratory problems, rheumatoid arthritis, foot problems, teeth trouble, was diagnosed with colic in 2008, is obese and has abnormal/stereotypic behaviour. All of Lucy's health related issues are due to the fact that she is living in an unnatural environment that is unsuitable for ANY elephant. The myth that elephants are able to acclimatize to cold weather is hog wash. Simply untrue and complete nonsense.
I really do hope that the City of Edmonton and the Valley Zoo come to it's senses, and send Lucy to an elephant sanctuary in California. No animal deserves to be locked in an enclosure all alone, and unable to properly move around in. The Zoo even stated that they will no longer keep elephants anymore, even though they refuse to move Lucy to a sanctuary because of a mysterious illness that she apparently has, but hasn't been diagnosed. Even former NHL hockey player Georges Laraque, has stated that he would give the City $100,000 that could be used to fund a city sports program, if they were to move Lucy to PAWS. (Georges is a big animal rights advocate, and also did the french narration for the documentary "Earthlings") Free link
http://www.movie4k.to/Earthlings-watch-movie-1117534.html
Either way you look at it, you can't honestly say that Lucy looks like she is comfortable in her home at the Valley Zoo. An animal of that size doesn't belong in a tiny enclosure. She belongs in the wild, where she can roam free and live in her natural habitat. Obviously, this isn't possible after being placed in an unnatural environment for thirty five years of her life. However, she can be moved to a sanctuary where she will be able to roam through 2300 acres of space, go for long walks without her keepers, and build and develop lifelong connections in a warm environment suited for elephants.
This will not be the last protest for Lucy, and I fully intend to go to every other protest until she is moved to an elephant sanctuary, far away from such ignorance and greed.
Thanks for reading my blog. And a big thanks to Sheryl Zaharko for inviting me to this protest.
Damian
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