January 21, 2010

In a statement released today, Dr. Keith Lindsay, a conservation biologist with thirty years experience studying wild elephants in Africa with the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, stated:

“St Louis Zoo is a classic example of how not to keep elephants in captivity... How can zoo authorities be thinking of breeding under such conditions, inflicting additional stress on the mothers and bringing tiny calves into such a world of suffering?” (read more)

March 17, 2010

In Defense of Animals (IDA) filed a complaint today with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), charging that the St. Louis Zoo’s elephant breeding practices violate the federal Animal Welfare Act by knowingly exposing offspring to an unacceptably high risk of infection with the often-fatal Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV). The zoo recently announced the pregnancy of a second elephant, Ellie. Her daughter, Rani, is also pregnant. (read more)