Saturday, 12 April, 1997.
Dear Mr Mollinedo,
I do a lot of travelling round the world and I always make a point of visiting the local zoo. I find the way a city treats its animals to be a good reflection of the civilised worth of its people.
I visited Los Angeles and San Diego Zoos in February of this year. I had read that San Diego was one of the best zoos in the world and that the Los Angeles Zoo had overcome difficulties to become also quite good. I discovered to my great disappointment that this was all advertising hype. The two zoos, especially the LA one are very much sub-standard, especially when you consider that they are situated in one of the richest states in one of the most advanced nations in the world.
The Los Angeles Zoo has attempted far too much. Too many animals are crammed in to too small a space and only lip service is paid to the modern ideas of enrichment of the quality of life of the inmates. In South East Asia where I usually travel there are often many reasons for poor conditions - such as lack of education or lack of funds. In Los Angeles I find the poor conditions inexcusable.
I was horrified to read this week of the condition of the poor elephants under your charge. The bigger mammals should not be kept in a zoo which has a space problem. If you cannot provide animals with adequate natural space to walk and run, you should not keep them. What kind of education are you giving the children who visit when all they see are sick and neurotic animals living in prison conditions?
Please be kind enough to send a copy of this letter to the President of Los Angeles City Council to be part of the public record.
I hope some drastic action will be taken soon to improve the lot of these poor beasts. Thank you very much.
Yours sincerely,
June 9, 1 997
Dear Dr. Wedderburn:
I received your letter expounding on the alleged poor elephant conditions at the Los Angeles Zoo. I respect your opinion and the fact that you feel strongly enough to express it in writing. On the other hand, I take umbrage to the fact that you read accusations in a newsletter, on the Internet, or in some other written form and automatically assume it is true. I would encourage you to take the time and personally visit this Zoo before you take such a critical position toward this institution.
The Los Angeles Zoo staff is committed to improve their elephants' lives in any way possible. In 1994, over $1 million was committed to completely renovate our elephant barn and yard, which allowed the keepers to safely manage the animals either "hands off or hands on." The entire elephant area encompasses more than an acre. Our elephants are not chained, and they have freedom of choice at night to remain in the barn or roam outside in their yard. The barn floors are heated through a below-ground hot water pipe system, providing the elephants' feet with regulated temperatures whenever they are in the barn. We have ongoing keeper training, and our keepers have excellent, respectful relationships with the elephants. Our veterinary staff regularly visit the elephant area. Aside from the routine check ups performed by the veterinarians, they also aggressively treat any illnesses or diseases that arise. There is a routine behaviour enrichment program that provides each elephant with regular exercise and health care. We work very closely with and are inspected by USDA, addressing any concerns in an expeditious fashion. Both Asian and African elephants have little habitat left in their natural environments due to constant encroachment by humans. They also continue to be preyed upon by poachers. Although elephants are a Management challenge in any captive situation, elephants have done well in zoos and oftentimes live beyond what they would in the wild. They also serve as ambassadors for their species, allowing people who visit zoos to learn more about these magnificent animals and gain a greater respect for them.
I again would ask that you visit the Los Angeles Zoo. I hope that this response gives you pause to consider that perhaps there are many perspectives to consider when forming opinions on what is best for elephants. I'm sure you agree with me that they are an animal worth every effort made to insure that they will always exist on earth.
Sincerely
MANUEL A. MOLLINEDO
Zoo Director
MAM/ll
Mr. Manuel A. Mollinedo, Director
Los Angeles Zoo
5333 Zoo Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90027
USA.
Fax: 002 1 213 662 9786
002 1 213 485 9372 (direct)
tel: 666 4650 x 261 Monday, June 23, 1997
Dear Mr Mollinedo,
I thank you for your trouble in writing to reply to my letter of 12th April. You have an unenviable job trying to defend the indefensible.
You say you took umbrage that I had not taken the time to personally visit your zoo before taking a critical position. I take umbrage that you obviously hadn't bothered to read my letter in which I stated clearly that I had visited the LA Zoo in February of this year. I suggest you now read my letter which I shall append - and think about what I wrote before pressing the buttons on your word processor again. I believe my points are valid and should be heeded by you.
Yours sincerely,
John Wedderburn.
Mr. Manuel A. Mollinedo, Director
Los Angeles Zoo
Monday, July 07, 1997.
Dear Mr Mollinedo,
Thank you very much indeed for finding the time to see me last Wednesday.
I really appreciated your time and your courtesy.
I was very pleased to hear from you that you intended to phase out the polar bear exhibit. That gives me confidence that you will also extend the same line of thought to the elephant house.
You know that the elephant facility has been substandard for years giving rise to conditions conducive to the spread of Tuberculosis. I am glad to hear that - even though you do not accept the evidence that your elephants have TB - you do intend to treat the situation as if they had. I would venture my opinion - based on human medicine of course as I am not a veterinarian - that chemotherapy on its own is unlikely to be effective. Ensuring that the animals have sufficient chemotherapy is essential but very difficult. They also need good diet and exercise. I do not think you are able to give them this in the confines of LA Zoo. I would strongly suggest that you send them off to good sanctuaries.
I would also very strongly suggest that you do not again plan to keep elephants. You just do not have sufficient space for a good facility. Many zoos across the world, as you will know, are giving up on keeping the larger mammals - they are just too difficult to keep in good physical and mental health. The public is becoming much more educated and many people now have the knowledge to recognise depression and other illnesses in zoo animals. Without a very large facility it is impossible to give adequate accommodation to elephants and polar bears. The public understands this and no longer demands that each zoo should have every kind of animal. Indeed the public is gradually coming to the realisation that wildlife should be in the wild and that zoos have only a very limited role to play in conservation and education. Conserving natural habitat is far more important than confinement in a zoo. And children can learn far more from seeing a video of an animal in its natural surroundings than they can from seeing a psychotic animal kept in close confinement.
I know your Board will be reluctant to support a decision to stop keeping elephants but I can assure you that this is in the only sensible course in the circumstances.
Yours sincerely,
John Wedderburn.
Dear Dr. Gibbens:
Thank you for your July 11th response regarding an
email message I sent to Dr. De Haven regarding L.A. Zoo elephants and Sabu.
Contrary to L.A. Zoo claims, Dr. Patrick Ryan, Chief
Veterinarian of the L.A. County Health Dept., affirms "ANNIE DIED OF
M. TUBERCULOSIS and Salmonellosis." If USDA investigators would
delve a little further they would learn the tissue culture that was grown was
active, alive and positive for TB. Unbelievably, the L.A. Zoo denies
this fact. (see Dr. Ryan's letter I faxed to you).
The veterinary care that was provided to Annie
just before her death was certainly inadequate and inept in my opinion. She
probably died of dehydration along with the TB and Salmonellosis., she
was not given an I.V.
One day no urination was noted. She was left
unattended while cramping and dying and not put on 24 hour watch. Annie had severe
diarrhea, she past blood, mucosa and tissue tags -- all clear and severe
signs of Salmonella but the L.A. keepers and vets did not suspect or
treat it. Her death was very likely caused by incompetence and negligence.
I requested the March 22 videotape from the elephant
barn a week+ after she died but was told by Mike Dee, sorry, it's been
"inadvertently erased."
That tape was potential evidence that Annie was left
unattended with no medical care while she died painfully and alone on a
cement slab.
As available through the CA Public Records Act,
please send me the USDA's investigation of Annie. The investigation does not
seem thorough since there's no mention of the aforementioned facts. It
does not seem appropriate to allow the L.A. Zoo staff to perform
the necropsy, an independent body should perform it.
As for Tara, the zoo claims she "slipped."
This theory sounds unreasonable. Elephants are agile and sturdy on their
feet, they don't slip. Moreover, Tara was on dirt, out on exhibit when
she collapsed. Elephants don't slip on dirt.
What did the USDA ever find out about the chronic
anal abscess Tara has had for the past 11 months. Two separate medical
notations (1 from L.A. Zoo, 1 from ZooPath) suggest the abscess was "possibly
caused by a bullhook." As you know it is against the law to hook an elephant
inside or adjacent to the anus with a bullhook. Please interview the
keepers to find out who could have possibly hooked Tara's anus with a
bullhook. The most senior keeper, George French, has recently retired, I hope
investigators will interview him as well.
Regarding the experience of keeper staff - besides
Jeff Briscoe, who is the other keeper that the USDA finds has sufficient
experience handling elephants?
If an elephant keeper tests 10 out of 10 on his TB
skin test - shouldn't the USDA stop him from working with the elephants?
Humans can give TB to elephants. If an elephant keeper tests 5 out of 10 on
her skin TB test, should the USDA disallow her from being transferred
to the gorilla string? This puts the gorillas at risk.
Regarding Sabu's untimely death the day after
Annie's: I never heard of an elephant who suddenly and for no reason, died of
"sudden cardiac failure."
What CAUSED the cardiac failure? Electric shock?
Please send me the USDA investigation of Sabu's death.
I look forward to your response. Thank you for your
continued concern.
Sincerely for elephants,
Debbie Famiglietti
ELEPHANT ADVOCATES
160 South Sycamore
Los Angeles, CA 90036.