To the editor: Reading about the death of Shaunzi, one of the Los Angeles Zoo’s elephants, I felt a mix of sadness and relief.
Elephants are incredibly intelligent animals with complex social networks. They are meant to roam free, in packs. Captivity is torture for them. Shaunzi lived a long and unhappy life in a confined and totally unnatural environment.
His death also fills me with frustration because the Los Angeles Zoo has for years blocked efforts by animal rights activists, local politicians and community leaders to move Billy and other captive elephants to sanctuaries where they can live happier lives. and natural. There are sanctuaries that are eager to accept them and people willing to pay for their transportation.
But the zoo won’t let them go. If the zoo leaders really care about the elephants, they can show it by letting Billy and the other elephants live the rest of their lives in the wild.
Judie Mancuso, Laguna Beach
The author is president and CEO of the animal advocacy group Social Compassion in Legislation.
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To the editor: I was very distressed to learn that another elephant, Shaunzi, had died at the zoo.
It is a well-known fact that elephants in captivity die earlier than elephants in the wild. Now there are only two elephants left: the oldest elephant, Tina, 58, and Billy, 38, who people have been advocating for for many years, asking to be sent to a sanctuary.
Zoos cannot meet the needs of these huge animals. Walking back and forth over small areas compacts the soil beneath them into a concrete-like surface. They walk on their feces and food and their feet become infected. Hard surfaces cause arthritis, and once elephants can’t support their weight, they lie down and die.
Elephants are intelligent animals and the stress of confinement is unbearable for them. It’s time to close the Asian Elephant exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo for good.
Patricia O’Reilly, Hawthorne
