snowleopard, have you heard anything about the elephant commission that is reviewing the WPZ's elephant program? Do they have a timeline for a report or recommendations?
snowleopard, have you heard anything about the elephant commission that is reviewing the WPZ's elephant program? Do they have a timeline for a report or recommendations?
The link below has a timeline of the meetings that have been held, and what has occurred at those meetings. From the website and the press releases it seems feasible that the zoo will make a decision before Christmas at the latest. With one African Elephant and two Asian Elephants (and the 3 are never in together) it is a strong contender for the most dysfunctional elephant "herd" of any zoo in the United States. That fact combined with the exhibit, which becomes slightly more outdated each year, and it would be a surprise to me if the Seattle facility maintained elephants far into the future.
There has been such an outpouring of questions that the zoo has even designed tiny cards (kind of like paper bookmarks) that are free to anyone in the two main gift shops. The little cards essentially state that the zoo is doing a wonderful job with its elephant program, but there seems to be an era of stagnation around the current enclosure. At one time it was an AZA award-winning complex and it is still leagues ahead of what can be found at many other American zoos but a quarter-century later it might be time for Woodland Park to either add on to its current elephant habitat with a massive influx of cash...or discontinue showcasing the species.
There is a wealth of information on this link (including details of meetings):
