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Point of View - Continued from page 4
violations were “petty.” Yet among the USDA’s citations
were those for poor living conditions, inadequate
veterinary care and improper feeding – far more
serious than anything a health department would give a
restaurant.
Why it’s on Care2′s Worst list: bullhook use, animal
welfare violations, heavy exploitation
Take Action: Sign the petition at bit.ly/2OMs9Mt
urging Comerford & Sons to send Beulah to a sanctuary.
4. NATURAL BRIDGE ZOO PARK
(NATURAL BRIDGE, VA – USA)
Asha is the only elephant among the 40 animals at this
roadside zoo in Virginia. When she’s not being forced with
a bullhook to give 10,000 rides every year to visitors, Asha
lives inside a small paddock with little shade and no toys
for stimulation.
Even worse, when the zoo closes for the winter, a
USDA inspection found that Asha lives inside a cold,
damp barn with a concrete floor. This zoo’s mistreatment
of Asha ranks it at No. 4 on our list.
You’d think that such horrid living conditions would lead
to the USDA shutting down the Natural Bridge Zoo Park,
but that sadly has not been the case. In fact, the zoo has
been cited with dozens of violations of the Animal Welfare
Act — yet it still remains open.
Why it’s on Care2′s Worst list: bullhook use, solitary
elephant, animal welfare violations, inadequate space
Take Action: Please join nearly 350,000 people who
have signed the Care2 petition started by Kelly
Coldewey of the Facebook group ‘Help Our Precious
Elephants’ (H.O.P.E.) urging the Natural Bridge Zoo Park
to send Asha to a sanctuary. Online at bit.ly/2ElDhvZ.
5. THE LOS ANGELES ZOO
(LOS ANGELES, CA – USA)
Although the Los Angeles Zoo expanded its original
elephant exhibit about a decade ago, its current 6.5 acres
is still insufficient space for its four captive elephants to
roam, ranking it at No. 8 on our list.
Billy, a male Asian elephant, is kept separated from
females Jewel, Tina and Shaunzi in a too-small corral. He
frequently bobs his head and rocks back and forth, which
are signs of stress. A disturbing 1989 video shows a zoo
employee striking Billy with a bullhook. Billy is also used
for captive breeding purposes and forced to undergo
invasive procedures to remove his semen.
Fortunately for Billy, the L.A. Arts, Entertainment, Parks
and River Committee is currently considering a motion by
City Councilman Paul Koretz to have the elephant moved
to a sanctuary.
Why it’s on Care2′s Worst list: inadequate space,
unethical breeding
Take Action: Join more than 440,000 people who
have signed this petition telling the Los Angeles Zoo to
send Billy the elephant to a sanctuary. Online at
bit.ly/2IM0WUD.
6. WILDLIFE SAFARI, USA
Visitors to this drive-through tourist attraction in Oregon
that’s last but not least on our list can sit in their cars
during the summer while elephants “wash” their vehicles,
using their trunks to hold sponges and hoses.
Wildlife Safari says on its website that its mission “is to
provide the highest quality interaction with wildlife to
inspire lifelong commitments to conservation, education
and preservation of native and exotic species.”
How can an elephant car wash be considered the
“highest quality interaction”? Elephants don’t naturally
wash cars in the wild. The painful bullhooks used to train
and force them to perform unnatural stunts (an employee
can be seen holding one in the video below) are cruel.
The only lesson being taught is that it’s acceptable to
exploit and harm these beautiful animals for profit.
Why it’s on Care2′s Worst list: bullhook use, heavy
exploitation
Take Action: Sign the online petition at
bit.ly/2RDrMCn telling Wildlife Safari to stop forcing
elephants to wash cars.
CRITTER MAGAZINE • NOVEMBER 2018 • PAGE 9