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| The Campaign to RETIRE Mona to a Sanctuary |
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| "The time that is required for an unhealthy foot to return to health in a natural-habitat environment is relatively short.With attention to stress reduction and a healthy diet, a severely infected and overgrown foot can be completely healed within a few months. Not only is recovery complete, but also there is no chronic reoccurrence of the foot problem." Carol Buckley, founder of The Elephant Sanctuary |
| Michael Schmidt, DVM From his book, Jumbo Ghosts (2001) "The number one cause of illness and premature death of zoo elephants is zoo-genic foot disease caused by decades of life spent in the traditional zoo elephant enclosure." (p. 100) "Zoo-Genic Elephant Foot Disease -- The Number One Killer of Elephants in Zoos" The first, and undoubtedly the single main reason zoo elephants have so many foot problems is the universal use of concrete floors in zoo indoor elephant enclosures. This deadly aspect of zoo-genic elephant foot disease could be neatly summarized by the phrase, 'concrete kills!'" "Concrete, on the other hand, has no 'give' to it at all. This forces the elephant in a zoo to walk or stand flat footed all the time and does not allow normal wear nor a natural walking motion that allows the elephant's toes to dig into the sand or soil as it walks. Over the years and decades of an elephant's life in the zoo, this unnatural surface takes its toll, forcing the feet into abnormal shape and wear patterns that require regular trimming to combat these effects. Eventually, this daily abuse creates enough damage that the elephants' feet are liable to become chronically infected by opportunistic bacteria and fungi. In this deadly sense, concrete does not meet the biological and behavioral needs of zoo elephants-- to the contrary, concrete flooring steadily injures, and eventually kills many of them. (pp. 101-102) Another important factor in zoo-genic elephant foot disease is the unclean environment indoors, inside the concrete cubicles... In terms of their feet, the contamination of the environment by these elephant waste products is damaging. The dung is a rich source of deadly opportunistic bacteria, and the urine damages the tissues of the feet. The abnormal wear caused by the concrete creates fissures and cracks in the zoo elephant's feet, and the damaging urine and infecting dung have an opportunity to gain entry and to do great harm." (p. 103) "If you're wondering why I've gone into such depth on zoo-genic elephant foot disease, it's because it is by far the number one source of suffering and premature death for elephants in every zoo." (p. 104) |
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| "Can we really expect to imbue children with respect for other species by pulling the animals from their native habitats and imprisoning them behind bars?" John Grogan Philadelphia Inquirer October 16, 2006 |
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| (Please click on the banner below to go to Mona's petition, directed to Dr. Foster) |
| “No human has an unalienable right to see an elephant in captivity.” “Humans want something from elephants. The expectation is there that they entertain, and that is not what elephants are meant to do.” Carol Buckley |
| Mona was euthanized by the Birmingham zoo on June 21, 2007. We are greatly saddened by the cruelty she endured, and the well deserved retirement she was deprived. Through Zoo Watch: Birmingham we continue to monitor the zoo, and work to ensure that the zoo remains elephant-free. |