The Alaska Zoo has announced that it will send Maggie, a 27-year-old African elephant, to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary in California. This is fantastic news for Maggie! Maggie was captured in Zimbabwe in 1981 during a cull—a killing operation intended to reduce the population of wild elephants. She probably watched as her entire family was slaughtered. She has lived at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage since 1983 and has been alone at the zoo since 1997, when her only companion, Annabelle, an Asian elephant, died. Anchorage, like most northern cities, is far too cold for an elephant, so Maggie has spent much of each year confined to a small concrete enclosure indoors. Earlier this year, Maggie collapsed twice and needed assistance in standing—a sure sign that inadequate conditions were affecting her health. PETA and concerned citizens around the world have been urging the zoo for years to send Maggie to a sanctuary.
Maggie is going to PAWS’ 2,300-acre sanctuary, a world-class facility that will provide her with the opportunity to roam through natural habitat, play in a lake, forage on fresh vegetation, and enjoy a healthy and enriching life in the company of other elephants. Not only will Maggie’s social needs be addressed, the sanctuary environment has proved to be therapeutic to ailing elephants. The zoo plans to finalize the agreement with PAWS within two weeks. If all goes according to plan, Maggie will be headed to the sanctuary before winter.
What You Can Do Please thank the Alaska Zoo for taking Maggie’s best interests to heart and making the compassionate decision to send her to the PAWS sanctuary:
Dick Thwaites, President
Board of Directors
The Alaska Zoo
4731 O’Malley Rd.
Anchorage, AK 99507
907-346-2133
907-346-2673 (fax)
directors@alaskazoo.org
Pat Lampi, Director
The Alaska Zoo
4731 O’Malley Rd.
Anchorage, AK 99507
907-346-2133
907-346-2673 (fax)
plampi@alaskazoo.org
If your local zoo has an elephant exhibit, please ask that the exhibit be closed and the elephants placed in a reputable sanctuary. Visit SaveWildElephants.com for more information and to see our undercover footage of elephant training methods.
