Second Damning Elephant Report Should End Debate On The L.A. Zoo Exhibit Expansion

Humane leaders and former L.A. Zoo vet to reveal new findings at press conference tomorrow

Los Angeles, Calif.—A second damning report on the heath and welfare problems of elephants in zoos was released late last week, a day after public release of a study in the prestigious journal Science that found elephants live much shorter lives in zoos. Together, the two reports should put to rest the controversy surrounding the L.A. Zoo's proposed $42 million elephant exhibit expansion, In Defense of Animals (IDA) said.

IDA, joined by humane leaders, including Southern California's premier animal welfare organization SPCAla, and a former L.A. Zoo veterinarian, will release details of the new report, "The Welfare, housing and husbandry of elephants in UK zoos," written by scientists from the University of Bristol.

What: Press conference on latest study on elephant health and welfare in zoos
Wen: Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 at 9:30am
Where: In front of main gates at L.A. Zoo
Who: SPCA-LA president Madeline Bernstein; former L.A. Zoo veterinarian Gary Kuehn; film/stage actor and Chief Advisor to Congressman Dennis Kucinich's Animal Welfare program, Mariana Tosca; and Elephant Welfare Specialist Catherine Doyle of IDA and L.A. Alliance for Elephants

"At this point, definitive scientific evidence documents the harm that zoo conditions inflict on elephants," said former L.A. Zoo veterinarian Gary Kuehn. "Elephants are suffering and dying prematurely in zoos, and claims by the zoo industry to the contrary have been revealed as fraudulent."

Although both reports focus on elephants in Europe, previous studies have shown that those elephants live longer than their North American counterparts.

Dr. Kuehn and the other experts will speak in advance of tomorrow's L.A. Zoo Commission meeting in support of L.A. City Councilmember Tony Cardenas' motion to halt the Zoo's elephant exhibit renovation. City council recently voted to suspend construction, pending further review. The motion will go back to city council in January.

"The L.A. Zoo and city leaders can no longer ignore the mounting scientific evidence of the devastating effects of captivity on elephants," said Catherine Doyle of IDA and the L.A. Alliance for Elephants. "There can be no justification now for spending tens of millions of tax dollars to build a new elephant exhibit that will further harm and kill the very animals the zoo is claiming to save."

Eighteen U.S. zoos have either closed or plan to close their elephant exhibits.

For more information, please visit www.HelpElephants.com.