Zoo Miami is one of worst for elephant deaths, list says. The zoo says they’re just old.
Zoo Miami has been ranked as the second-worst zoo for elephants by an animal rights group.
The ranking, which is done annually by In Defense of Animals, comes after an elephant named Cita died last February after a confrontation with another elephant. Three other elephants have also died over the last eight years from health issues.
Zoo Miami spokesman Ron Magill said a key factor left out of the ranking is age. Magill said Zoo Miami is often the place where older elephants live out their final years. There are currently five elephants, two African and three Asian.
Cita was 50 when she died. Magill said that while there was aggression between her and Peggy, a fellow African elephant, and Cita was knocked down, it was her arthritis that didn’t allow her to get up.
“The incident was unfortunate,” said Magill of Cita’s death. “In hindsight we would have never put them together if we knew this would happen. In this case, Cita just couldn’t get up.”
Magill said that elephants need to be socialized and separating them isn’t the best option either.
The California-based group, which advocates for better treatment of animals, said Zoo Miami received the ranking “for its inability to provide elephants with an option to escape aggression, leading to injuries and death.”
Laura Bridgeman, the interim director of the elephant campaign for the group, said elephants should not be in captivity.
“We don’t believe zoos can provide elephants the psychological and physical care they need to thrive,” she said.
In Defense of Animals ranking
▪ 1) Pittsburgh Zoo, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
▪ 2) Zoo Miami, Miami, Florida
▪ 3) Bronx Zoo, Bronx, New York
▪ 4) Oregon Zoo, Portland, Oregon
▪ 5) Louisville Zoo, Louisville, Kentucky
▪ 6) Natural Bridge Zoo, Rockbridge County, Virginia
▪ 7) Edmonton Valley Zoo, Edmonton, Alberta
▪ 8) Hogle Zoo, Salt Lake City, Utah
▪ 9) San Diego Zoo Global, San Diego, California
▪ 10) Rosamond Gifford Zoo, Syracuse, New York
Source: In Defense of Animals
This story was originally published January 23, 2020 at 5:13 PM.
