Okay, now that I have your attention, give your head a shake.
I'm sure that if we were to move her to a sanctuary in the US, she would die. Those of you who are trying to make this happen are actually shouting "Let's kill Lucy the Elephant".
Sure, elephants are pack animals and she is probably lonely here by herself, but she does have wonderful caretakers and is looked after. Issues about her health have been dragged out of records from 20 years ago and Bob Barker's visit here today does nothing to change my opinion - she should stay and Edmontonians can help her live her life to the fullest it can be lived while at the same time providing joy to the inhabitants of this fair city.
Though I'm not an expert, I do not believe that any benefit will come from moving Lucy. If she is moved, and dies because of the stress, I believe that those instigating the move, including Bob Barker, William Shatner, PETA and PAWS representatives, plus the infamous Clayton Ruby, the lawyer who has been retained to fight for her "release", should be charged with animal endangerment. These people are no different than Michael Vick, and should be prosecuted as such.
And who would end up paying for it? Sure, the Bob Barker says that the city won't have to pay, but it would be hidden in our taxes somewhere. In addition, I anticipate a loss in revenue for the Valley Zoo, which the residents of the city WILL end up paying for.
What is the solution?
It's two-fold. First, we need to get off our asses and go and visit Lucy at the zoo. Show her and the Zoo that we support them and the decision to stay.
Second, there are millions of other animals that need our help out there, let's focus our attention on them and their rehabilitation. There are other people like Micheal Vick, there are poachers, there are people's pets recovering from cancer, there is wildlife to be rehabilitated, and there are areas within Alberta that don't have their own animal shelters. Let us focus our time, money, effort and pride on these worthwhile charities. This battle should be settled here, and we should attack on all the other fronts that need to be won. Now.
Let's not spend any more time trying to Kill Lucy the Elephant.
2 comments:
I said the same thing about our elephant Maggie from the Alaska Zoo. I thought all the do-gooders would end up killing her with all their good intentions... But... she is actually down in PAWS sanctuary thanks to Bob Barker and the city didn't see any of the hidden costs, plus she is thriving.
I'm not sure of the story on Lucy and how sick she is, but Maggie had gone down twice. Heck they had even bought her a treadmill to exercise on!
All I can really say on the whole incident... I'm glad it worked out for Maggie. ::: shrug :::
We went to the Edmonton Zoe in Sept. Lucy was out with her handlers enjoying a long walk through the river park. She looked happy and relaxed; her handlers allowed us to walk along with her and it was a great experience. Lucy should be kept in Edmonton Let the Americans and their nosy mind everyone elses business stay home.
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