Currently across the United States, hundreds of elephants are languishing in tiny, barren zoo enclosures or spending their days giving rides to and performing for strangers under threat of a bullhook. These self-aware, autonomous beings suffer tremendously from the loss of their freedom.
One such captive elephant is Happy, a wild-born Asian elephant who has been imprisoned at the Bronx Zoo for over forty years. For the past fourteen years she has lived alone in a totally inappropriate environment that cannot meet her physical, behavioral, and psychological needs. Happy deserves to be freed to an elephant sanctuary that specializes in meeting the needs of elephants and will allow her to live with respect and dignity. At a sanctuary, Happy will be able to live out the rest of her life with other elephants in an environment similar to her natural habitat and with the freedom to choose how to spend her time and with whom.
Science proves that elephants are highly social, emotionally, and cognitively complex beings. They have a sense of self, remember the past, plan for the future, show empathy for other beings (not just other elephants), and mourn their dead, among other qualities and capacities.
Elephants who are forced to live in captivity don't get to exercise free will or engage in their natural behaviors. In turn, this causes them great psychological harm and physical deterioration.
They need us to use our voices to call for an end to their imprisonment and their release to sanctuaries. Help the Nonhuman Rights Project restore the freedom of Happy and other imprisoned elephants by signing our petition today!
