{"id":4569,"date":"2009-06-23T23:45:07","date_gmt":"2009-06-23T23:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetsave.com\/?p=4569"},"modified":"2009-06-23T23:45:07","modified_gmt":"2009-06-23T23:45:07","slug":"dumbo-behind-bars-elephant-sized-controversy-arises-over-captive-elephants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/articles\/dumbo-behind-bars-elephant-sized-controversy-arises-over-captive-elephants\/","title":{"rendered":"Dumbo Behind Bars: Elephant-Sized Controversy Arises Over Captive Elephants"},"content":{"rendered":"

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For years and years parents have taken their children to zoos to see exotic animals, animals that they don’t get to see everyday. They want to see lions and tigers and bears. Oh my! High on the the list of animals to be seen are elephants, nature’s gentle giants. These cute, (hardly) cuddly animals are the largest of the land mammals. But all of that could change. <\/strong>Elephants could be removed from zoos<\/strong><\/a> forever if In Defense of Animals (IDA) and a handful of scientists and activists get their way.<\/strong><\/p>\n

June 20 highlighted the International Day of Action for Elephants in Zoos. \u00a0In Defense of Animals (IDA) and activists in over 30 cities worldwide (including L.A., Washington D.C., and more) participated in a day of demonstration to inform the public about the travesty of keeping Dumbo locked up\u00a0– even Salt Lake City had one demonstrator brave the torrential rain in order to bring justice to our big grey friends.<\/p>\n

Elliot M. Katz, DVM, President of IDA said that\u00a0“Zoos can no longer ignore the mounting scientific evidence<\/a> of the devastating effects of captivity on elephants.” Infanticide,\u00a0Herpes and tuberculosis are just a few of the ailments prevalent in captive elephants, and zoo populations are not self sustaining<\/a>, unlike populations in natural environments.<\/p>\n

On their day of demonstration, IDA wanted to focus on the fact that it isn’t so much about kind or unkind keepers or\u00a0members of the public, but about outdated policy. Elephants just aren’t meant for the cage<\/a> (unlike birds and snakes and the like, which thrive in small, cramped and confined areas).<\/p>\n

Here are some facts about elephants as presented by IDA:<\/p>\n