URGENT: Act Today To Stop Reid Park Zoo In Tucson From Separating Long-time Elephant Friends

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Urgent: Act Today To Stop Reid Park Zoo In Tucson From Separating Long-time Elephant Friends

From IDA

Please submit the form at the above link to send your comments immediately!  City Council may act any day!

Connie and Shaba have been together at the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson since 1982 when Connie was 15 and Shaba was just 2. They have been deeply bonded since the day they were first brought together. Now, after nearly 30 years, the zoo wants to separate them and send Connie away. Not only is this wrong, it contradicts what the public and the City were told by the Zoo about the new elephant exhibit – that it would be a new home for Connie and Shaba.

When an attempt was made in 2005 to send Connie and Shaba to a spacious, natural habitat sanctuary the zoo fought back, saying the two elephants should not be moved or separated. Media sources reported zoo director Susan Basford as saying: “These animals, if at all possible, should stay together.” The City Council later approved funds for construction of a new exhibit meant for Connie and Shaba.

Now that the zoo has nearly completed construction of its multi-million dollar elephant display, Connie and Shaba’s close bond doesn’t seem to matter any longer. The zoo plans to send Asian elephant Connie to the San Diego Zoo. It will bring a group of African elephants (a bull and two females with calves) to the Reid Park Zoo from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and try to integrate Shaba with them. There is absolutely no guarantee that she will integrate with the group; if not, she would be moved to another zoo.

Tuesday November 22, 2011: the Tucson city council will hold an important study session to discuss the issue and may even act on it. Please tell them today that the world is watching and cares deeply about the fate of these long-time elephant companions. Urge them to find a compassionate solution that respects Connie and Shaba’s lifelong bond.





Send a message to Tucson’s mayor and council members. Ask them to have a heart and stop the separation of Connie and Shaba. Please be sure to personalize your message as much as possible to make it more effective.

Submitting this form will e-mail your comments to:

• All Tucson, Arizona City Council members
• Mayor Bob Walkup
• The City Clerk

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In Defense of Animals

connie and shaba,
life long friends
now manunkind
has decided
that this has to end
elephants bond
so deeply and
so strong
separating these
true friends will
destroy
them
and it will not
take that long
so think how
you would feel
if this happened
to you
look inside your hearts
and the do the right
thing, too

Karen Lyons Kalmenson