Elephant Deaths and Dangerous Direct Contact at Monterey Zoo

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Update: July 2, 2020

After PETA exposed the deaths of Paula and Kristy at the Monterey Zoo, we received a crucial tip to help us find out why and how these elephants died—questions the shady facility has not publicly addressed. We submitted a public records request to the University of California–Davis and just received the necropsies, revealing the following:

Paula was euthanized in January 2019 after she went down and was unable to stand. She had a severe, painful joint condition called osteochondrosis, which usually results in lameness, joint swelling, and reduced range of motion. It's unknown how long Paula was down before she was released from her suffering.

Kristy went down and died of a severe bacterial infection months later, in October 2019. Salmonella and clostridium were found in her intestinal tract, where the tissue was inflamed and dying, and E. coli was found in her liver and kidneys. It's unknown how long Kristy was down before she died.

The surviving elephants—Buffy and Butch—need to be released to a reputable sanctuary where they can get the care they need so that they don't endure the same fate as Paula and Kristy.

Originally posted on March 31, 2020:

The Monterey Zoo in Salinas, California, is doing something inhumane and dangerous, and we need your help.

During a "breakfast with the elephants" stunt in 2018, two handlers were walking elephants Paula and Kristy to rentable bungalows where guests would be allowed to interact with and feed them. When Paula refused to keep walking, an employee "took aggressive action" with her. The elephant then "began thrashing the employee," throwing them in the air and causing serious injuries, including a broken back.

Within seven months, Paula was inexplicably dead. Kristy, too, appears to have died. The facility's remaining elephants, Butch and Buffy, are still forced into dangerous direct contact with humans. Keepers carry bullhook-like canes, even though using such weapons to control elephants has been illegal in California since 2018.

In their natural homes, elephants roam immense habitats, cool off in mud wallows, and knock down trees and strip their bark. They live in close-knit families and have vast, complex social networks. They nurture their young and mourn their dead—just as Butch and Buffy must have done for Paula and Kristy. Just like us, elephants deserve the right to live free from exploitation, and we must reject the cruel, speciesist idea that humans are entitled to use them as photo props.

Please sign our petition urging the Monterey Zoo to retire the elephants to a reputable sanctuary immediately.