Elephant specialists write open letter to Joburg Zoo and Mayor Mashaba asking that Lammie be released
SAXONWOLD – Thirteen elephant specialists signed a letter stating their grievances regarding keeping Lammie, the lone elephant, at the Joburg Zoo.
Thirteen elephant specialists addressed a letter to the Joburg Zoo and Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba on 29 January stating their disapproval of keeping Lammie the elephant at the Joburg Zoo in response to our previous article, NSPCA and Joburg Zoo divided over possible acquisition of new elephant [Week ending 1 February].
The elephant specialists call to have Lammie rehabilitated into a free-roaming social group in the wild.
The letter aimed to correct alleged misinformation sent out by the Joburg Zoo regarding Lammie.
Spokesperson for the Johannesburg Zoo Jenny Moodley previously stated and again confirmed that the zoo has consulted in-house professionals regarding Lammie but, as stated in the letter, none of the local and world-leading elephant specialists* have been consulted.
The letter sought to dispel the reports by the zoo that Lammie cannot be released into a free-roaming situation as she has lived at the zoo her entire life.
Moodley stated and confirmed that Lammie has good welfare, has strong bonds with her keepers, serves a strong educational role and is an ambassador for conservation. Moodley stated that the zoo is engaging with relevant authorities to obtain in-principle support to acquire a companion for Lammie.
The elephant specialists* said that they had collected data on the behaviour of both Lammie and zoo visitors during October 2018 and January 2019 upon which their views were based.
The letter listed alleged inadequacies with the life of an elephant in captivity including reduced life span, poor breeding and inadequate facilities to meet the needs of elephants. They also pointed to the life of Lammie as a solitary elephant with minimal environmental enrichment as being detrimental to her well-being.
Data collected on visitors’ behaviour showed that the average time spent by visitors at the elephant enclosure was 2.46 minutes, with over 50 per cent of visitors walking by without stopping. “Lammie’s role in education and acting as an ambassador of her species is false, misleading and educates the public incorrectly.
“Basic welfare should provide elephants with adequate enrichment, an adequate social environment and freedom of choice. The independent observations made during October 2018 and January 2019 demonstrate that Lammie benefits from none of these.”
Moodley said the zoo’s hesitancy to release Lammie is based on the fact that she has been captive her whole life and references the death of a Bloemfontein elephant soon after being released into the wild. However, the letter stated that reintegration of a captive elephant into the wild has been repeatedly successful, provided there is a long-term reintroduction programme. Many elephants that have been successfully reintegrated were born in captivity. They also stated that the Bloemfontein elephant died of botulism, making the zoo’s reference to this case invalid.
*Elephant experts who signed the letter include Brett Mitchell of Elephant Reintegration Trust, Audrey Delsink of Humane Society International Africa, Dr Marion Garai of Elephant Reintegration Trust and Elephant Specialist Advisory Group, Dr Lucy Bates of Elephant Specialist Advisory Group, Dr Yolanda Pretorius of Elephant Specialist Advisory Group, Dr Joyce Poole of Elephant Voices, Antoinette van der Water of Bring the Elephant Home, Dr Cynthia Moss of Amboseli Trust for Elephants, Dr Victoria Fishlock of Amboseli Trust for Elephants, Dr Keith Lindsay of Amboseli Trust for Elephants, Dr Phyllis C.Lee of the University of Stirling and Ambroseli Trust for Elephants, Dr Michelle Henley of Elephants Alive and Dr Kate Evans of Elephants for Africa.
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