Another U.S. Elephant Catastrophe at Zoo Atlanta

Advocates Call for Breeding Ban and Public Release of Veterinary
Records in Wake of Young, Pregnant Elephant Death

Atlanta, Georgia—The death of a pregnant 26-year old African elephant at Zoo Atlanta has prompted the animal protection group In Defense of Animals (IDA) to renew its call for an end to captive elephant breeding. Dottie died after becoming ill and losing 800 pounds (ten percent of her body weight) in two weeks. Her death is the latest in a string of tragedies related to elephant breeding in zoos.

  • Three elephant mothers have died this year in U.S. zoos. In addition to Dottie, a young African elephant, 24-year old Mary, died at the Montgomery Zoo two days after giving birth in August; her orphaned calf died a month later. And in January, Babe and her calf died at the Ft. Worth Zoo after her labor failed to progress.
  • Since 2001, at least 21 elephant pregnancies in U.S. zoos have ended in stillbirths or other complications, including death of the mother, death of calf during labor, death of mother euthanasia of premature calf and failure to thrive, resulting in 17 dead babies (in addition to Dottie's third-trimester calf) and six dead mothers.
  • The infant mortality rate for elephants in U.S. zoos (ages 0-1) is four times higher than that of documented free-ranging populations in Africa and Asia.

"Breeding elephants under current zoo conditions seriously endangers their lives," said IDA president Dr. Elliot M. Katz, a veterinarian. "To continue these attempts is simply reckless, irresponsible and inhumane."

IDA is also calling for the public release of Dottie's veterinary records so independent experts can assess the circumstances around her death.

Katz noted that Zoo Atlanta, although a public facility, has declined to publicly release veterinary records, claiming that releasing medical records would violate privacy rights, presumably of the elephants.

"The zoo's attempt to evade Georgia's public records law is counter to the public interest," Katz continued. "The zoo must publicly release its veterinary records and come clean about the condition of its elephants, particularly in the wake of Dottie's tragic death."

According to IDA, elephants are suffering and dying prematurely in zoos across the nation as a result of the unnatural and cramped zoo environment. For more information, please visit www.helpelephants.com.