Maggie, the lone elephant in Anchorage, Alaska

[Kirsten]

A friend brought this to my attention this morning. Maggie is an African elephant who lives in the zoo of Anchorage, Alaska, facing cold and loneliness. An Anchorage-based group of citizens has formed the FOM (Friends of Maggie), whose aim it is to move Maggie to another location in a warmer climate, where she can live with other elephants. There's a lot of information on their website, www.friendsofmaggie.net (http://www.friendsofmaggie.net). And you can listen to "Maggie's song - Walls of stone", and I swear to you, it won't leave your eyes dry!

There's also a petition you can sign: Retire Maggie the Lone Elephant in Alaska to Sanctuary (http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/588753326 ).

Please take a few minutes to take a look!

Kirsten

[lizbud]

What a sad & pitiful life she is forced to live by being alone for so many
years. :( This is one of those cases that make me want to join an animal
rights group, even PETA, if it could wake some people up to this cruelty.

True animal lovers would respect the right of animals to have what they
need to live a near normal life with their own kind.This Zoo should have
people who know what elephants need besides food & water.

It would be a great kindness to Maggie to let her live out her life at this
haven. http://www.elephants.com/

I hope this isn't a money proposition for the Zoo.

[elizabethann]

Maybe they can move Maggie to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.

[Hellow]

I just sent an e-mail to thoes people at the zoo urging them to move Maggie or otherwise i will send my message and their reply to my state represinative( dunno if i spelt that right) and see what they think about that. I will take legal action if necessary.

[IRescue452]

This is why I don't agree with most zoos having exotic animals in the first place. Especially when the climate is so muh different.

Here's more info from the zoo
"Zoo officials argued that the benefits of moving Maggie were outweighed by its risks. They said that Maggie had a history of getting along poorly with other elephants and that she was easily made anxious by change. They reported that she had been "miserable and unusually aggressive" when Annabelle was still alive. Rather than moving her to a sanctuary, zoo officials decided to expand her elephant house, doubling its size, and to build the world's first elephant treadmill, a $100,000 elephant exercise machine which they hoped would help keep her healthy and in shape. Zoo director Tex Edwards said the Alaska Zoo would evaluate in three years whether Maggie's quality of life had been improved by the treadmill and renovations to the elephant house renovations and whether she should be moved from Alaska."

"Maggie's activities on mild winter days included taking "frequent romps in the snow." To keep Maggie occupied, Maggie interacts with handlers on a daily basis, and has opportunities for foraging and browsing. Her exhibit includes logs, barrels, and an "Enrichment Tree" designed by Delbert Cederberg of Allied Steel Construction, which has a street cleaner brush attachment for rubbing, arms for dangling objects like tires and stumps for Maggie to play with, and browse holders.[7] As of September 2006, Maggie had not been on the treadmill while it was moving, but was comfortable standing on and moving across it."