The ongoing saga of two elephants, Shaba, a 31 year-old African elephant and Connie, a 44 year-old Asian elephant, has attracted a lot of attention because of plans to separate them. They have lived together for 30 years and now reside at the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson Arizona. Shaba and Connie met when Shaba was 2 years old and Connie was 15. Both were originally taken from the the wild.
Before and after I published my essay about the fate of these two amazing animals there had been a lot of discussion about how they should be treated, some arguing that it was perfectly all right to separate them and others saying these two long-time friends should be allowed to spend the rest of their lives together. I personally received a lot of emails about Shaba and Connie and not a single one thought it was permissible to separate them at this stage of life. Indeed, anyone who knows about the social behavior and emotional lives of elephants and who really cares about them could never argue in good faith that it was okay to separate them. What a heartless move zoo administrators had in mind, all for money.
Npw, there's some "good" news on the horizon. The current plans are for Shaba and Connie to be moved together to the Elephant Odyssey at the San Diego Zoo. To quote from this article in the San Diego Union-Tribune, "Although our intention was to keep Shaba here [at the Reid Park Zoo], we understand the message of keeping the two girls together resonated with our community," said Vivian VanPeenen, curator of education for Reid Park Zoo. While we're not doing this in response to animal rights activists, we understand there is concern. Since this plan meets all our goals, it's an acceptable alternative. The goal is to provide each with more space, a larger herd and to be cared for by (Association of Zoos and Aquariums) experts."
Van Peenen also notes, "Elephants are incredibly intelligent and capable of forming bonds but it's important to not underestimate their ability to form new bonds ... What a wonderful opportunity for them to have this experience in their own lifetime, to interact with animals of their own species." I'd venture to say that neither Shaba nor Connie care more about members of their own species than they do about one another. It's amazing how far some, but not all, zoo administrators will go to rationalize the choices they make. This is a move to make more money and is not at all centered on the well-being of Shaba, Connie, or any of the elephants involved in this heartless shuffle.
It's also important to recognize that Shaba and Connie are not the only individuals involved in this heartless game of "musical elephants." According to San Diego Zoo spokeswoman Christina Simmons, "The transfer will fit in with Safari Park's interest in mimicking the natural evolution of a herd in which an older female and her offspring will eventually break off and create another herd ... It's still undecided how many of the 17 elephants at Safari Park will head to Arizona ..." "Head to Arizona" means others will be shipped around as if they're couches or merely unfeeling objects.
I put the word "good" in quotes because moving Shaba and Connie is a risky affair and it would be best to just let them live out their lives with respect and dignity in Tucson. Furthermore, I find Vivian VanPeenen's dismissive comments about "animal rights activists" to be ludicrous. First off, most of the people who were concerned about Shaba and Connie were not "animal rights activists" and one doesn't have to believe in animal rights to care about the plans to separate them. People were simply paying attention to who elephants are and were concerned about their well-being and the self-serving interests of the zoos involved. I had emails and discussions with people who would preface their concerns with comments such as "I've never gotten involved in animal issues before this one" and "I want you to know I'm not usually an activist". Someone went as far as to tell me "I'm not one of those vegetarian radicals, but it is simply wrong to move Shaba and Connie at this stage of their lives."
The public concern for Shaba and Connie's well-being was widespread and shows clearly that cruelty cannot stand the spotlight. Moving them and the others in this profit-motivated shuffle really is a form of abuse and there are always risks involved when animals are shipped here and there. Thanks to all for speaking up about these two amazing beings.