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Jun 20, 2006 7:10 pm US/Pacific
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Activists Want Investigation Into Elephant's Death
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
Animal rights activists blasted Tuesday the Los Angeles Zoo's treatment of an elephant who died earlier this month and said they want federal officials to investigate the pachyderm's death.
Gita, the 48-year-old elephant who died June 10, stood constantly on her arthritic feet, even though most elephants lie down and sleep about four hours a night, according to Kristie Phelps with In Defense of Animals.
According to zoo officials, Gita was first spotted in a "downed position" at 5 a.m. the day of her death. But IDA activists said they believe zoo personnel may have spotted Gita's condition sometime before midnight the previous night, leaving her suffering without care for at least five hours.
"We hope this information is not true," Bill Dyer of IDA said at a news conference outside the zoo.
Jason Jacobs, spokesman for the Los Angeles Zoo, said Gita "received excellent care."
"The entire animal care and veterinary staff worked with her for years," he said.
Suzanne Roy with IDA said Gita's health problems were likely caused by her inadequate living space, which had a concrete floor and didn't leave her enough space to walk.
"We're calling for a U.S. Department of Agriculture investigation of Gita's death and of the treatment of Gita prior to her death," Roy said, who said she believes the zoo violated the federal Animal Welfare Act.
Jacobs said zoo officials had no comment on the call for a federal probe or the claim that Gita did not receive immediate care. He said the zoo was still awaiting the results of a necropsy to determine Gita's exact cause of death.
Dyer said zoo officials knew Gita was in poor health.
"They knew her feet were rotting away. They knew she had severe arthritis. And yet they made public statements saying everything was healed, she was cured," he said. "They lied to the mayor, they lied to the City Council."
The zoo is currently planning a $50 million, three-acre elephant exhibit.
Roy said that would still be inadequate to house elephants, which walk anywhere from five to 30 miles a day.
"They were holding onto her (Gita) because they were planning their new elephant exhibit," Roy said. "But we had warned the city and the zoo that Gita would not survive to see that exhibit."
Two other elephants, Ruby and Billy, are at the zoo, although Ruby is not on display. Neither elephant has the health problems Gita suffered from, but Roy warned that keeping them in their current condition could lead to such complications in the future.
(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)