(Aus)Taronga Zoo wants Elephant rides & new elephants

[Guest guest]

Forward from Animal Liberation NSW (New South Wales, Australia)......

 

In last week's NSW State Budget the Carr Government announced $225 million

would be spent on reconstructing Taronga Zoo on the foreshore of Sydney

Harbour.

 

Part of the plan is to reintroduce elephant rides and allow visitors to

swim with leopard seals. To do this new elephants are to be sourced from

overseas.

 

Please write to the zoo and the Premier and express your concerns over the

plans.

 

You may wish to incorporate the following points:

 

* Buying elephants from overseas and bringing them to a city zoo in Sydney

cannot be considered a conservation measure as the elephants will be

removed, at a young age from their natural habitat and endure brutal

training methods.

 

* The plan degrades animals such as elephants and seals to the level of the

me parks attractions such as a roller coaster and ferris wheel -

reintroducing

elephant rides and allowing visitors to swim with seals is purely a

marketing ploy and nothing to do with conservation or education.

 

* City zoos like Taronga are no place for large animals such as elephants,

which in the wild roam for about 40 kilometres a day. Any plans to

reconstruct Taronga Zoo should include relocation of large animals such as

elephants to the Western Plains Zoo at Dubbo which is a free ranging zoo.

 

Send your letters of concern to:

 

Taronga Zoo:

Email: tz

 

NSW Premier Bob Carr

Email: bob.carr

Phone: (02) 9228 5239

Fax: (02) 9228 3935