HOPE, Maine — Two retired circus elephants are ready to move to Maine after the federal government gave its approval.
Hope Elephants, a nonprofit group, plans to bring the animals to a new rehabilitation center built in town by this fall. The group already received town approval and the state approved the elephants’ move in September, according to Justin McAnaney, director of operations.
Hope Elephants has asked the state to consider allowing it to move in the elephants sooner. That approval is pending.
Bringing an elephant to Maine was veterinarian Jim Laurita’s dream. He founded the nonprofit Hope Elephants and built a 1,200-square-foot barn for Rosie, a 42-year-old elephant he worked with in the 1970s.
Rather than let Rosie, who suffers from arthritis, live out her days in Oklahoma with a herd of 27 other elephants from the Carson and Barnes Circus, Laurita and the circus had the idea to send Rosie to Maine and try different types of physical therapy with her. Laurita then would share any tactics that work with circus trainers to help with future bouts of arthritis in the herd.
The plan was always to bring Rosie to Maine, but during the long licensing processes, Hope Elephants found a second animal who also needs care.
The group plans to bring Opal, another retired circus Asian elephant, to the barn as well. Opal’s joints are deteriorating, according to a press release from Hope Elephants.
Opal was moved to Oklahoma to get to know Rosie before the two head north.
I wonder how the Elephants feel about moving to the great state of Maine. Hope they bring their flannels.
… and their trunks. Summah’s comin’.
They have no say in their lives, they are just slaves to be moved around as their masters see fit. They will feel cooped-up, cold and sad about the ever constant chains.
And your solution to this is…?
I don’t see any “ever-constant chains” on Rosie in the photograph.
The neighborhood Moose will be puzzled. Bigger animal, smells different, slow to move and has folks around ?????
The moose plan to go into the barn where the elephants will be the majority of the time? I think not.
I do not think this bodes well for either elephant. From what I understand the facility was hardly large enough for one elephant. Maine is not even close to being a proper habitat for elephants to begin with. I am glad though that the elephants, herd animals, will not be alone.
I really really hope I am wrong, but this entire operation seems like a tool of self aggrandizement rather than a true endeavor based on love for these magnificent creatures.
Rest assured that the Lauritas are great people who have the elephants’ best interests at heart.
-A Hope Resident
Perhaps, but not too well endowed with common sense.
You have been bamboozled and do not know elephant physiology. Only pure human ego would try this in Maine of all places. 100 acres in Fl would be more appropriate.
The motive this project is born from pure love. If you’d ever met the Lauritas, you would understand. Rosie can’t be released into a sanctuary. Dr. Laurita is a kind, gentle, and incredibly compassionate veterinarian who would never put an animal in any harm. Please learn more about this mission before reacting.
-A Hope Resident
The mission is born out of a desire to have pet elephants in his backyard. He is an otherwise kind person, but it is this desire that clouds his judgement and prevents him and his supporters from looking at what is in the elephants’ best interest. It is not their role to please us, we are responsible for their mental and physical comfort; Hope Elephants can provide for neither.
I don’t think this bodes well for the elephants either. What is going to happen when it gets cold this upcoming fall/winter?
What is going to happen? The elephants are going to suffer terribly.
The motive this project is born from pure love. If you’d ever met the Lauritas, you would understand. Rosie can’t be released into a sanctuary. Dr. Laurita is a kind, gentle, and incredibly compassionate veterinarian who would never put an animal in any harm. Please learn more about this mission before reacting.
-A Hope Resident
The mission is born out of a desire to have pet elephants in his backyard. He is an otherwise kind person, but it is this desire that clouds his judgement and prevents him and his supporters from looking at what is in the elephants’ best interest. It is not their role to please us, we are responsible for their mental and physical comfort; Hope Elephants can provide for neither.
I don’t doubt that Dr. Laurita is everything you say he is. But I’ve followed this story from the beginning, and I drive by the barn every day.
I don’t think it’s going to work out.
-Also a Hope Resident
Thank you for reminding me to never jump to conclusions. I apologize for speaking out of ignorance.
What’s this? A thoughtful and measured reassessment of one’s earlier post? How refreshing.
Let’s hope the Doc will be able to make some progress with their joint deterioration. Good luck, Doctor Laurita. It is often told that elephants remember a lot from their past—I hope she recognizes you and realizes that you are with her to help her.
If he had been jabbing her with a bullhook (likely) or a tazer (a newer impliment), she is likely to remember. Don’t be surprised if this whole thing ends poorly with so little space for so many months at a time. Cabin fever can ruin people – and elephants too.
1200 sq ft is pretty large and I’ll bet larger than the quarters these two ladies have had in the past. If the vet really is attached to these animals, they will get very good care, and I’m sure he must be, to go to all the trouble of moving and quartering them here. For gardeners, I have heard that elephant manure is great for growing things in the garden.
You might think it’s pretty large, but it sure looks small when you think two elephants will live there.
Why don’t we just make it illegal for any non-domestic animals to be in circus’s and such shows and rehab them back to the wild or at least to a habitat that is as close to their natural home as possible. How is moving this majestic animal to Maine going to benefit this very social, family oriented creature?? These 2 are going from a herd..their FAMILY… to being just 2…these animals are being torn from their families…I say send them all together…or keep them where they are… together!!! Does anyone ever consider the emotional well being of animals when they make decisions about their care??? Have a heart.
What’s two more transplanted out of staters in Mid-Coast Maine?
It’s a welcome gesture, though one might question how an arthritic elephant will fare in Maine’s cold climate. The bottom line is that these animals should never be used in any circus. Anyone who has ever dealt with elephants understands they belong in the wild, in their natural environment. There is a reason we no longer have “dancing bears”. Using elephants for public entertainment is equally medieval.
Rosie and Opal deserve a better life in a true elephant sanctuary. They need our prayers more than ever now …
Puh-lease.
IN DEFENSE OF ANIMALS SURVEY: ELEPHANTS IN COLD-CLIMATE ZOOS
In Africa and Asia elephants typically live in semi-arid savannas and tropical and sub-tropical forests where they travel tens of miles a day in huge home ranges. Yet many zoos display elephants in cities where cold weather forces them indoors for the vast majority of each day during the winter, leaving Earth’s largest land mammals to stand in small concrete cages that do not provide the space they need for healthy movement.
In Defense of Animals (IDA) conducted a survey to determine the number of Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited zoos holding elephants in U.S. and Canadian cities that experience cold winter climates. We found that 31 out of 75 zoos holding elephants are situated in cold- climate cities, with three out of four of those zoos averaging mean temperatures below freezing for two to five consecutive months each year. These zoos hold approximately 40 percent of all elephants in AZA-accredited zoos. (See more key findings below.)
Background
Elephants are highly intelligent, social and curious animals who suffer both physically and mentally in small, unnatural zoo displays that bear no semblance to the rich complexity of their natural habitats. Designed for movement, elephants in the wild traverse large ranges, communicate with one another using low frequencies that travel long distances, and are near constantly engaged in a variety of behaviors and social interactions with their large extended families.
In contrast, zoos hold elephants in exhibits of a few acres or less, where they lack space for movement and often stand for long hours on hard surfaces such as concrete and hard- packed soil. These inadequate conditions cause a range of health problems including painful and often-fatal foot disease and arthritis, obesity, reproductive disorders, and premature death. The stress and boredom of living in impoverished enclosures are revealed in aberrant behaviors, such as aggression and repetitive rocking, swaying and head bobbing.
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Recent science shows that elephants in zoos are dying decades sooner than their counterparts in relatively protected wild and semi-wild populations in Africa and Asia. In fact, conservationists, field biologists and other experts agree that elephants do not belong in urban zoos because of the seriously detrimental affects of captivity on these animals.
Brookfield Zoo (Illinois) elephant exhibit: Closed for the winter.
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Cincinnati Zoo, Ohio !
Negative effects of cold-weather confinement
Cold weather dramatically increases the physical and psychological suffering elephants already face in zoos by forcing them indoors into even smaller spaces for the vast majority of the winter, which lasts as long as five months in some cities. As the Earth’s largest land mammals, elephants are not suited for confinement in small spaces, particularly the windowless zoo cages that most often resemble concrete cells. Yet elephants are routinely relegated to these tiny cages where movement is severely limited, and lack of mental stimulation and the stress of confinement drive elephants to neurotically rock and sway, a sight common in zoos. (See video of this abnormal
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Seneca Park Zoo, New York – Watch Video
behavior at the Roger Williams Zoo.) While some zoos provide “larger” community rooms for elephants, these still do not provide the space elephants need.
Studies indicate that elephants have a limited ability to adapt to wide temperature ranges, as they are unable to insulate (add fat) or adjust to extremes in temperature. Designed for temperate climates, elephants are at risk if subjected to consistently cold temperatures, as, once chilled, they are unable to gain sufficient heat to warm themselves, particularly their extremities.
Most zoos keep elephants indoors when the temperature falls below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, though some may allow elephants outdoors for very limited amounts of time during cold weather – sometimes as little as half an hour. On the exceptional warm day, they may be allowed outside for longer periods. However, the insignificant amount of time spent outdoors during the course of the long winter pales in comparison to the many long, monotonous hours spent restricted indoors, where elephants can be held in spaces as small as 20 x 20 square feet – about the size of two-car garage.
Increased indoor confinement is detrimental to elephants for reasons other than space alone. Elephants experience less exposure to sunlight and fresh air, often lack fresh vegetation (elephants thrive on nutritious leafy branches called browse), their social interactions are disrupted when elephants are held in separate cage stalls, and they have no mud holes and pools.
Survey Criteria
IDA conducted a survey of 76 Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited zoos holding elephants in the U.S. and Canada. Zoos identified in the survey as being in cold climates had a mean average temperature below 40 degrees for three consecutive months or longer, according to the National Climate Data Center and the World Meteorological Organization (based on climate records over a 30-year span).
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Sedgwick County Zoo, Kansas – Watch Video !
IDA based its criteria on the AZA’s standards of elephant care and management, which recommend that elephants held outdoors “ must be monitored frequently at temperatures below 40 degrees F (4.4 degrees C).” Indoors, AZA recommends a “minimum temperature of at least 55 degrees.” Conditions such as snow, ice, sleet and wind are other factors that determine whether elephants are allowed outdoors.
Most of the zoos that qualified as being in cold climates have mean average temperatures well below 40 degrees; 75 percent of the zoos experience temperatures below freezing for two to five consecutive months.
Key findings
• 31 out of 75 (41 percent) AZA-accredited zoos holding elephants in the U.S. and Canada met IDA’s criteria for cold-climate zoos. These zoos contain 105 elephants.
• 3 out of 4 of zoos holding elephants in cold climates have average mean temperatures below freezing for two to five consecutive months.
• Approximately 40 percent of all elephants in AZA zoos will be confined indoors for the vast majority of the winter.
• More than half of the zoos in cold climates do not provide for public viewing when the !
elephants (46).
Zoos included in the survey
(Asterisk indicates if elephants are not on view when indoors – 16 out of 31 zoos.)
elephants are indoors, essentially warehousing them for the winter.
Roger Williams Park Zoo, Rhode Island – Watch Video • Zoos in cold climates tend to keep more African elephants (59) than Asian
Brookfield Zoo (Illinois)* Buffalo Zoo (New York) Buttonwood Park Zoo (Massachusetts)* Bronx Zoo (New York)* Calgary Zoo (Canada) Cheyenne Mountain Park Zoo (Colorado) Cincinnati Zoo (Ohio) Cleveland Zoo (Ohio) Columbus Zoo (Ohio) Denver Zoo (Colorado) Dickerson Park Zoo (Missouri)* Granby Zoo (Quebec, Canada) Hogle Zoo (Utah)* Indianapolis Zoo (Indiana)* Kansas City Zoo (Kansas)*
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Milwaukee Zoo, Wisconsin
Lee Richardson Zoo (Kansas)* Louisville Zoo (Kentucky)* Maryland Zoo* Milwaukee Zoo (Wisconsin) National Zoo (Washington, DC) Niabi Zoo (Illinois)*
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo (Nebraska)* Pittsburgh Zoo (Pennsylvania) Roger Williams Park Zoo (Rhode Island) Rosamond Gifford Zoo (New York)* Seneca Park Zoo (New York)
St. Louis Zoo (Missouri)* Sedgwick County Zoo (Kansas) Toledo Zoo (Ohio) Topeka Zoo (Kansas)* Toronto Zoo (Ontario, Canada)* !
Conclusion
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In 2004, the Detroit Zoo closed its elephant exhibit and sent its two pachyderm residents to a sanctuary. The zoo cited the city’s frigid winters that prevented the elephants from engaging in normal outdoor activity year round and “the conditions of captivity, especially in cold climates” that cause painful foot disease and arthritis which often claim elephants’ lives.
Unfortunately, no matter how much daily care, veterinary treatment and enrichment zoos provide for elephants, it just cannot compensate for lack of space, unnatural conditions, and, especially, an unsuitable climate.
If zoos really wish to make progress for elephants, a meaningful first step would be to follow in the footsteps of the Detroit Zoo and prohibit the display of elephants in facilities located in cold climates.
Well stated franny. Wow.
Want to learn about elephants:
http://www.helpelephants.com/
As someone who has advocated and studied elephants for over thirty
years, I can only say with conviction that this is a terrible idea. This
also comes from someone who lives in Maine.
Elephants do not thrive in cold weather. Period. I don’t care how big he
says his barn is, they should be sent to a sanctuary where they can get
the proper care they need, not stuck in a barn 9 months out of the year
with arthritis.
Mr. Laurita may be a good vet, but he is a small domestic animal vet,
not a large animal vet. Unfortunately this is more about him simply
wanting to have a elephant, rather than what is best for them. As for
the people of Maine who have weighed in on this issue and know even less
about pachyderms, they just want them here so they can have something
to do with their kids on a Saturday afternoon. For them it’s about being
entertained not what is in the best interest for these animals.
I fear that these animals will not survive very long here, and only Mr. Laurita and the people who supported this will be to blame.
From what I understand, Rosie can not be sent to a sanctuary.
I live just down the road and pass the barn every day. It’s not that big. I feel sorry for the elephants who will be cooped up there.
Jim was a large-animal vet in the past. Inaccurate posts don’t help the discourse.
Mr. Laurita may have treated cows and horses in the past, but he does not specialize in wild captive animals. His experience with elephants in the 70s was when he was a teenager and worked as a juggler in a traveling circuses for extra money. If that is what you think constitutes an expert than I am a wizard in physics. This article fails to mention that little bit of information. Fact. Look it up. You also seem to have missed the center point of the argument here, that elephants do not do well in cold climates even when they are deemed in good health. These poor creatures are coming here with advanced arthritis.
One other thing about these animals that has not been mentioned here. It can be very dangerous working with them if you are not really experience. Their large size has proven deadly for even most experienced keepers. One was crushed to death at the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee a couple of years ago and just a few weeks ago in New Zealand a vet was crushed to death. As I understand it, Mr. Laurita’s wife, who has no experience working with these animals, will be in charge of their daily care, and they plan on using volunteers to help in their care. A recipe for disaster I say.
Maine is not the enviroment for Elephants. Period.
MA-NE.net: Elephants Downeast?…
NATIONAL RETIREMENT SURVEYS WRONG: EVEN ELEPHANTS RETIRING TO MAINE…
This is really an odd thing, to bring elephants to Maine with a tax exempt corp. umbrella. Why would I support this effort to bring arthritic elephants to a cold climate? Doesn’t make sense to me, nor does the tax exempt nature of the shelter make sense. Why don’t they teach someone in alfalfa land to do the work? So sorry the group is being pulled apart in their last days. They are mammals with feelings and cares for their herd. Pretty uncaring effort.
What most people don’t know is that the elephants will live out their lives at the Hope Elephants facility, but Hope Elephants will be leasing them from the circus. Talk about not making sense!
Water Buffaloes, Elephants, what else is in Maine? Does the Animal Forest Park in York Beach still operate?
Last I knew, York Wild Kingdom was still operating. They to have an elephant. They were selling rides for $5.00 a pop.
I am saddened and disappointed that Rosie and Opal will again be stripped of the only home they have known for years to move to a cold, small barn on 1 acre of land, when it is well known that elephants need many miles to walk in a day. These 2 poor girls have arthritis because of the sedentary life they have been forced to live in the circus. Now this narcissistic vet (from the circus industry himself) wants to perform experiments on Rosie to sell his findings to the circus industry, the same industry that caused the problem in the first place. The people of Maine are uneducated and ill advised if they think this is a good idea, and, as a native of Maine, I am ashamed of them, and I am ashamed of those people who made the decision at the state and federal level to move these poor girls to any place other than a sanctuary, which is what they deserve. Rosie and Opal need support now more than ever. Shame, shame, shame, people of Maine!!
I think you need to educate yourself.
So, watchingtheboats, we, those of us who HAVE educated ourselves and KNOW that this is a bad situation for the elephants in question would like to ask YOU to educate us regarding this apparently hidden information that you have acess to.
You have said that Rosie cannot be released into a sanctuary. How so? Because the Lauritas told you so. And please, if you have anything relevant to add, besides the “good hearts” of the the Lauritas, please share. (You have heard the old saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions haven’t you?)
Personally, I cannot understand how they were able to get the permission from the state and federal government to do this. I am guessing it is because no one actually came to inspect the facility, relying on the word of the Lauritas. It is heartbreaking at the very lest and should be criminal.
The last part of this response is meant for “watchingtheboats”~
Representatives from the state and the USDA have physically visited the facility for inspections. Hope Elephants doesn’t have state approval, yet.
The only reason the elephants “cannot” be released to a sanctuary is that Carson and Barnes won’t allow it. I don’t see the Laurita’s trying to change that. The elephants would stay at the Maine facility for life, but the Lauritas would be leasing them from the circus.
I know these statements to be true because I have done my research and educated myself. I encourage others to do the same and to not just listen to what one person is telling you.
Watching the boats. You know nothing about elephants and just because you take your cat and dog to the Lauritas and are friends with them doesn’t mean you have any special insight on this issue. If you really cared about these creatures, you would be the one educating yourself. Maybe try reading some of the document that I posted on the subject matter.
I will be thinking of you when something goes terrible wrong with this situation and will be ready to post my comment under that headline.
Hard to imagine that there are people who are as selfish as this to condemn two elephants to such a small barn and not enough yard space to really exercise. The USDA is in collusion with someone to have approved this. There is no protection of the Animal Welfare Act. Your government again at work – not.
The return of Harry Goodridge and his trained harbor seal Andre .
Poor Rosie and Opal deserve better. I’m sure the Lauritas mean well but, Elephants are not cold weather animals.