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A bittersweet goodbye
CITLALLY MACIEL
News Editor
I saw this Disney documentary once titled
Earth (don’t judge me). It showed the long
journeys elephants have to travel during the
migration period some of them undertake. The
particular herd being filmed went through hostile sand storms, days without water, infernal
heat, and attacks from other animals. At one
point one of the baby elephants is about to collapse. You see the mom trying desperately to
revive her offspring. It is too late. The
heat and lack of water have become too
much for the baby elephant to bear. You
can tell that the mom is in pain. She
looks, in fact, devastated. It is just a truly
heart-wrenching scene. I have always
found elephants incredibly beautiful and
smart. After seeing that scene, I had a
new and more solemn regard for them.
First, it is through zoos that people connect
with nature. This connection creates awareness,
thus mobilizing people to be conscious about
the environment. Second, some of these zoos
go beyond the simple display of animals. They
also implement programs geared specifically
towards keeping endangered species safe and
helping them breed. Indeed, some of these programs are critical given the scarcity of speci-
Thus, I was selfishly sad when I heard
about the plans to take Toka, Thika and
Iringa, the three elephants kept in the
Toronto Zoo, to a sanctuary in California. True, I have only been to the Toronto
Zoo once in my life, so it is not like I have
TOKA, THIKA, AND IRINGA HAVE MOVED TO
a personal relationship with these aniCALIFORNIA.
mals. I do not even remember whether I
saw them or not. However, these three creatures
mens left. Yet, one has to wonder whether these
are a part of Toronto, they have been in the
programs are futile. Indeed, the rate of reprocity for about three decades now. One of them,
duction among captive animals tends to be low
Thika, was even born here. But then, I realized
and who knows whether captivity itself is what
that visiting the zoo has always been sort of a
frustrates breeding efforts.
sorrowful experience for me. I have always left
feeling sad for the animals. Always wondering
In the case of the Toronto Zoo elephants, there
if they were suffering, or in pain, or sad.
have only been three offspring. According to
the website elephantsincanada.com, the zoo has
At the same time, I think of the cruel life they had a total of ten elephants since 1983. Seven of
live in the wild: poachers, inclement weather,
them, including Toka and Iringa, were born in
predators, and the effects of human activity
the wild, in Mozambique. Thika and two others
on their environment. I can’t help but wonder
were born in captivity, all in the Toronto Zoo.
whether they are better off in a zoo or in their
Thika, who is a female, was born in 1980. The
natural habitats. The documentary Zoo Revo- two others, also two females called TW and
lution (written and directed by Gemini Award
Toronto, were born in 1984. However, these last
winner Geoff D'Eon) poses a similar question:
two did not live a long life. TW died two days
Are zoos part of the solution, or are they the
after her birth and Toronto died at age 10. I am
problem? In trying to answer this question, the
not sure whether the Toronto Zoo has actively
opinions of both supporters and critics of zoos engaged in any breeding efforts. However, the
are presented.
fact that the zoo has only had one male elephant
has obviously not helped the elephants increase
On the one hand, some critics maintain that the their numbers. His name was Tantor. He died in
only goal of many zoos is to make money with- 1989 at the age of 20.
out regard for the wellbeing of their animals.
Other critics maintain that the resources being
It can be said that the decision to relocate the
used to run zoos should instead be used to pre- elephants was mainly the result of financial facserve animals in the wild. On the other hand,
tors. As a member of the Association of Zoos
supporters maintain that zoos play a critical
and Aquariums, the Toronto Zoo is required
role in the preservation of endangered species.
the obiter dicta
to keep a minimum of three elephants in its
exhibit. This requirement rests on the fact
that elephants, because of their social nature,
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