From Wayne Jackson:
G’day All,
In case you haven’t seen the following link, it is well worth checking out and please sign the petition! I am very close to sending Mayor Ford and every one of his Councillors a personal e-mail and once it has been sent I plan to resend it to all major TV and Newspapers in Toronto!
I will keep everyone informed of how things are going with my effort!
Happy Days
Wayne
Hi Wayne,
I take it you saw the link I posted an hour or so ago?
Best Wishes,
Peter
G’day All,
If any of you are interested in helping the Toronto Zoo Elephant Keepers in their fight to either keep their girls in their home zoo or to send them to an A.Z.A. Accredited Zoo, I have a list, thanks to the City of Toronto and Toronto Zoo web sites of all the Toronto City Councillors, as well as which ones are on the Toronto Zoo Board of Management. Politicians are needed to run a City, but when it comes to such things as Zoo animals, it should be the professional’s at that particular institution that makes the decision on a particular animal, not someone who really knows nothing about the species or particular animal. It shouldn’t be their responsibility, there are far more important decisions they need to deal with to run the city! By giving in to these individuals, they might as well give them the keys to the zoo and let they do as they want with all the species! They don’t want Elephants in any Zoo, just in their “SPECIAL SANCTUARIES”, where very few people are allowed to visit, but they can be viewed, “that is what is allowed to be viewed” on the internet! What next, Rhinos, Gorillas, Tigers, Brazilian Giant cockroaches?
Since staff at the zoo have a media gag order, I thought I would raise a little hell and any and all help would be appreciated! Being retired from the Toronto Zoo, they can’t order me around and try to stop me from talking to media or the councillors, the only one who can do that is Elaine!
What Zoo will they trash next!!??
Wayne
THE CITY OF TORONTO MAYOR AND COUNCILLORS
Board of Management of the Toronto Zoo Mr. Joe Torzsok, Chair
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Zoo keepers fuming over vote sending elephants to sanctuary
October 26, 2011 00:10:00
Donovan Vincent Staff Reporter
The Toronto Zoo’s elephant keepers are up in arms over a late-night city council vote to send the animals to a sanctuary rather than an accredited facility.
“No offence to any city (councillors) that made the decision, but they’re quite honestly not qualified to make a decision on what’s best for these elephants,’’ an angry Vernon Presley, one of seven elephant keepers at the zoo, told the Star last night.
Council voted 31-4 late Tuesday to send the zoo’s three remaining elephants — Toka, Thika and Iringa — to the sprawling Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary in San Andreas, Calif., rather than a zoo accredited with the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
The zoo’s board of management voted in the spring to close the elephant exhibit for cost reasons, and the board’s first choice was an AZA facility.
In the meantime, animal rights advocates, led by former Price is Right host Bob Barker, launched an aggressive campaign to have the trio packed off to PAWS. Barker has offered to put up some of his own money toward the $100,000 to $300,000 cost to move them south.
Behind the scenes, zoo officials, staff and animal rights interests have been debating the merits of the sanctuary. Proponents say PAWS and others like it provide warmer climates and huge swaths for elephants to roam. But critics say sanctuaries have lower standards of care and don’t operate transparently.
Last week, a zoo official said talks were going well with an AZA facility in the U.S., a destination favoured by the elephant keepers. That’s now been scuttled by council’s decision.
Presley, who hasn’t been to the PAWS sanctuary, said AZA standards require regular routines with elephants, including drawing blood, trunk inspections and daily exercise such as strength and flexibility training, elephant “yoga’’ and cardio work.
PAWS co-founder and co-director Pat Derby said Wednesday she’s “surprised and excited’’ Toronto’s elephants are coming to her facility, which offers 30 hectares for African elephants, 20 hectares for Asian elephants and a barn with heated floors. They also have a Jacuzzi pool for arthritic elephants.
The sanctuary currently has nine elephants.
“We have the space and one of the best elephant facilities in this country, probably the world,’’ Derby said.
The zoo will now focus on ensuring its three elderly elephants survive their journey to the California sanctuary, said board chair Joe Torzsok.
“The elephants are the property of the city. As a subsidiary corporation, we have our direction,” he said.
“From what I’ve seen with the (PAWS) sanctuary, I think they offer great care to the animals. I think the biggest challenge of all of this becomes how do we move them safely.”
City councillor and zoo board member Raymond Cho, who has long pushed for the animals to be sent to a sanctuary, plans to visit PAWS in a week or so.
“I’m really excited they’re going there,’’ he said.
Council voted 31-4 to relocate the elephants after Councillor Michelle Berardinetti, who isn’t a zoo board member, made a passionate plea for the move to a sanctuary.
But Peter Evans, a former zoo board member for 12 years, called council’s decision a “slap in the face’’ to the current board and zoo staff.
“The arrogance and lack of respect shown and the disregard for the process, is appalling,’’ Evans said.
With files from David Rider
How to move an elephant
Paperwork: Both sides must secure permits because the animals are crossing the U.S. border. The PAWS sanctuary in San Andreas, Calif., must obtain an import permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which takes a minimum of about 90 days. The Toronto Zoo will apply for a Canadian export permit after the American one is in place. The Canadian permit takes a minimum 30 days.
Training: Given the zoo voted in the spring to close the elephant exhibit, the training has already started. It entails getting a 3,500 kilo animal used to the idea of walking into special crates for transport, and being restrained while they’re moving.
“We don’t know how they’re going to react. We don’t force the elephant . . . the elephant has to be trained to be motivated to go in on its own,’’ said Toronto Zoo CEO John Tracogna.
Transportation: They’ll be lifted by crane and placed on a flatbed truck for a lengthy drive to California. Or they may fly on a cargo plane.
Tracogna said there are a “lot of unknowns’’ at play in moving the animals and a lot of risk.
When does a Zookeeper become a "Rogue"? (Good on you Vernon!!) It would seem that it is when they have more sense than a Toronto City councillor and a lot more sense than Julie Woodyer. The idea that the elephant move should be even contemplated without Toronto Zookeeper involvement is absolutely insane. The decision for this move should be reversed. If the move has to take place then let it be somewhere that is AZA approved. Okay "Zoo management has ordered trainers not to talk to reporters since one told the Star that councillors, after they voted for the sanctuary option, are “not qualified to make a decision on what’s best for these elephants.”" It's true the councillors are NOT qualified. You know they are NOT qualified. I know they are NOT qualified...so how can they make such a decision? It is all ignorance and pandering to the Animal Rights Activists.
Rogue zoo keepers fight move of Toronto’s elephants to California sanctuary
War has erupted between Toronto Zoo elephant keepers and the animal rights group helping to co-ordinate a move of three aging elephants to a California sanctuary.
Zoocheck Canada’s Julie Woodyer told the Star she has rescinded an offer to pay for one of the dozen keepers to fly to the PAWS sanctuary this weekend with her and two councillors, Michelle Berardinetti and Raymond Cho.
She is also considering shutting the keepers out of training the pachyderms for the risky trip — a move the keepers say would be foolish and potentially dangerous for the animals they know better than anyone.
Woodyer said last week a trainer would be welcome on the trip, which follows council’s vote to override a zoo board decision to first look for an accredited zoo as a new home for Iringa, 42; Toka, 41; and Thika, 31.
That changed, she said, last Friday when one of the keepers started calling councillors directly, urging them to hold another vote and reverse the decision to send the animals to the 80-acre PAWS sanctuary in San Andreas.
“That’s insubordination — city staff can’t go above their managers’ head and do those kinds of things,” Woodyer said. “They were trying to sabotage the process. We’re happy to work with them but need them to be straight up and upfront with us.”
Zoo chief executive John Tracogna has said keepers have already started early training for the elephants, which have lived in their enclosure for decades, to prepare them to move by truck or plane.
But Woodyer suggested PAWS, and the company it uses to manage elephant transport, should take over if zoo staff continue to fight the move.
“If it becomes clear they’re not coming to this in good faith, then we’ll have to bring in trainers and it will be difficult to include (zoo staff) in the process.”
Zoo management has ordered trainers not to talk to reporters since one told the Star that councillors, after they voted for the sanctuary option, are “not qualified to make a decision on what’s best for these elephants.”
Their union representative, CUPE Local 1600’s Grant Ankenman, said the keepers are emotional and upset the zoo wasn’t allowed to continue talks
Wayne, I'm sorry but all of the list of Councillors would not fit. I tried but it was a no go. At least I included an old photo of a Toronto elephant keeper and his charges. Good luck mate, it is going to be tough.
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