Packy Will Never Be Forgotten: Elephant Born in Oregon Zoo 14 April 1962 Never Got to Live as an Elephant
AbZOOlutely Not** or The Controversy of Zoos & Others Keeping Elephants in Captivity

Packy Will Never Be Forgotten: Elephant Born in Oregon Zoo 14 April 1962 Never Got to Live as an Elephant

Dear Packy: Today would have been your 61st birthday (14 April 1962).  As with all elephants born in captivity you never knew the life that you so deserved to have.        You could have experienced the freedom of roaming the massive grounds of a sanctuary at any point in your captive life (the … Continue reading »

Pocha and Guillermina, Elephant Rescue 101: Discover Which Elephant, Mother or Daughter, First Demonstrated Her Willingness to Explore Transport Container, During Crate Training, After She Was Spotted ‘Bum First’ Inside!
AbZOOlutely Not** or The Controversy of Zoos & Others Keeping Elephants in Captivity

Pocha and Guillermina, Elephant Rescue 101: Discover Which Elephant, Mother or Daughter, First Demonstrated Her Willingness to Explore Transport Container, During Crate Training, After She Was Spotted ‘Bum First’ Inside!

When in the process of an elephant rescue, crate training, or getting an elephant used to the transport container that will be their over-the-road home (for several days if traveling overland by truck), is necessary to acclimate the animal to the restricted space and unknown environment it will be placed into.     Crate training … Continue reading »

Pocha and Guillermina, Elephant Rescue 101: Watch as Mother & Daughter Zoo Elephants Demonstrate Their Intelligence When Crate Training for Their Transport to Elephant Sanctuary Brazil
AbZOOlutely Not** or The Controversy of Zoos & Others Keeping Elephants in Captivity

Pocha and Guillermina, Elephant Rescue 101: Watch as Mother & Daughter Zoo Elephants Demonstrate Their Intelligence When Crate Training for Their Transport to Elephant Sanctuary Brazil

When treated with kindness captive elephants have shown time and time again how willing they are to cooperate when humans have a task at hand to complete (for the benefit of the elephant, of course, such as for medical treatment or, in this case, getting the pachyderms used to a container that will be used to … Continue reading »

Pocha and Guillermina, Elephant Rescue 101: Watch Their Last Moments at Argentina EcoParque as Mother & Daughter Zoo Elephants Are Now Starting Their New Life at Elephant Sanctuary Brazil
AbZOOlutely Not** or The Controversy of Zoos & Others Keeping Elephants in Captivity

Pocha and Guillermina, Elephant Rescue 101: Watch Their Last Moments at Argentina EcoParque as Mother & Daughter Zoo Elephants Are Now Starting Their New Life at Elephant Sanctuary Brazil

Pocha and Guillermina Are Now Free & Excited to Be at Their Forever Home at Elephant Sanctuary Brazil Two female Asian elephants who had endured a life of captivity, the mother, acquired by EcoParque Mendoza (Argentina) in 1968, her daughter, born on those grounds (their elephant exhibit) in what can only be described as a “pit … Continue reading »

Born To Be Wild: Former Toronto Zoo Elephants, Caught on Video in a Violent Scuffle, Display the Tension Captive Elephants Are Under Every Single Day of Their Lives
AbZOOlutely Not** or The Controversy of Zoos & Others Keeping Elephants in Captivity

Born To Be Wild: Former Toronto Zoo Elephants, Caught on Video in a Violent Scuffle, Display the Tension Captive Elephants Are Under Every Single Day of Their Lives

It is not as uncommon as one would think, given that zoo elephants are randomly brought together from different locales (different countries of Africa, as in the case of the former elephants at the Toronto Zoo) and most importantly, different herds. Add to the mix captive born elephants who have never experienced even one day … Continue reading »

A Zoo Elephant’s Road to Freedom, A Look Back: Part 5: Kaavan is Finally Home
AbZOOlutely Not** or The Controversy of Zoos & Others Keeping Elephants in Captivity

A Zoo Elephant’s Road to Freedom, A Look Back: Part 5: Kaavan is Finally Home

There is no better feeling in the world than to witness the best of humanity and the rescue of a zoo elephant. Dr. Amir Khalil, kindness radiates from your soul to the soul of that elephant, our elephant Kaavan. This is Dr. Khalil’s interview with TRT World Now, as Kaavan is finally home. TRT World … Continue reading »

A Zoo Elephant’s Road to Freedom, A Look Back, Part 4: Ride Along With Kaavan as He is Transported From Airport to Sanctuary
AbZOOlutely Not** or The Controversy of Zoos & Others Keeping Elephants in Captivity

A Zoo Elephant’s Road to Freedom, A Look Back, Part 4: Ride Along With Kaavan as He is Transported From Airport to Sanctuary

Kaavan the elephant is filmed splashing himself with water as he is being transported** in his air freight container (#FreeKaavan) from the airport to his new home at Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary. We see other glimpses of our Kaavan: the tip of his elephant trunk, his elephant toes with elephant toenails, just a happy bull elephant … Continue reading »

A Zoo Elephant’s Road to Freedom, A Look Back, Part 3: What a Captive Elephant Needs – Kaavan’s Influential Friends
AbZOOlutely Not** or The Controversy of Zoos & Others Keeping Elephants in Captivity

A Zoo Elephant’s Road to Freedom, A Look Back, Part 3: What a Captive Elephant Needs – Kaavan’s Influential Friends

Human compassion for a captive elephant. It just all makes sense. Possibilities are endless when kind humans intervene. Islamabad Wildlife Management Board Chairman Dr. Anis Ur Rahman:  “…You see, uh, what you have to realize is that elephants belong, like I just mentioned, they belong to their own environment, okay, they are not subservient to … Continue reading »

A Zoo Elephant’s Road to Freedom, A Look Back, Part 2: Ele Facts; Kaavan & Saheli, At Least They Had Each Other For a Little While
AbZOOlutely Not** or The Controversy of Zoos & Others Keeping Elephants in Captivity

A Zoo Elephant’s Road to Freedom, A Look Back, Part 2: Ele Facts; Kaavan & Saheli, At Least They Had Each Other For a Little While

The male elephant was able to tolerate his time in captivity as long as he had his female companion, Saheli. But suddenly one day Saheli died and Kaavan was never the same again. They had spent 22 years together in the Islamabad Zoo and at that age elephants are in the prime of their lives. … Continue reading »

A Zoo Elephant’s Road to Freedom, A Look Back, Part 1: Animated Video Brings Kaavan the Elephant’s Story to Life in a Beautiful Way
AbZOOlutely Not** or The Controversy of Zoos & Others Keeping Elephants in Captivity

A Zoo Elephant’s Road to Freedom, A Look Back, Part 1: Animated Video Brings Kaavan the Elephant’s Story to Life in a Beautiful Way

From the trauma of being captured from the wild (as his mama lay dying) to the years he spent suffering in the Islamabad zoo, our elephant Kaavan endured a life of both physical and emotional pain. Kaavan’s rescue & release to a sanctuary was the greatest gift humans could give to this elephant. It was … Continue reading »