-.. "'/r. - ~ .ct~ January 21, 2009 Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee c/o City Clerk 200 S. Spring Street St., Room 303 Los Angeles, CA 90012-413 7 Attention: Erika Pulst, Legislative Coordinator "Nurturing wildlife and enriching RE: STATUS OF ELEPHANT EXHIBITS IN THE UNITED STATES RELATIVE the human TO MOTION (CARDENAS-ROSENDAHL-ALARCON C.F. 08-2850) experience Los Angeles Zoo This report was prepared in response to the City Council's action on December 3, 2008, 5333 Zoo Drive which referred various issues contained in the Motion (Cardenas-Rosendahl-Alarcon) Los Angeles California 90027 relative to the Pachyderm Forest project at the Los Angeles Zoo back to the Arts, Parks, 323/644-4200 Health, and Aging Committee. This report specifically addresses "the status of elephant Fax 323/662-9786 http://www.lazoo.org exhibits that have closed and currently do house elephants on the zoos premise throughout the United States". Antonio R. Villaraigosa Mayor The Motion specifically lists 12 cities that have closed their elephant exhibits and six Tom LaBonge zoos that plan on closing or phasing out their exhibits. However, in order to put this Council Member information into the correct context, particularly as it relates to "joining these 4'h District progressive cities and permanently close the exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo", the City Zoo Commissioners Council should also be informed on all Association of Zoos and Aquarium (AZA) zoos Shelby Kaplan Sloan in the United States that currently exhibit elephants and the commitment to their President programs now and into the future. Karen B. Winnick Vice President CLOSED/PHASING OUT ELEPHANT EXHIBITS Elaine Baylor There have been 12 zoos is the U.S. that have closed their elephant exhibits for a variety of reasons dating back to 1991. These facilities are comprised of three non-AZA­ Kimberly Marteau accredited zoos and nine AZA-accredited zoos. There are another six AZA-zoos Bernardo Silva planning to close or phase-out their elephant programs at some future undetermined time. Richard Lichtenstein ex officio member The above-referenced zoos have made the decision to either close, or phase-out their elephant exhibits, but most made the decision, not for ethical reasons, but because of John R. Lewis financial constraints and physical space requirements. This should not be misinterpreted Zoo Director as a lack of commitment to elephants. Some zoos cannot make the commitment to the effort to save the species, so these zoos are choosing to work with other endangered species instead. In fact, some of these institutions sent letters factually explaining the basis for their decision to the City Council, and stated their support for the Zoo's Pachyderm Forest project (see attached). Further, the six zoos that have stated their intent to phase-out their elephant program have a combi~ed total of 13 elephants and are committed to them now, and until sl1c11.time a~·jhey reacli the end of their lifespan. The chart on the next page provides general information about the above-referenced 18 zoos. An Equal Employment Opportunity ARTS, PARKS, HEALTH.:~ AGING Affirmative Action Accredited by the Association Accredited by the American Member of the California Employer of Zoos and Aquariums Association of Ml]seums Association of Zoos and Aquariums tJAN 2 6 2009 '1 .. _) AZA Zoo Annual Exhibit Zoo City Accredited Acreage Attendance Elephants 1. Alaska Zoo Anchorage, AK N 25 acres N 2. Abilene Zoo Abilene, TX y 13 acres 121,672 N 3. Gladys Porter Zoo Brownsville, TX y 35 acres 358,151 N 4. Lincoln Park Zoo Chicago, IL y 35 acres 3,000,0001 N 5. Detroit Zoo Detroit, MI y 125 acres 1,090,544 N 6. San Francisco Zoo San Francisco, CA y 100 acres 1,093,099 N 7. Chehaw Wild Animal Park Albany, GA y 120 acres 119,434 N 8. Henry Vilas Zoo Madison, WI y 30 acres 601,250- N 9. Louisiana Purchase Gardens & Zoo Monroe, LA N 80 acres 100,000 N 10. Mesker Park Zoo Evansville, IN y 50 acres 140,019 N 11. Frank Buck Zoo Gainesville, TX N 40 acres 55,000 N 12. Sacramento Zoo Sacramento, CA y 15 acres 538,000 N .. .. .· ·•. .. ·.. .. · ·.. 1.•.·.······.···· BronxZoo (· · ..... Bronx, NY y 265 acres 1,926,594 y 2. Buttonwood Park Zoo New Bedford, MA y 12 acres 215,000 y 3. Central Florida Zoo Sanford, FL y 26 acres 255,378 y 4. Lion Country Safari Loxahatchee, FL y 330 acres 489,231 y 5. Philadelphia Zoo Philadelphia, P A y 42 acres 1,130,300 y 6. Santa Barbara Zoo Santa Barbara, CA y 24 acres 478,917 y TREND OF ELEPHANT EXHIBITS AT AZA-ACCREDITED ZOO So, while there are nine AZA-zoos that have closed their elephant programs over more than the last ten years, there are currently 74 AZA-zoos that currently exhibit Asian and/or African elephants, including the six zoos that are planning to phase out their program (see attached chart). Further, nine have OP,ened brand new exhibits in the last ten years, six have recently expanded their exhibits, 18 are planning to expand their exhibits, four are planning brand new exhibits and two more will open new exhibits within the next year. These exhibits are being funded through fundraising efforts, voter-approved bond measures and government monies. The commitment to elephants now and into the future is greater than it ever has been, not only to programs at zoos (in-situ), but to conservation efforts in the wild (ex-situ) in both Africa and Asia. IMPORTANCE OF ELEPHANT EXHIBITS Zoos and aquariums are woven into the fabric of American life - 175 million people visit accredited zoos and aquariums each year - more than half the U.S. population. Zoos teach children about the natural world. In the last 10 years, AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums formally trained more that 400,000 teachers, supporting science curricula with effective teaching materials and hands-on opportunities for children to connect with wildlife. Every year, school field trips at zoos and aquariums connect more than 15 million students with the natural world. 1 Admission is free for all visitors. 2 Admission is free for all visitors. \ Elephants in AZA-accredited zoos help make emotional connections with visitors and change behaviors that positively impact elephants and other wildlife conservation. The following are the results of a Harris Interactive poll conducted by the AZA in 2005: • 95% of poll participants felt that seeing elephants in real life helps people appreciate them more and encourages people to learn more about them. • 86% of poll participants felt that visiting a zoo or aquarium encourages people to donate money or time to conservation programs that help protect animals. • The majority of Americans (65%) indicate concern for the protection of elephants. • 93% of poll participants agreed that their families enjoy going to zoos or other places where they can see living animals close-up. • Over one-half (56%) of frequent zoo visitors say they have made a monetary contribution to support zoos. In addition, the Zoo embarked upon a Visitor Survey, conducted by Morey Group, to identify visitor characteristics and visitor attitudes regarding the Los Angeles Zoo. Beginning January 2006, through August 2006, Morey Group surveyed 1,222 Zoo visitors. The survey was conducted in both English and Spanish, and on weekends and weekdays. The survey specifically asked the question "Would you like to see a new elephant exhibit at the Zoo?" and 1,205 visitors responded to this question. Of those respondents, 1,093, or 90.7% of Zoo visitors answered yes. This overwhelming support further demonstrates that our visitors support a new elephant exhibit. The chart below shows the demographic of the response: L.A. County Absolute Break% First Visit Children in Party Member Base Residents Respondents Yes No Yes No Yes No Yes No Base 1205 343 860 987 218 180 1014 995 207 1093 303 788 914 179 177 908 909 181 New Yes 90.7% 88.4% 91.6% 92.6% 81.7% 98.3% 89.5% 91.4% 87.4% Elephant 112 40 72 73 39 3 106 86 26 Exhibit No 9.3% 11.6% 8.4% 7.4% 17.8% 7.7% 10.5% 8.6% 12.6% Elephants once roamed the forests and savannas of Asia and Africa in sizeable herds, but today their numbers have drastically diminished. Threatened by habitat loss, the illegal ivory trade, and encroachment of human populations into wildlife areas, Asian elephants are especially imperiled, with fewer than 35,000 remaining. The Pachyderm Forest will connect the Zoo's 1.6 million visitors with these critically endangered elephants, inspiring them to protect and conserve them now and into the future. Respectfully submitted, ~?- Jolin R. Lewis, Di ·ector Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens Attachments AZA ACCREDITED ZOOS Attachment COMMITTED TO ELEPHANT PROGRAMS Developed Annual Elephant I Name of Zoo Location Acres Attendance Species Notes 1. Albuquerque Biolor.:~ical Park Albuquerque, NM 64 1,088,399 Asian 2. Audubon Zoo New Orleans, LA 58 628,686 Asian Does not currently house elephants, opening 3. Birmingham Zoo Birmingham, AL 48 515,028 African new exhibit for a herd of African elephants 4. BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo Baton Rouge, LA 147 261,407 Asian Planninr.:~ expansion to current exhibit. 5. BronxZoo Bronx, NY 265 1 926 954 Asian Phasing out of their collection. 6. Buffalo Zoological Gardens Buffalo, NY 24 412,369 Asian Recently expanded their habitat. 7. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Tampa, FL 350 N/A Asian Recently expanded their habitat. 8. Buttonwood Park Zoo New Bedford, MA 12 215,000 Asian Phasing out of their collection.