Jenny the elephant will remain a Dallasite

djphillips says:

the proposal to keep Jenny in Dallas is ill conceived: (1) 4 acres is woefully inadequate space for 2 or more elephants, per the elephant experts that have contacted city officials (2) expedited construction is an oxymoron & adds significantly to construction costs (3) at 8.20.08 city council meeting, zoo director Hudson's time line for completion of the new elephant exhibit was 15 to 18 mos (4) Park & Rec Director (zoo director's boss) Paul Dyer's timeline is quoted at 18 - 20 mos (5) the zoo's budget has been cut significantly for the last 3 years & the city manager is considering a proposal to close the zoo one day/week & raise all admission fees (6) elephants are enormously expensive to maintain (7) Jenny's medical records indicate she is reactive to noise, so I wonder how she will respond to the disturbances of construction while adjusting to a new companion in her less than one-third acre habitat?

it is a no-brainer to transfer Jenny ~ at no cost to the city ~ in a specially designed trailer, to The Elephant Sanctuary in TN. Jenny is a thinking, feeling being ~ not a commodity.

Scott says:

So then, djphillips, once Jenny is shipped off to Tennessee, you would have no objection with replacing her with a couple of new African elephants, once construction is complete? Or is your preference that the Dallas Zoo not have elephants at all?

zainypagan says:

Scott some animals should not be kept in zoos, they are not stuffed animals but living breathing beings that have needs that if we cannot meet them then no they shouldnt be in zoos.

jtmbls says:

I agree with zainypagen (words I never expected to say in my lifetime :-)) but the key is if you don't have the appropriate facilities to meet the needs of the animal, you don't deserve to have it. The Dallas Zoo has been sub-par for so many years. How much longer do we continue to accept this?

Scott says:

I agree that, in general, we shouldn't keep animals if we can't meet their needs. But I imagine we'd disagree on what constitute the "needs" of an elephant. If the elephant is alive and reasonably healthy, its needs are being met sufficiently, in my book.

jtmbls says:

Gosh, I'm glad I'm not your elephant Scott!

ch0 says:

Zoos are creepy and twisted. We humans deserve what we get.

Scott says:

I don't anthropomorphize elephants, jtmbls. And I don't consider individual elephants to be of particular importance compared to the species. Even if zoo life were bad for an individual elephant, that's a small price to pay for the conservation goals that zoos advance (both directly and indirectly).

jtmbls says:

It's one thing to anthrowhatever, but another thing entirely to accept that it is a thinking, feeling creature. I'm not suggesting you invite her over for dinner and have a philosophical conversation with her. She's an elephant. And I am no extremist so, please don't mistake me. Surely you can empathize without mistaking her as your peer.