This morning, In Defense of Animals (IDA) held a press conference at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom to issue a report on the state of the elephants at the North Bay amusement park.
Citing medical records and eyewitness testimony, we revealed evidence that the elephants are victims of abusive treatment and are suffering from ailments related to the inadequate, stressful, and barren conditions at the park. At the press conference, IDA President Dr. Elliot M. Katz issued an urgent plea to the City of Vallejo to send the elephants at Six Flags to a sanctuary. IDA called for an immediate end to shows that exacerbate the elephants' physical ailments.
IDA's request comes before the pending sale of the City's interest in Six Flags Discovery Kingdom to the park. The sale would include four elephants "owned" by the City of Vallejo.
"The city of Vallejo has made millions of dollars from this park and these elephants," writes Dr. Katz in a letter delivered to the Mayor this morning. "Instead of selling them like furniture, the City must take immediate responsibility for their well-being by sending the elephants to a sanctuary where they can live the rest of their lives in peace."
Conditions at Six Flags are among the worst of any zoo in the country. In addition to outdated facilities and circus-style training methods that rely on force and physical punishment, the park uses elephants in rides and circus-like shows, practices many zoos have abandoned due to humane and public safety concerns.
What You Can Do:
Please contact Six Flags and tell them to focus on rides and send the elephants to a sanctuary! Urge them to start by immediately ceasing to use elephants in the tug-of-war and log stacking performances.
Daniel M. Snyder, Six Flags Chairman Washington Redskins
21300 Redskins Park Dr. Ashburn, VA 20147 Fax: (703) 726-7124
Mark Shapiro, Six Flags President & CEO
1540 Broadway, 15th Floor New York, NY 10036 Tel: (212) 652-9403 Fax: (212) 354-3089 Email: mshapiro@sftp.com
"Take Action" to let the City of Vallejo (which "owns" most of the elephants) know how you feel:
Mayor Anthony Intintoli
555 Santa Clara Street Vallejo, California 94590 Tel: (707) 648-4377 Fax: (707) 642-4687 Email: mayor@ci.vallejo.ca.us
Tell friends and family to take action on this important issue.
For more information, please visit
http://www.helpelephants.com.
