But some Dallas residents say the zoo’s arguments do not hold up. The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, has 120 hectares just for African elephants, and Jenny, who is 32, would be the fourth to arrive, said the founder, Carol Buckley. No one except the staff visits the animals, who range freely.
“Why would we want her last years to be in a drive-through zoo in Mexico when she could have 300 acres [120 hectares] in the lush Tennessee countryside?” said Councilwoman Angela Hunt, who has visited both destinations.
Experts in the field say zoo directors are cliquish and tend to move animals to other zoos in their association rather than considering the benefits of a sanctuary, which many zoo officials see as part of an anti-zoo movement. The association can also make or break a zoo director’s career
“If we stripped everything away and say what is in the best interest of Jenny, the sanctuary would win hands down,” said Les Schobert, a retired curator of animals at the Los Angeles Zoo. “But then you have to add in all the politics.”
Amy Camacho, an owner and a general director of Africam, said the transfer seemed to make sense before the public outcry. The Mexican park, which was recently accredited, was seeking African elephants to strengthen its collection, and the Dallas Zoo had a troubled elephant. There also were personal ties between officials at the two zoos.
Mike Keele, a curator at the Oregon Zoo who is also chairman of the zoo association’s elephant “species survival program,” signed off on the deal. “I like keeping these elephants within the AZA where they meet our standards,” Keele said. “Space is just a catchphrase. It’s what you do with that space.”
Nonsense, say animal rights advocates. No zoo or drive-through safari park can match the peace of the Tennessee countryside.
On a recent sunny afternoon, Jenny stripped branches tossed to her by one of her keepers, Gavin Eastep, who said that Jenny’s mental health had improved in recent years.
“Most of the time she’s pretty calm, pretty relaxed,” Eastep said.
On a bench facing the steel-cable enclosure, David and Heidi McGuire sat with their two children and marveled at Jenny’s size and the graceful swing of her slow gate. “I would rather her stay in the United States,” Heidi McGuire said. “You just never know what’s going to happen to them down in Mexico.”
Her husband, a grocer, said: “I hope they are going to get someone to replace her. I just cannot imagine a zoo without an elephant. Just sit here and watch them. They are magnificent creatures.”
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