I 
saw this Disney documentary once titled Earth (don’t judge me). It showed the long journeys elephants have to travel during the migration period some of them undertake. The particular herd being filmed went through hostile sand storms, days without water, infernal heat, and attacks from other animals. At one point one of the baby elephants is about to collapse. You see the mom trying desperately to revive her offspring. It is too late. The heat and lack of water have become too much for the baby elephant to bear. You can tell that the mom is in pain. She looks, in fact, devastated. It is just a truly heart-wrenching scene. I have always found elephants incredibly beautiful and smart. After seeing that scene, I had a new and more solemn regard for them.Thus, I was selfishly sad when I heard about the plans to take Toka, Thika and Iringa, the three elephants kept in the Toronto Zoo, to a sanctuary in California. True, I have only been to the Toronto Zoo once in my life, so it is not like I have a personal relationship with these animals. I do not even remember whether I saw them or not. However, these three creatures are a part of Toronto, they have been in the city for about three decades now. One of them, Thika, was even born here. But then, I realized that visiting the zoo has always been sort of a sorrowful experience for me. I have always left feeling sad for the animals. Always wondering if they were suffering, or in pain, or sad.
At the same time, I think of the cruel life they live in the wild: poachers, inclement weather, predators, and the effects of human activity on their environment. I can’t help but wonder whether they are better off in a zoo or in their natural habitats. The documentary Zoo Revolution (written and directed by Gemini Award winner Geoff D’Eon) poses a similar question: Are zoos part of the solution, or are they the problem? In trying to answer this question, the opinions of both supporters and critics of zoos are presented.
On the one hand, some critics maintain that the only goal of many zoos is to make money without regard for the wellbeing of their animals. Other critics maintain that the resources being used to run zoos should instead be used to preserve animals in the wild. On the other hand, supporters maintain that zoos play a critical role in the preservation of endangered species. First, it is through zoos that people connect with nature. This connection creates awareness, thus mobilizing people to be conscious about the environment. Second, some of these zoos go beyond the simple display of animals. They also implement programs geared specifically towards keeping endangered species safe and helping them breed. Indeed, some of these programs are critical given the scarcity of specimens left. Yet, one has to wonder whether these programs are futile. Indeed, the rate of reproduction among captive animals tends to be low and who knows whether captivity itself is what frustrates breeding efforts.
In the case of the Toronto Zoo elephants, there have only been three offspring. According to the website elephantsincanada.com, the zoo has had a total of ten elephants since 1983. Seven of them, including Toka and Iringa, were born in the wild, in Mozambique. Thika and two others were born in captivity, all in the Toronto Zoo. Thika, who is a female, was born in 1980. The two others, also two females called TW and Toronto, were born in 1984. However, these last two did not live a long life. TW died two days after her birth and Toronto died at age 10. I am not sure whether the Toronto Zoo has actively engaged in any breeding efforts. However, the fact that the zoo has only had one male elephant has obviously not helped the elephants increase their numbers. His name was Tantor. He died in 1989 at the age of 20.
It can be said that the decision to relocate the elephants was mainly the result of financial factors. As a member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the Toronto Zoo is required to keep a minimum of three elephants in its exhibit. This requirement rests on the fact that elephants, because of their social nature, need to be part of a herd. Toka and Iringa are older elephants who may be approaching the end of their lives. Thus, acquiring substitutes would have been an inevitable undertaking for the Toronto Zoo in order to comply with the requirements of the Association. In addition, it had become clear that the current facilities were inappropriate for optimal care of the elephants.
The idea of losing the elephants prompted outrage among some Torontonians. Plans to expand and repair the exhibit surfaced. However, the bottom line was that the zoo could not even afford to pay the regular costs of maintaining the three animals, let alone engaging in expansion and renovation projects. A motion was then put before the Toronto City Council back in 2011. It received overwhelming support for the relocation, with 32 out of 40 City councilors voting in favor.
On October 17, 2013, Toka, Thika and Iringa commenced their journey to what, some say, will be a better place for them to call home. There was some commotion at the commencement of the trip. The Toronto Star reported that the People’s Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) had agreed to let Toronto Zoo staff accompany the elephants in their journey. However, the plans were withdrawn after PAWS restricted staff from documenting the trip using pictures or video. According to the Toronto Star, Zoocheck Canada blamed zoo officials for the last-minute delay, accusing them of using the restriction as an excuse to attempt bringing the trip to an end.
This alleged secrecy around the transportation of the animals now adds to the existing concerns regarding potential risks to the wellbeing of the elephants while en route to the sanctuary. However, there is no turning back now. The only consolation is that the Toronto Zoo will supposedly remain involved in the elephants’ lives and will continue to receive reports on their acclimatization progress. For now, let’s hope that Toka, Thika and Iringa have a safe trip and that, once in California, they adapt quickly to their new habitat and make new friends. Toronto will definitely miss them but there is comfort to think that they will be in a better place.
CITLALLY MACIEL, News Editor