Snowbound

A Winter Perspective

Snowbound
A far cry from the African Bush, Alaska's frigid winters confine Maggie to her concrete elephant house for five months of the year. Unfortunately, Maggie is promoted as a high profile animal in summer and pretty much warehoused in winter. Guidelines recommend elephants should not remain outdoors in temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4.4 degrees Celsius). Whether inside or out, Maggie needs sufficient browse, grass and other feed to permit her approximately 12 hours of foraging each day. In the wild, elephants walk great distances and forage up to 20 hours a day.

An elephant's feet are not made for the snow
Wild elephants have natural grooves on the soles of their feet to aid in traction. Due to captive conditions, elephants must have these grooves filed smooth for practical and hygienic reasons. Unfortunately for Maggie, smoothed down foot pads leaves her vulnerable to slipping on slick surfaces like icy snow. Her sheer weight would compound injuries sustained from a bad fracture or hip dislocation. Such an injury would tragically be fatal for an elephant.

Tusk rubbing

Deprived of what it means to be an elephant
Maggie's impoverished environment leaves her little outlet for natural behavior. Bored and lethargic she exhibits stereotypic behaviors including rubbing her tusks to nubs, chest pulling with her trunk, tapping the iron bars with tusks or trunk. She also stands more or less inactive for unnaturally long periods of time. Boredom, a passive stress, is considered a serious form of suffering.

Near or far, Maggie has no one to talk to
African elephants have perfected the art of calling long-distance using infrasound. They make most of these calls--which are below human hearing range--throughout the night, when it is cooler and sound travels farthest. Under optimum atmospheric conditions, calls can be heard over 110 sq. miles. Field studies tell us female elephants are big talkers and stay in constant communication day and night. Link to National Geographic.

Solitary confinement

Solitary confinement
The long dark winters deprive Maggie of natural sunlight and fresh air. She suffers from dry itchy skin and most probably lack of Vitamin D. She is now under-weight and routinely rests her bulk against the concrete wall or iron bars. Maggie has stood on unheated concrete for 20 years and has never had a soft warm area on which to lie down and sleep. Field studies have shown elephants in the wild lie down at night and sleep soundly for three or so hours.

American Zoological & Aquarium Association guidelines recommend
that a facility hold no less than three female elephants.

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