The City’s decision to turn its back on Woodland Park Zoo’s elephants, Bamboo and Chai, and let the zoo send them to another zoo instead of a sanctuary, is just another abrogation of its oversight responsibilities. City officials reminded the zoo in a recent letter that the City had the authority under the Operating Agreement to set disposition policies for the zoo’s animals. They urged the zoo to send the elephants to a sanctuary to improve their quality of life rather than another zoo where the same damaging confinement would prevail.

Unfortunately, when the zoo blew the City off and announced the elephants’ transfer to Oklahoma City Zoo, the City failed to step up to the next level of leadership and order the zoo to transfer them to a sanctuary.

The City was provided with copious, science-based evidence showing zoo placement was clearly inappropriate for Bamboo and Chai. But all the facts and science in the world can’t compensate for lack of moral courage and leadership in city officials.

If the City allows the zoo to transfer the elephants to Oklahoma when they have the power to stop it, the public may never forgive them. Voters may very well show their displeasure at re-election time -- while Bamboo and Chai continue to languish, decline and die in a strange city when they could have enjoyed the rest of their lives in a spacious sanctuary.

-Nancy Farnam