Loved Elephant’s Relocation Stirs Controversy

African Elephant Jenny may be leaving her longtime home at the Dallas Zoo and relocated to a drive-through wildlife park in Mexico and the subject is generating controversy.

9,000 pound Jenny has lived in the Zoo for 22 years, but now that all her companions have died, zoo officials believe she should be transferred because "African elephants become unhappy when left alone." (Ana Ley, Associated Press) But activists consider the idea cruel, mentioning that Jenny is nervous by nature, fears cars and would be miserable in her new, strange environment. Margaret Morin, leader of a group called Concerned Citizens for Jenny, says, "We've grown up with Jenny. She's our family. She deserves better than getting sent to a drive-through tourist attraction in Mexico."

The activists all gathered in front of the zoo last weekend in protest. City Councilwoman Angela Hunt expressed her personal concern because "the Mexican facility is not subjected to annual inspections and regulations by the U.S. Department of Agriculture." She added that elephants aren't protected by the U.S. Animal Welfare Act there.

But famed zoo keeper Jack Hanna, along with the Africam Safari Park near the drive in zoo in Mexico all claim she would be well cared for. "We know she is a nervous elephant, and with protected contact, she can approach people if she wants to and we can monitor her stress levels easily," Africam owner Amy Carnacho said. The plan would involve Jenny sharing a 5-acre piece of land with a female elephant named Shanty at the new African exhibit in the park near Mexico City.

Activists still claim she would be more comfortable at the Elephant sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, which inhabits 17 elephants and is known for being "a haven for troubled ones." Jenny would share a 300-acre area with 3 other elephants.

Her current home is only one-sixth of an acre. For now Jenny will stay in Texas as Dallas zoo executives have a difficult decision to make on Jenny's behalf, as well as her many fans and say they will continue to inspect Africam's program.

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