Elephants should be phased out of zoos, Help thai elephants

Dear :

I am very upset to learn that [name of facility] will be using performing elephants.

Making animals do tricks on commend is cruel and teaches nothing about their natural behavior. Elephants in their natural habitat are very social animals. They live in small herds composed of a group of females, or cows, and their young (calves), who are led by an older, experienced cow called the matriarch. The herd works together to take care of the calves and to watch for danger. These strong social bonds often extend to members of the herd who are sick or dying. Elephants have been observed covering the body of a dead herd member with twigs and leaves and staying at the gravesite for hours. Elephants choose warm climates with heavy rainfall. To help protect themselves from the heat, elephants have large ears, with prominent veins, that they can flap to cool their blood. They must stay near water, not only for drinking, but also for bathing and cooling. In addition to mud baths, elephants also take dust baths to try to keep cool and deter insect attacks. Elephants spend about 16 hours a day roaming hundreds of miles and foraging for nearly 350 pounds of food.

When animals cannot satisfy their natural behaviors, they develop extreme stress, which manifests itself in abnormal behaviors such as constant pacing, tail biting, eating excrement, bar chewing and constant wobbling.

Wild animals do not give up their natural behaviors easily. The trainers beat them to submission to make them do all these unnatural and often dangerous acts. The training involves tight collars, electric prods, bullhooks, whips as well as water and food depravation.

In addition, performing wild animals pose a real threat to public safety, precisely because they are wild and therefore unpredictable. No amount of training or affection can eliminate this danger.

Please, for the sake of the animals and the safety of the public, implement a formal policy against the use of animal acts as promotions, and schedule only cruelty-free events.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Address - optional]

A sample Letter to an editor - Please change the wording and always make any letters polite.

Dear Editor,

We've been hearing much about elephant abuse in circuses and growing

concern that elephants do not belong in zoos.

Elephants are very social and highly intelligent animals. They travel
long distances as a herd and they require great space, constant exercise
and constant foraging. Elephant's social needs are very complex. in

the wild, They need very close social bonds and they need to socialise
with large families.

Zoos cannot provide this. They move animals from one zoo to another.
An elephants close bond with it's family is not taken into account at all.
A female elephant in the wild never leaves her mother and male elephants
have been tight social bonds. As well, zoos cannot possibly provide the
great natural space and vegetation required for constant foraging.

Elephants do not belong in zoos simply because zoos cannot emulate
their extensive natural environment or their extended social group and
this is why elephants in captivity develop many psychological and physical
problems and have a high infant mortality rate.

In short, even though it may be wonderful to see these amazing elephants
up close in a zoo, it is selfish because it is at the elephant's expense.
Simply put, it is very abusive. Elephants are not solitary creatures, and
they should roam free !

[Name]

[Address]

[phone number]