Thin Title
It’s time for Edmonton to vote for compassion
The Heart of the Matter
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The Edmonton Valley Zoo has broken zoo industry standards. Keeping a lone elephant is a violation of the zoo industry elephant social grouping clause. The social grouping clause states that a minimum of 3 elephants must be together. This is extremely important because elephants are herd animals. Lucy is alone and suffering. The below assessments from third party veterinarians and elephant experts highlight that not only can Lucy be moved safely, but it is imperative for her health and well-being that she is relocated to sanctuary.
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The 2024 assessment showed a drastic improvement in Lucy's health thanks to the recommendations given by the experts who assessed her in 2022. She is in much better condition now to be transported. Lucy has lost 1000 lbs. and her 70 lb. uterine tumor has shrunk!
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Why Independence Matters
Independent assessments are crucial to ensure that recommendations for Lucy’s care are scientifically sound and unbiased, guiding the zoo toward genuine improvements. Over all the years Lucy has been captive at EVZ, they only allowed in zoo and circus industry vets to perform Lucy's annual assessments and not elephant experts outside of the zoo industry. In 2022, they were forced by City Council to allow in the experts recommended by Free The Wild and LEAP.​
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The Call for Independence
In 2021, Free The Wild (FTW) offered to provide and fund a team of elephant experts to examine Lucy at no cost. The goal was to gain an unbiased evaluation to inform improvements in her care and living conditions. The zoo repeatedly declined, stating that the final decision regarding Lucy’s future would remain with them.
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Although independent assessments were eventually provided, it was a difficult road getting there - and the assessments were fraught with micromanagement. Advocates fought for years to bring in industry experts to examine Lucy independently.
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In 2022 Free The Wild became the first independent provider to assess Lucy. The catch: The Zoo would decide which elephant experts would form the assessment panel. The Zoo chose Dr. Patricia London, Mr. Ingo Schmidinger and Dr. Goerttiz.
The 2022–2023 Assessments
The 2022 assessment panel, approved by the zoo, included:
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Dr. Patricia London
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Ingo Schmidinger
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Dr. Goeritz (assisted by Prof. Hildebrandt)
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Findings:
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Dr. London & Mr. Schmidinger: Lucy’s environment is inadequate — problems with space, substrate, air quality, climate, and isolation. Recommendations emphasized improvements to her living conditions.
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Dr. Goeritz & Prof. Hildebrandt: Focused on Lucy’s medical condition; advised monitoring health improvements before considering relocation.
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Process Issues:
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The assessment was tightly controlled by the zoo.
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Opinions advocating for enhanced living conditions were partially sidelined.
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Zoo retained full control over final decisions, limiting transparency.
The 2022–2023 Assessments
The 2022 assessment panel, approved by the zoo, included:
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Dr. Patricia London
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Ingo Schmidinger
-
Dr. Goeritz (assisted by Prof. Hildebrandt)
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Findings:
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Dr. London & Mr. Schmidinger both strongly recommended moving Lucy to sanctuary in a warm climate and stressed that it can be done safely with proper planning.
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Dr. Goeritz & Prof. Hildebrandt: Focused on Lucy’s medical condition; advised monitoring health improvements before considering relocation.
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Micromanagement of The Assessment:
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The assessment was tightly controlled by the zoo.
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Opinions advocating for enhanced living conditions were sidelined.
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Zoo retained full control over final decisions, limiting transparency. Whenever discussions veered towards outcomes not aligned with the zoo's narrative, Free The Wild was told that the zoo had authority over the final decision.
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Even though the zoo chose Mr. Schmidinger to participate in the assessment, they discounted Mr. Schmidinger's expertise after the assessment because his findings did not align with the zoo's narrative - Mr. Schmidinger advocated for Lucy to be released to Sanctuary.
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During Lucy's 2023 Assessment, the Edmonton zoo only invited back vets from Four Paws that said Lucy shoud remain in Edmonton. That was Frank Goertiz and Thomas Hidebrandt who specialize in reproductive medicine. They are known as the "Berlin Boys" - who are known to travel to zoos throughout the world inseminating elephants.
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The Zoo did not invite back the sanctuary experts from 2022, Dr. Trish London and Ingo Schmidinger, who said Lucy needs to be relocated to sanctuary and outlined in detail how that could safely be done.
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"Our experience has shown that whenever discussions veered towards outcomes not aligned with the zoo's narrative, we were reminded of their authority over the final decision. This "their way or the highway" stance placed Free The Wild in a position where we had to tread carefully, ensuring that our recommendations did not jeopardize our involvement in the assessment process. From the selection and briefing of "independent experts" to the constraints on what information we could share with our donors, every step was closely monitored. The underlying message was clear: overstep and the assessment process would proceed without our input."
- Free The Wild
Although 2 out of the 3 assessments recommended Lucy can be safely moved to a sanctuary, the zoo decided to go with the one assessment that recommended her to stay and monitor health improvements before considering relocation. Free The Wild agreed under the condition that Lucy's living conditions would be upgraded as soon as possible and that once Lucy's health improves, they can then start her crate training process.
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Dr. Patricia London
"It is my opinion that it is possible to move Lucy and I do believe she should be moved for her health and welfare. The above listed health issues do not prevent her from being transported to a different, more appropriate environment. I witnessed no evidence of respiratory distress during any part of our exams and/or testing or walking around the zoo with her."
Ingo Schmidinger
"Yes. She can be moved free of stress if planned properly. And yes, she's able to adapt to a new environment as well as to new caregivers. And again yes, she has all the abilities to socialize with other elephants. And as dramatic as it might sound - no, elephant caregivers are not part of the family of any elephant."