Thin Title
It’s time for Edmonton to vote for compassion
Upgrades Lucy Desperately Needs
The Edmonton Valley Zoo has claimed for years that they will upgrade Lucy's enclosure but very little has been done
For nearly decades, Lucy the elephant has been kept in conditions that fall far short of what any elephant deserves and far short of what sanctuaries around the world already provide. Alone, on hard concrete floors, with no herd, no proper pool, and no way to express her natural behaviors, Lucy has endured a life of isolation and deprivation at the Edmonton Valley Zoo. The City of Edmonton claims Lucy is well cared for. But if that were true, her enclosure would meet sanctuary-level standard sand it doesn’t. We’re calling on the City of Edmonton to do the right thing.
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If the city will not release Lucy to sanctuary, then at the very least they must invest in upgrading her enclosure based on expert recommendations. That includes a hydrotherapy pool, larger indoor and outdoor space, switching her management to protected contact (no bullhooks) to allow her more autonomy in her daily life.
A hydrotherapy pool will ease the pain of her foot and joint disease and provide her enrichment, elephants normally spend a lot of time swimming. It's extremely important for their well being.
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All experts agreed on the need for urgent improvements to Lucy’s welfare:
More space and freedom to roam indoors and outdoors.
A hydrotherapy pool was recommended in 2019 and again in 2022 to help treat her arthritis and joint disease
Proper diet and weight management
Air quality monitoring and filtration
Protected contact handling to enhance her autonomy
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​These changes are about ensuring Lucy lives in an environment that meets her basic needs and supports her health, mobility, and mental well-being.​​
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Alberta Animal Protection Act Violations
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Lucy is subjected to injurious cold weather and is forced to walk through snow and ice
during the long winter months. This violates the Alberta Animal Protection Act.
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The Act states an animal is in distress if it is:
(a) deprived of adequate shelter, ventilation, space, food, water or veterinary care or
reasonable protection from injurious heat or cold,
(b) injured, sick, in pain or suffering, or
(c) abused and subjected to undue hardship, privation or neglect.
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Did you know?
Lucy has breathing problems. , the zoo has claimed for years when pressured, that they will upgrade Lucy’s area but very little has been done. They even stall the upgrades needed to ensure the safety of the elephant and staff. It took them 3 years to replace the air filtration/HVAC system that was causing both the staff and Lucy to be breathing in contaminants as was reported by Alberta Occupational Health and Safety. OH&S also discovered that the sand in Lucy’s barn was silica sand. Silica dust is well known to cause respiratory disease.
The Edmonton Valley Zoo uses Lucy's breathing issues as the reason why they can't retire her to sanctuary, but her living conditions are likely causing these issues.
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Elephant experts have stated that Edmonton's cold, dry climate is also contributing to her breathing problem.
Upgrades have been recommended for lucy in her yearly assessments since 2018
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If the Zoo had Lucy's best interests at heart, why would they knowingly keep her in harmful conditions, conditions that caused her breathing problems in the first place?