Anchorage Daily News (adn.com)
May 20, 2007

Original Article

ANCHORAGE -- Maggie the elephant roamed freely in her pen at the Alaska Zoo Saturday after zookeepers released her from a sling.

She's now wearing a tailor-made body harness in case she goes down and can't get up on her own again, said Eileen Floyd, Alaska Zoo spokeswoman. The harness, encircling her girth with cargo straps, will make it easier to winch her up.

The Alaska Zoo's lone and controversial elephant, Maggie went down on her side Sunday for as many as 19 hours and couldn't get back up. Zookeepers blame colic or stomach pain.

They think her muscles were so sore she went down again Wednesday. That incident lasted six or seven hours, Floyd said.

If elephants are down for too long, their massive weight can damage internal organs and muscles. The zoo has never weighed Maggie, but officials think she weighs about 8,000 pounds, Floyd said.

Animal rights' groups have worried over Maggie's plight, and the recent incidents renewed complaints that she's depressed in Alaska and needs to move to a warmer climate.

The sling prevented Maggie from going down but allowed her to move slightly.

The zoo asked Arctic Wire Rope and Supply to build the harness, Floyd said. Wearing it, she roamed around her pen freely Saturday, Floyd said.

She's still under 24-hour watch, and Floyd couldn't say when her next public appearance would be.

"We're just trying to make sure she's well," Floyd said.