They didn't want to hurt the little pincushion - just give her some incentive. But Tinkerbell died of starvation, and her death has become part of a dispute over the care of animals at the 125-acre exhibition.

The furor prompted the Arizona Zoological Society to commission a review by independent experts, whose report is due this month. It also has brought an investigation by Agriculture Department inspectors who enforce the nation's Animal Welfare Act. But the Phoenix Zoo is hardly alone in its turmoil: During the past three years, wildlife menageries and aquariums across the nation have come under fire after a series of animal deaths and claims of neglect and mismanagement. Investigations have stretched from the historic National Zoo in Washington, D.C., to zoos in other cities including Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit, Topeka and Toledo, Ohio.

The controversy is sparking heated arguments between animal rights activists and zoo defenders. "Zoos should be for animals. Unfortunately, most of the time they're for people," says Richard Farinato, director of captive wildlife programs for the Humane Society of the United States.

"This is probably just the tip of the iceberg because this is a very poorly regulated industry," says Debbie Leahy director of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

But Jane Ballentine, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit American Zoo and Aquarium Association says that wildlife parks are being victimized by "animal rights extremists" and "sensationalist media" although zoos are cleaner, safer and more humane than ever.

An estimated 134 million people visit the nation's zoos and aquariums every year, more than professional football, baseball and basketball combined, the AZA says. The 211 zoos and aquariums accredited by AZA care for about 800,000 animals.

Zoo animals as celebrities

There are few national statistics about the care of zoo animals. The Agriculture Department inspects all licensed wildlife exhibits annually but doesn't tally complaints or violations, spokesman Darby Holladay says.

Jeffrey Hyson, a historian at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia who is writing a book on American zoo culture, says evolving social values have collided in zoos.

Animal rights activists are more aggressive. Media scrutiny has intensified. Modern zoos, trying to capture public imagination and dollars, cultivate a "Garden-of-Paradise" image that promotes animals as lovable stars - what Hyson calls "charismatic megafauna."

Ruby, the Phoenix Zoo's artistic elephant, was a typical example. The zoo promoted its paintbrush-wielding pachyderm, and she gained worldwide celebrity before her death in 1998. Seven years later, the zoo still runs a website dedicated to Ruby's memory.

Denny Lewis, who directs zoo accreditations for AZA, says animals' deaths are a law of nature in the wild or captivity - and should not be a cause for finger-pointing.

"Animals die," Lewis says. "Most of the time, it's because of old age or sickness, just like with human beings."

Zoos in recent years have seen fatalities among elephants, lions, tigers, bears and other animals:

- Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo became a target of protests after the deaths of two gorillas, a camel, three elephants and three endangered langur monkeys. State prosecutors announced a criminal inquiry. Federal inspectors and the AZA launched reviews. Zoo spokeswoman Kelly McGrath says "there was absolutely no error" in the animal deaths.

- Two red pandas at the National Zoo died in 2003 after eating rat poison. Two zebras succumbed to hypothermia and starvation. Animal enclosures were infested with rats. A lion died after being anesthetized. Congress commissioned a study by the National Academy of Sciences. Operations were overhauled. The zoo's director was forced out.

- Captive elephants have perished at such a rate in the past decade that some zoos have surrendered them to wildlife sanctuaries.

"There are lots of questions coming now ... about what are we doing with these animals and why do we do it. (We've) had 200 years of keeping elephants in captivity in the USA and we still aren't doing a good job," Farinato says.

Elephants a concern

According to the AZA, 40 of the 77 zoos that have elephants plan to expand their facilities for them in the next five years. But several zoos have stopped exhibiting elephants because the climate is colder than their natural habitat or because they're too old to care for.

Zoos have evolved since the first wild animals were captured for show nearly 5,000 years ago. Today's zoos emphasize wildlife conservation and public education.

"I don't know of a single case where someone intentionally harmed an animal in an accredited zoo," says Lewis of AZA. "These are some of the most caring, compassionate people."

Some zoo scandals start with internal squabbling, not outside criticism. Phoenix Zoo President Jeff Williamson says the backbiting among employees grew so fierce last year that he had to replace the top curator and the chief veterinarian.

Kris Nelson, a volunteer on the zoo committee that reviews animal health issues, was upset about the chief vet's dismissal. So she went public last month with details of incidents in which she says animals suffered from improper care.

Zoo board President Ed Fox calls Nelson's complaints "misguided" but vows to fix any deficiencies the outside review exposes.

Zoo officials know they are being observed carefully now.

"To some degree, we are victims of our own success," McGrath says."Zoos have raised public awareness of wildlife. And that's a good thing."

The zoo has six elephants, and she is one of three trained to walk the grounds before visitors arrive.

Keepers say it keeps the elephants in shape and stimulates their minds.

That is important for an elephant program, but the program might be facing problems.

As the zoo prepares to build its herd, it faces people who contend that zoos are bad for elephants.

Animal-rights activists argue that the beasts need room to roam and that elephants in zoos should be sent to sprawling sanctuaries.

Groups stage protests and letter-writing campaigns, file lawsuits and lobby politicians and the public.

Last year, they pressured San Francisco supervisors to effectively close the antiquated elephant exhibit there unless it can provide the animals with at least 15 acres. The zoo in Detroit, Mich., did away with an elephant exhibit in April. On Friday, the president of Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo offered to quit after a spate of recent animal deaths, including those of three elephants.

Administrators at the Oregon Zoo, which provides 1.5 acres for elephants, say the battle might be headed their way.

In Defense of Animals recently used the Freedom of Information Act to get elephant medical records from the Oregon Zoo and plans similar actions at 30 public zoos nationwide.

Oregon Zoo veterinarians in 1996 and 1997 euthanized two elephants whose foot problems had become so severe they couldn't support their own weight.

Mike Keele, the deputy zoo director, defends the way keepers do their jobs. As the coordinator of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's Asian Elephant Species Survival Plan, he said the keepers lead the charge to improve captive elephants' lives.

"Zoos are doing more for elephants than any of those groups are," Keele said.

Keeping the animals' feet clean and dry helps prevent debilitating foot ailments that critics say are the scourge of elephants and a frequent cause of premature deaths.

As they do with the cows, keepers spend time with the two bulls every morning, assessing their condition and moods.

People who know them use "mellow" or "laid-back" to describe Rama and his father, Packy, 43. But as every keeper knows, with one twitch of a trunk or weight shift into a wall, a bull elephant can kill a person.

Rama weighs 8,280 pounds, and at 12,520 pounds, Packy is the biggest Asian elephant in North America.

With the females, which are smaller and more social than males, keepers use a training method called free contact. They enter the animals' enclosures or walk them around the zoo, using positive and negative reinforcement, voice and hand commands and a hooked tool called an ankus.

But with the bulls, trainers use only so-called protected contact, keeping their distance behind steel bars as thick as a man's arm.

No day at the Oregon Zoo's elephant compound is exactly like another. Some days call for routine medical exams or blood draws for research. Others find keepers inventing games designed to exercise the animals and to make them think.

Through training, the Oregon Zoo's elephants allow blood to be drawn from their ankles and ears. They know how to blow into a plastic bag so that its contents can be tested for tuberculosis.

"The more time you spend with them," said keeper Pat Flora, who has cared for elephants for 25 years, "the better chances you have of developing good relationships."

The American Zoo and Aquarium Association accredits 212 zoos. Of those, 78 hold about 300 Asian and African elephants. Since 1990, eight U.S. zoos have closed their elephant exhibits, but others are investing in theirs.

She was rejected by her mother, Shanti.

Then she had to endure bouts of diarrhea before zoo staff found a formula that agreed with her.

Despite all, Bella managed to remain healthy, reaching critical developmental milestones.

But on Tuesday the young elephant stumbled on the soft ground, fell and fractured her right rear femur, leaving those at the zoo in a state of dismay and Bella headed for surgery.

"Bella's been beating the odds since her birth," zoo spokesman Brian Hill said.

"With major surgery in a large animal there are plenty of risks. You bring in the best surgeon to minimize the risk. We are cautiously optimistic. We have the best people in the world on this."

Bella emerged from a 2 1/2 -hour surgery at the Denton A. Cooley Animal Hospital, on the zoo grounds, at about 6:30 p.m.

Doctors used four pins and a rod to repair the damaged leg, Hill said.

"She came through it with flying colors," he said. "I've seen her ears wiggle and her tail wiggle."

Now comes the waiting. Recovery is expected to take eight to 10 weeks.

But officials will be most concerned about the next two weeks because of the possibility of infection. Hill said Bella will be placed on a regimen of antibiotics.

It took about nine men to lift Bella onto a gurney from the elephant barn and then put her into the 15-passenger van that took her to the clinic.

Workers will have to come up with a device to restrict her mobility.

More common in adults Speaking in general terms about the injury, University of Wisconsin at Madison clinical instructor Joseph Foerner said most elephant fractures occur in adults.

Foerner, who is board certified in animal surgery, said he attempted a surgery on the tibia of an adult circus elephant that slipped on asphalt about 10 years ago.

That elephant had to be put to sleep three months later after a bone plate failed and a second attempt to repair it wasn't successful. He has not seen Bella's injuries.

Foerner said the operation presents some challenges, including a risk of infection and keeping the animal off the leg after surgery.

"They don't happen very often and very few are attempted," Foerner said.

"You're walking on the moon with those fractures. Even simple-type fractures are difficult. It's a guarded prognosis. I'm sure it was a very freakish accident."

Age is an advantage One benefit Bella has in her favor, Foerner said, is her age.

After Bella fell, the 552-pound elephant had some difficulty getting back up, but managed, with nudging from another elephant and encouragement from zoo handlers, to make it to the barn where she showed signs of being in pain.

Zoo officials took an X-ray and discovered the fracture. Hill said the X-ray was e-mailed to several veterinarians for advice on how to treat the injury.

Rejection not unusual After 22 months of suspense, Bella was born Aug. 17, to Shanti. Zookeepers said Shanti's rejection of the baby elephant was not uncommon for a first-time mother.

The zoo held a public naming contest in which nearly 11,000 votes were cast.

Bella means "beautiful" in Italian and "creeping time" in Nepali.

She also was featured on billboards advertising the zoo.

The zoo has three other Asian elephants in its herd, including a male named Thailand; Methai, a matron elephant that has been a mother figure for Bella; and Shanti.

Another elephant — Kimba — died of elephant herpes virus in September.

"We have not looked at what caused Zoothis, but what we can do to fix it," Hill said. "Everything was rolling along and then this happened.

The elephants were expected to arrive this morning at the Ark 2000 sanctuary in San Andreas, Calif., about 70 miles outside of Sacramento. However, they were still on the road and as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern time today and were departing Rawlins, Wyoming, which is in the south-central part of the state. They are expected to arrive at the sanctuary sometime after midnight tonight or in the early morning hours Friday.

But the trip has been smooth-going so far, and the elephants are "doing well. They're both eating well,'' said Scott Carter, director of Conservation and Animal Welfare for the Detroit Zoo. Carter has been part of the caravan taking Winky and Wanda to the sanctuary.

Carter said both pachyderms are eating an assortment of bagels, and Wanda has been eating sweet potatoes, which the zoo staff microwaves at truck stops.

Two of the six zookeepers traveling with Wanda and Winky slept in the trailer last night and said it's tough to tell if the elephants slept. Winky often sleeps standing up, but Wanda usually lays down to sleep, which she can't do in the trailer. But both animals could have slept standing up.

The 2,300-mile journey is the culmination of a yearlong struggle over the elephants' fate that captured the attention of people across the nation.

At the Ark 2000 sanctuary, where they will spend their remaining days, they will have far more room to roam during their final years than they would have had in the zoo's 1-acre complex. The sanctuary is run by the Performing Animal Welfare Society and has seven elephants roaming 100 acres.

There is a remote video camera that monitors their behavior and a temperature gauge that sends readings from the trailer. There are custom-made metal bars installed just below rump height to allow Wanda, the more arthritic of the two, to sit.

Once they arrive at sanctuary, they'll be unloaded into the elephant barn. If all goes well, they could be meeting the three other Asian elephants, with a fence separating them, within hours. It will take days and perhaps weeks of acclimation before they are released into the herd.

Zookeepers' worst fears -- that closing the elephants inside the dark trailer and starting the semi's diesel engine would create panic -- were not realized, said Scott Carter, director of conservation and animal welfare for the zoo.

"They were a little agitated, but not to the degree they could have been," said Carter. "We were told to expect certain behaviors, but the most dramatic behavior did not happen."

At a short stop in Toledo, Wanda, 48, didn't eat, but Winky, 52, scarfed down watermelon and bagels.

The trip was progressing smoothly enough that one of the zoo's two following vehicles filled with veterinarians and animal experts returned to Detroit after the Toledo rest stop. The other vehicle will accompany the elephants for the duration of the trip, which could conclude as early as Thursday afternoon.

The pachyderms' fortitude was comfort to the elephants' four main keepers, for whom the trip is a tense and bittersweet ordeal.

On one hand they -- along with untold thousands of zoo-goers -- are losing close friends who belong to a species renowned for their ability to socialize and bond with one another and their human friends. Think of the pain of giving away the old family dog, and then multiply.

On the other hand, they are releasing the elderly pair to a natural enclosure 100 times larger than their one-acre zoo grounds. They will be part of a group with three other Asian elephants in a warm climate. The keepers believe there is a payoff to the risky trip and sorrowful parting: a better life in an elephant retirement home.

Zoo Director Ron Kagan's decision to send the elephants to a sanctuary is the first time an American zoo has voluntarily relinquished elephants solely on ethical grounds. Kagan said he believes that zoos, especially zoos in colder northern climates, are unable to meet the complex social, psychological and physical needs of the species.

The group that manages most zoo elephants, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, originally blocked the move. That group directed Winky and Wanda to the Columbus Zoo instead of a sanctuary.

Eventually, and under tremendous public pressure, the AZA relented, citing potential health problems with one of Detroit's elephants.

On Tuesday, the AZA issued a statement wishing Winky and Wanda well, but suggesting that Kagan's high-profile decision is not the beginning of the end of elephants in zoos.

This morning, Detroit zookeepers will make their first attempt to get aging elephants Winky and Wanda on their way to a California animal sanctuary. Whether they're successful depends largely on the elephants' cooperation -- if a 9,000-pound pachyderm doesn't want to go for a ride, well, it pretty much has veto power.

The 2,300-mile journey is the culmination of a year-long struggle over the elephants' fate -- a fierce debate over whether they should go to another zoo or a sanctuary -- that captured the attention of people across the nation.

Here are some common questions, and answers, about the pair's journey:

QUESTION: Can we watch them leave?

ANSWER: No. The public and media will be kept clear when the animals depart to minimize stress. Even one stranger shouting "Good-bye!" might be enough to make them balk at entering the trailer.

Q: Isn't such a long trip hard on the elephants?

A: You bet. Any change in routine, especially one as drastic as this one, puts incredible emotional stress on the pair. Plus, standing for so long will exacerbate their arthritis.

Q: What's being done to minimize that stress?

A: Both animals have been on a new, more aggressive regimen of anti-inflammatory medicines for two weeks. Wanda, the more arthritic of the two, will have custom-made sit-bars -- piping running across the trailer that she can ease her hindquarters down on to take weight off. Psychologically, the pair should take some comfort in being in the predicament together. Their keepers will reassure them at rest breaks along the way.

Q: Why not tranquilize them?

A: That would be dangerous, especially if the elephants got so groggy they couldn't stand up inside the close confines of the trailer.

Q: Why not fly them?

A: Though elephants have been flown before, zoo officials say they believe Winky and Wanda would be too stressed from the noise of the aircraft.

Q: Who's driving this rig?

A: Two professional truck drivers who have experience driving elephants are taking turns at the wheel.

Q: Who else is going?

A: A minivan packed with veterinarians, elephant keepers and a consultant will follow the truck. A second vehicle with elephant-care experts will tail the caravan until it reaches Toledo. If things are going well, that vehicle will then head back to Detroit.

Q: How long will it take?

A: 52 hours if all goes smoothly.

Q: Will the elephants get rest breaks?

A: No. Once they're in, they stay unless there is an emergency.

Q: What about the drivers?

A: They'll alternate shifts, taking short rest breaks and one 3- to 4-hour stop along the way.

Q: Won't that truck get pretty nasty?

A: Yep. Keepers will try as best they can to clean out the waste from the outside. Also, metal "urine dams" about 5 inches tall will prevent waste from sloshing into the elephants' food.

Q: Will they eat and drink?

A: Food and water will be available inside the trailer and offered by keepers at rest stops, but it's anyone's guess whether they will be too stressed to eat or drink.

Q: What if they get too cold?

A: Keepers are more worried about heat. Vent holes can be open and shut, depending on the temperature inside the trailer, which will be monitored remotely by the driver. Any temps creeping into the 90s become worrisome. Keepers also have hoses with which they can spray Winky and Wanda if they need to.

Q: What if they freak out?

A: If they make it past the first hour or two, they should be settled in for the long haul. If they have a bad reaction early on, the caravan can return to Detroit. Zoos along the route also are on call, in case a medical emergency arises.

Q: Isn't this a pretty heavy load?

A: Not compared to some other trucks. Combined, the elephants weigh 18,000 pounds. Some trucks in Michigan are allowed to weigh 164,000 pounds.

Q: What happens when they get to California?

Hogle Zoo has no immediate plans to acquire the 35-year-old African elephant now kept at the controversial Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago where two elephants have died prematurely. But plans to open a new elephant exhibit in June has put Salt Lake on a short list of possible new homes.

On March 9, the Chicago City Council referred to its parks governing board a proposal from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that Wankie be retired to a sanctuary and not shipped to another zoo.

PETA believes that cold played a factor in the deaths. And if Wankie is getting cold in Chicago, as Nicole Meyer from PETA believes, then surely she would be cold in Salt Lake, where the average winter temperature is around 30 degrees, Meyer said.

Cold temperatures outside usually translate to more time inside protective housing for elephants.

"Any climate in which the temperature drops like that and requires that the elephants are indoors for months out of the year is inappropriate," said Meyer, who is not formally trained in biology or veterinary medicine. She has worked with the organization for the past 18 months.

Hogle Zoo has planned ahead for chilly midwinter temperatures, however. The zoo is installing a new elephant exhibit that will have an overhead heater and heated pads beneath the animals' feet, said Stacey Phillips, a Hogle spokeswoman. The animals also are allowed outside any time it is warmer than 40 degrees, which ends up being "quite a bit," she said.

Meyer came to Salt Lake City on behalf of PETA to propose a resolution to the City Council that discourages Hogle Zoo from housing Wankie. She planned on visiting the zoo for the first time today, although she has referred to past visits and photos by PETA members in preparing her presentation to the council.

Meyer wants Wankie to go to an animal sanctuary and mentioned The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee and the Performing Animal Welfare Society in California (PAWS) as examples of suitable homes. Extra space in sanctuaries, she said, means that elephants do not develop arthritis and foot problems as often.

Hogle Zoo has two full-time veterinarians and three technicians who keep animals healthy, Phillips said.

Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago wants Wankie to live at a zoo accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, said Kelly McGrath, zoo spokeswoman. "We know what that means — the highest quality of animal care and a commitment to conservation and education," McGrath said. "We believe that it's only that up-close experience with wildlife that fosters a long-term concern for animals, not just in zoos but in the wild."

PAWS is not accredited by AZA. Hogle's AZA accreditation is valid until September 2009.

Meyer objects to what she calls AZA zoo captive breeding programs, in which elephants are "shuffled from zoo to zoo like baseball cards irregardlessSIC of the bonds they may have," she said. "It's literally bringing any animal to the same deprivation that its parents are."

Sanctuaries do not allow breeding and have more space for animals that can roam tens of miles each day looking for food.

The thick metal door to the trailer that will transport Detroit's elephants to California is chained so it stays open. But there's no fooling these smart girls. Every time they practice entering the trailer, each elephant wraps a trunk around the door's edge and gives it a yank to ensure it won't close behind them.

It will finally slam shut, perhaps Tuesday morning, when they start their journey to a sanctuary in California. It will stay shut for 2,300 miles until, about 52 hours later, it opens to a whole new life.

The pachyderms' smarts aren't limited to the geometry of doors.

They know something strange is afoot. Their routine has been altered for the past two months with the addition of the trailer training. Plus, strangers like reporters keep getting ushered through their exhibit.

"They pick up on all of us being nervous and tense," said Harry Ward, associate curator at the Detroit Zoo. "They know that the tone of someone's voice is subtly different, or their behavior is a bit off. We all have to try to keep that in check."

The elephants' four main keepers have a combined 21 years with Winky, 52, and Wanda, 48. And, like any close friend who knows every nuance of body language and furrow of brow, parting is sweet sorrow even when it's for the best.

"It's ... yeah, it's not easy," said Rick Wendt, who has spent eight years with them. He said despite anxiety about the upcoming journey and many tears from staff, the keepers are united in believing they are sending the animals to a better place.

The Ark 2000 elephant sanctuary run by the Performing Animal Welfare Society in California is that place. It has seven elephants roaming 100 acres, compared to Detroit's 1-acre exhibit.

When the 2,300-mile trip begins will depend primarily on Winky and Wanda -- especially Winky, who tends to be more fearful and agitated when encountering unfamiliar situations.

During Friday's training, the pair were balky and wary of entering the trailer -- a change from Thursday when they went in and out smoothly.

If they aren't cooperative Tuesday morning, zoo staffers won't force the issue -- a decision in keeping with the zoo's all-positive training methods that rely on reinforcement, rather than punishment, to shape elephant behavior.

When they do get rolling, they'll ride single file, nose-to-tail, in the moving van-type truck, followed by a minivan packed with veterinarians and keepers. In addition:

A remote video camera will monitor their behavior and a temperature gauge will send readings from the trailer.

Two 55-gallon drums of water will be lashed in a storage area inside the truck, plus several bales of hay and a smorgasbord of fruits and vegetables they'll be offered during short breaks at truck stops.

Custom-made metal bars are installed just below rump height to allow Wanda, the most arthritic of the two, to sit down.

A new, more intensive regime of anti-inflammatory medicines like ibuprofen has begun in an effort to reduce the inflammation caused by constant standing.

BIG FAREWELL Want to say good-bye? Winky and Wanda will be on exhibit until their departure, which could come as early as Monday. The Detroit Zoo, located at I-696 and Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Admission is $10.50; $8.50 for those 62 and older; $6.50 for children 2-12, and free for those younger than 2.

"We'll try, and if it doesn't work, we'll try Tuesday. And if not, we'll try Wednesday," Zoo Director Ron Kagan said Thursday.

Warm, dry weather has allowed elephant keepers to train Winky and Wanda to become more comfortable with the retrofitted moving truck that will transport them from the zoo in Royal Oak. And the weather forecast for the 2,300-mile route to the Sacramento-area Performing Animal Welfare Sanctuary looks good for early next week, Kagan said.

The pachyderms' toys, a cache of treats and much of their hay have been shipped to the PAWS sanctuary two hours east of San Francisco, Kagan said.

The journey will not be without risks. Both elephants suffer from arthritis and foot sores that will be exacerbated by the long stretch of standing in a stationary position. The moving van has been altered to provide barriers Winky and Wandy can lean against to redistribute their weight.

The emotional stress of the unfamiliar environment also will burden the pair.

Kagan decided against using a closer sanctuary in Tennessee, citing the superior veterinary care that would be available from the University of California-Davis.

The risks involved in the exhausting trip are worth the payoff -- both elephants living out their lives in a warm, spacious environment that will better suit their complex physical, emotional and mental needs, Kagan said.

The elephants' handlers will follow the truck in separate vehicles, and the caravan will stop only to refuel and relieve drivers.

The trip is the latest chapter in a year-long saga that put Winky and Wanda in the midst of a national tug-of-war between those who favored sanctuary life for the animals and others who thought that an accredited zoo would be a better option.

Kagan ruffled many in the national zoo community when he questioned whether any zoo, especially zoos in colder northern climates, are appropriate places for elephants, which are among the earth's most intelligent and social creatures.

His plan to send Winky and Wanda to a sanctuary was blocked by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, the group that accredits zoos and directs the movements of elephants among its members. The AZA directed the pair to the Columbus, Ohio, zoo instead.

ELEPHANT FROM SAN FRANCISCO ZOO EUTHANIZED DUE TO SEVERE CAPTIVITY-INDUCED FOOT PROBLEMS In Defense of Animals Blames Premature Death on Zoo, AZA, and USDA

San Francisco—In Defense of Animals (IDA) blames the untimely death of Tinkerbelle—the 38-year-old Asian elephant who moved from the San Francisco Zoo to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary—on the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Zoo for acting too slowly to transfer the elephant to a more naturalistic environment. Tinkerbelle was euthanized due to chronic, debilitating, and painful foot disease and abscesses, arthritis and joint problems caused by adverse zoo conditions associated with lack of space. On average, elephants in U.S. zoos die at half their natural 70-year lifespan.

Tinkerbelle was at the PAWS facility for the past three months. Acting on public outcry following the captivity-related deaths of two elephants at the Zoo last year, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in June 2004 unanimously passed a resolution urging the Zoological Society to send the long-suffering elephants to the PAWS sanctuary. Elephants, Earth’s largest land mammals, can travel up to 50 miles per day in the wild. Constant movement of elephants is essential for their psychological and physical well being. Lulu, the remaining elephant at the Zoo, was transferred to PAWS earlier this month.

“This is a tragedy that could have been avoided. The AZA, San Francisco Zoo, and the USDA are all complicit in this death,” says IDA President Elliot Katz, DVM. “As far as I’m concerned, this abuse is in violation of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and the USDA must not allow the practice of keeping elephants in small enclosures on concrete and compacted surfaces that is so damaging to their feet and legs and causes them to suffer and die. Unfortunately there are elephants suffering in other zoos under similar conditions and we are determined to come to their aid.”

Like the majority of elephants kept in zoos, Tinkerbelle’s foot and health problems are attributed to urban zoo conditions that prevent normal exercise and social development for elephants while forcing them to stand on hard, compacted surfaces that exacerbate the joint and leg problems.

She had collapsed earlier in the day and her condition, zoo officials said, boiled down to a "quality of life" issue.

The 8,000-pound pachyderm, who was born in Thailand and moved to San Francisco when she was 2 years old, had a degenerative joint disease. Complications with her feet hastened her decline, as well as being unable to easily move around.

After a move that had required months of training to accomplish, she settled into a 2,300-acre sanctuary run by the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in the Calaveras County town of San Andreas.

"We were saddened to hear that Tinkerbelle had taken a turn for the worse," said Bob Jenkins, director of animal care and conservation at the zoo. "PAWS worked admirably to care for Tinkerbelle, and the loss is profound, affecting both our staffs who loved and cared for her all her life."

Tinkerbelle's relocation, on Nov. 28, followed nine months of bile-filled debate over whether she and Lulu, an African elephant, should remain at the zoo, move to another zoo or go to a sanctuary.

The uproar resulted from the death of two other elephants -- Calle and Maybelle -- at the zoo last spring.

The controversy attracted national attention and eventually involved animal rights activists, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which threatened to remove the zoo's accreditation for defying its recommendation to relocate the two pachyderms to another zoo.

Lulu, the zoo's last remaining elephant, moved to PAWS on March 10.

Tinkerbelle had received frequent visits from San Francisco zoo staff in San Andreas and was keeping company with its three other Asian elephants -- Annie, Rebecca and Minnie.

Her keepers at the zoo had fondly described Tinkerbelle as a "drama queen" who loved to make noise, bang things around and enthusiastically destroy her toys.

Oakland Zoo elephant manager Jeff Kinzley was scrubbing her feet.

"The leading cause of death among elephants in captivity is foot problems," Kinzley said. "You have to look carefully."

It may seem odd that a small twig in the foot of a 9,000-pound animal can put it down for the count. But, in fact, it has become big news that these mammoth pachyderms are far from indestructible.

Last year, two elephants died at the San Francisco Zoo, eventually prompting the zoo to send its remaining two to an elephant sanctuary in Calaveras County. At the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, one elephant died of tuberculosis in October while another was euthanized in January. The Alaska Zoo in Anchorage is facing mounting criticism for electing to build a treadmill for its solitary elephant Maggie -- who is both overweight and depressed -- instead of sending her to a sanctuary, asthe San Francisco Zoo did with its animals and as the Detroit Zoo will soon do.

To survive the maelstrom created by politicians, animal-rights activists and others, it seems elephant managers at zoos need as thick a skin as their charges possess.

However, while other zoos are letting their elephants go, the Oakland Zoo is doing just the opposite. A year ago, the zoo welcomed 10-year-old Osh from a wildlife park in England. He joins female elephants M'Dunda, Lisa, 28, and Donna, 25, on the zoo's five-acre-plus elephant habitat. Last year, the Oakland Zoo completed a $100,000 expansion of that habitat.

By comparison, the San Francisco Zoo had about 26,000 square feet of room -- less than an acre -- for its two elephant exhibits.

"They're kind of spoiled here," said Oakland's Kinzley, whose sister Colleen runs the zoo's elephant program.

"They do such a great job there with their elephants," Pat Derby, founder of the Performing Animal Welfare Society, said late last year. "They always have with (Zoo Director Joel) Parrott there."

Derby's group runs some of those elephant sanctuaries in California to which other zoos -- including the San Francisco Zoo -- have sent their elephants recently. In 1995, the society gave an award to the Oakland Zoo for its treatment of elephants.

That award had a lot to do with the Oakland Zoo again bucking national trends and becoming the first zoo in the nation to exclusively use "protected contact" in its handling of elephants. The approach is simple; instead of a "free contact" approach in which trainers try to show dominance over an elephant -- sometimes with a bull hook -- handlers tend to elephants only when they are in protective chutes. The elephants are lured in by treats, and there is never punishment for not cooperating.

All of this is not to say the Oakland Zoo has not had some of the same problems other facilities have faced with their elephant exhibits. The change to protected contact was spurred on after an elephant killed his trainer in 1991. Ten years later, Smokey, the zoo's bull elephant, died unexpectedly.

"We're still not quite sure why he died," Kinzley said. "It was like a stroke."

That is a common theme among captive-elephant deaths. Many have died unexpectedly, and it is quite common for them to die two or three decades younger than would the average elephant in the wild.

Alan Roocroft, an elephant specialist and consultant to zoos worldwide who also helped invent protected contact training, said many components probably go into an elephant failing to reach the normal age of 60 or 65 that elephants in the wild can.

"There are so many ailments they can get in captivity," Roocroft said. "And their surroundings are different. They walk less. They are overweight. They get foot problems. But it's not unusual for an elephant to die in captivity, and, even after an autopsy, they don't know why."

Roocroft blames a slow change philosophy in the industry and people's infatuation with elephants as the reasons the big animals continue to die early in captivity.

"Zoos think it's their God-given right to have an elephant," Roocroft said. "You can put a shine on it all you want, but elephants are not doing well in captivity."

Nevertheless, the Oakland Zoo is excited about the future. The hope there is Osh will soon be introduced to Donna -- the dominant female elephant of the zoo -- in an open yard and he will eventually mate with one of the females.

"We'll see if he gets beat up on," Kinzley smiles.

But soon Maggie may become a bit less massive. Keepers at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, where Maggie lives, are preparing to install the world's first elephant exercise treadmill.

"All I know is it seems like a good idea to get a sedentary animal moving," said Sid Cannon, the fit-looking vice president of Boise, Idaho-based Conveyor Engineering, a company that designs the heavy-duty conveyor systems used in mining. "I figured that we put rocks on our conveyors that are as big as an elephant, and a treadmill is basically a conveyor, so building one would be no big deal."

Not so fast.

Cannon first heard about the search for a company to make the elephant treadmill while watching the evening news. He called up John Seawall, who heads up the elephant habitat at the Alaska Zoo and offered the services of Conveyor Engineering - for free.

"I thought it was a neat idea, and wanted to do some good works. We do a little community service, but rarely have the opportunity to help people with our work," he said. "Little did we know that this is a controversial thing."

In the wild, African elephants stay on the move about 16 hours a day foraging for food and water. But Maggie, like all zoo elephants, is confined. The cold Alaska winters keep her indoors part of the year. And though elephants are naturally herd animals, Maggie has been alone since 1997 when the zoo's other elephant, Annabelle, died of a chronic foot infection.

That's got some animal advocates pushing to have Maggie retired to a sanctuary or moved to a zoo in a warmer climate.

"There's no comparison to a treadmill versus life in the wild or in a sanctuary," said Nicole Meyer, an elephant specialist with PETA. "Female elephants are highly social and to keep them in solitary confinement is completely cruel."

Seawall hopes the treadmill will stem some criticism.

"It's kind of hard to get that kind of movement in captivity. So a common problem as they get older is they get joint problems. We hope (the treadmill) is exercise she'll enjoy taking," Seawall said. "She could stand to lose a couple of hundred pounds, but out of a weight of 9,200 pounds it's somewhat insignificant."

Animal treadmills are nothing new - the exercise wheel is standard equipment for pet mice. Some veterinarians use partially submerged, aquatic therapy treadmills to help to help injured dogs regain mobility. EquiGym, a Lexington, Ky.-based company, designs and sells high-speed treadmills for race horses. There's even a company producing treadmills for race camels.

But until recently, an elephant treadmill was unheard of. Seawall and Cannon turned to EquiGym owner Leonie Seesing Ommundson for guidance. "We're dealing with an elephant," Seesing said, "which has tremendous brain capacity."

Expected to be installed sometime this summer, the treadmill will be just over 20 feet long and five feet wide. Elephants walk by simultaneously moving two legs at a time along a path only about 18 inches wide, so the machine has to be able to withstand concentrated weight. It will be buried in a pit so that the surface is roughly level with the ground, with safety rails on either side of the treadmill's belt.

"Our biggest concern is that we break the elephant," Cannon said.

For extra safety, Cannon decided to use a computerized drive that can sense the amount of torque on the treadmill pad and adjust accordingly. That way, the motor will automatically stop if the elephant suddenly stops. The treadmill will also include eight speed levels and an incline option.

And because Cannon feared the traditional stitching line that binds the treadmill belt together would look like a ditch or barrier to sensitive animal eyes, the belt will be bound with an invisible, angled splice.

"We hope that within a half a years' time, Maggie will be up to where she's spending between two and three hours a day on the machine with a maximum one hour at a time," Seawall said.

Diet isn't an issue. Maggie already gets lots of fiber, eating about 10 pounds of horse feed in the morning, fortified with a vitamin and mineral supplement. She gets a side dish of a pound or two of fruit and hay throughout the day, along with her favorite snacks: fresh birch trees and dandelions.

Of course, training an elephant to walk on a treadmill is another matter. Seawall plans to install the machine in the pathway between Maggie's indoor barn and the rest of her outdoor habitat area. They will give her some time to get used to the presence of the machine before turning it on.

Still, the controversy over Maggie is not likely to stop anytime soon. Other zoos have expressed some interest in getting their own elephant treadmills, and EquiGym owner Seesing said she sees an emerging market.

Darby Holladay, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, refused to comment on the agency's recent inspection of the zoo and Maggie's exhibit. The zoo passed the surprise inspection and visit from an elephant specialist, but afterward zoo curator Pat Lampi said some concerns were raised about Maggie's condition. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association has recommended that Maggie be moved to another zoo where she could be integrated with other elephants.

Cannon, meanwhile, said he's enjoyed working on the treadmill but doesn't plan to make any more.

But even with all the amenities, are the elephants at the River's Edge and exhibits like it happy? Recent elephant deaths and the decision by two zoos to halt their programs have prompted zoo leaders and activists to ask that very question.

"This is a challenge that zoos need to talk about and that the public needs to learn about, too," said Detroit Zoo director Ron Kagan shortly after he decided close his exhibit because of the harsh Michigan winters. "By many indices, elephants just don't do very well in captivity."

While most zoos maintain that elephant exhibits promote vital research and conservation efforts, other animal experts say zoos are too small and too cold for these highly intelligent animals.

"As hard as they try, the modern-day zoo does not have the space for elephants," said Carol Buckley, executive director of the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. "In their homeland, elephants roam 30 to 50 miles a day. Even the best zoos are incapable of serving their needs."

The St. Louis Zoo disagrees. While Detroit plans to move its two elephants, St. Louis is preparing for the births within the next 16 months of two calves, both sired by Raja. The Zoo built its $6.6 million elephant facility and one-acre yard in 1999 in order to expand its herd and bolster its breeding program.

Zoo president Jeffrey Bonner believes the exhibit satisfies both the public's fascination with the cute creatures and the complex physical and social needs of the growing herd.

"I couldn't come to work here if I thought we weren't looking out for the best interest of all of the animals," said Bonner. "I would be heartbroken."

But what exactly is an elephant's best interest? Opinions vary among advocates. Buckley, the Humane Society of the United States and other animal activists, argue that elephants roam because they need to, not simply to find food. Without exercise, they say zoo elephants can suffer from severe foot and joint problems that can lead to premature death. Joint disease appears to have contributed to the death of a San Francisco Zoo elephant last year. That zoo has since closed its elephant exhibit.

"Even if you put food in front of them, you are not meeting their needs socially and physically," said Buckley. "When you provide some of their needs but not all of them, you run into neurotic behavior. The zoos think because they are quadrupling the size (of their exhibits), they are accomplishing that, but they're not."

Bonner and many others in the zoo community disagree. In St. Louis, the elephants spend most days wandering through their yards. During hot St. Louis days, they may take refuge under a tree, while in the winter they sometimes cluster underneath special heat lamps. But once the temperatures dip to 35 degrees and the winds pick up, the elephants typically stay inside their stalls.

"Do they have to walk 50 miles a day. Of course not, but they will if they have to," said Bonner. "I think the size of the space is absolutely an issue, but it also important to look at the quality of the space. Is there a range of activities they can engage in? Is it a rich environment? That makes a huge difference."

Also important to Bonner is the interaction among the elephants. While males like Raja are solitary, female elephants develop complex social relationships.

"We know the social environment is really integral to the animals' health and well-being," said Bonner. "If we want to make sure the animals are happy, we would allow them to engage in behaviors they are hardwired to engage in. I think they are hardwired to be social. They are hardwired to reproduce. So, yes, we give them opportunities to engage in those behaviors."

The St. Louis Zoo's program has come a long way since the days of elephant shows. Even Buckley calls the program "progressive" compared to those of other institutions.

Zookeepers no longer use whips or any other sort of force to assert dominance. Instead, they train their elephants the way many of us train our puppies - with verbal cues and treats. All contact is conducted through protective panels - a management style that protects the keeper and the elephant, which is free to ignore the commands without the fear of a swat. Many zoos still use dominance techniques and physical intimidation to get their animals to comply to its keepers.

The zoo staff and facility also meet or exceed new elephant guidelines drafted by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which governs some 200 North American institutions. About half of the 80 zoos that host elephants report they are not yet in compliance with the new guidelines, which go into effect next year.

And the Zoo hosts a herd large enough to satisfy its females' social needs. Like Buckley and the Humane Society, Bonner objects to exhibits of two or less elephants.

"We feel pretty strongly that is not a good number and that those elephants need to be integrated into larger social groups," said Bonner.

Zoo critics have little hope that all zoos will abandon their elephant programs. Big, gray and cute, elephants are what folks in the zoo business call "charismatic." Yes, snakes and lemurs and turtles all play a vital role in the ecosystem, but they will never capture the public's adoration like penguins, bears and elephants.

Bonner bristles when critics complain that elephants are cash cows. In addition to $500,000 for staff and training, the Zoo spends some $50,000 on food. Vet care, research and hormone monitoring, utilities and water and grounds maintenance cost thousands more. American zoos also support some 90 conservation programs in the wild.

"We're adding two calves and we've added two people (keepers)," said Bonner. "It's a wonderful thing to do, but they cost a lot of money."

Bonner acknowledges Raja delivers thousands of visitors each year. He hopes Raja's popularity translates into a deeper understanding of the Asian elephant's plight. Only 40,000 remain in the quickly disappearing wild.

Aldermen have no direct jurisdiction over the zoo. But Ald. George A. Cardenas (12th) said he introduced his resolution in the hope that zoo officials will testify about conditions at the North Side facility.

The resolution was sent to the City Council's Parks and Recreation Committee, which Cardenas said meets later this month.

'Want to keep the dialog open'

"I'm not a tree-hugger. I'm not a vegetarian,'' said Cardenas. Instead, he said he was motivated by news reports of two Lincoln Park Zoo elephants dying -- Peaches in January and Tatima in October -- and subsequent animal rights group protests over the remaining elephant, named Wankie.

Zoo officials said Peaches, 66, died of old age and Tatima, 35, died of mycobacterium szulgai. Lincoln Park officials say they hope to place Wankie in another zoo by April.

Lincoln Park spokeswoman Kelly McGrath said U.S. sanctuaries, in which animals have more space to roam, are not accredited by the American Zoo Association and lack proper veterinarian care. Still, she said the zoo welcomed an opportunity to testify before the committee.

"There is a lot of misinformation going around. We want to keep the dialog open,'' said McGrath.

Zoo officials contend that elephants are their best ambassadors. They are a point of entry for urban dwellers. Once the public's attention has been gained, officials can hammer home their message about wildlife conservation and care.

"Seeing a real live elephant leaves an indelible mark on a person," said Syd Butler, executive director of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which oversees about 300 of the 500 elephants that currently live in the United States.

But, it seems, elephant fans aren't the only ones who don't forget. The deaths of two elephants in Chicago over the past few months have renewed animal rights protests across the country.

When Peaches, the nation's oldest living elephant, died Jan. 17, animal rights activists immediately recalled the death of her pen mate, Tatima, last fall.

They also remembered the warnings they administered two years ago when Peaches, Tatima and Wankie were shipped from the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park to Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo to make room for a new crop of younger elephants.

In 2003, when the three African elephants made the trek halfway across the country to Chicago, animal rights activists protested outside the San Diego Zoo.

"It was like shipping somebody's elderly grandma from San Diego to the cold of Chicago. Is that how to treat an elderly elephant?" said Brian Pease, of the Animal Protection and Rescue League. Pease organized a demonstration again at the San Diego Zoo after Peaches died in January.

But Chicago is just one hot point in a debate that has been raging across the nation for the past decade.

After two elephants fell ill at the Detroit Zoo last year, director Ron Kagan made the decision to permanently close the elephant exhibit. Wanda and Winky were sent to an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee, against the advice of the AZA.

The Detroit facility is the eighth zoo in the United States to close elephant exhibits in recent years. Others include the Chehaw Wild Animal Park in Albany, Ga.; the Mesker Park Zoo in Evansville, Ind.; and the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wis.

And after two elephants died within weeks of each other at the San Francisco Zoo last year, zoo officials moved the two remaining elephants to a California sanctuary. Under pressure from animal rights groups, the city's board of supervisors stepped in and said the zoo must dramatically increase the amount of space allotted for the animals before it could reopen the exhibit. At the time, the zoo devoted 1/64th of an acre to elephants. City lawmakers increased the standard to 15 acres.

The 'X' factor

Even celebrities are taking sides.

Last fall, after Lincoln Park Zoo's Tatima died, Chicago-born actress Gillian Anderson, of "X-Files" fame, sent letters to Mayor Richard Daley and Lincoln Park Zoo director Kevin Bell requesting that Wankie and Peaches be shipped to an elephant sanctuary. Soon after Peaches died, Anderson, who supports many animal rights groups, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, urged the state Legislature to take up the issue.

Necropsies determined that Peaches, 55 at the time, died of organ failure and that Tatima, who was 35, died from a rare lung infection.

In the wild, elephants have a life expectancy of 60 to 70 years. Zoo officials say poaching can shorten that figure dramatically. Animal rights activists say harsh zoo conditions can also shorten it.

Robyn Barbiers, curator at Lincoln Park Zoo, said the cause of death in both elephants there had nothing to do with the pachyderms' living environment. Tatima had suffered from multiple lesions and an atypical infection; Peaches succumbed to liver and renal trouble, she said.

But Pease and RaeLeann Smith, spokesperson for In Defense of Animals, say the two elephants' deaths were due to the "horrible conditions" they were living in at the zoo. Now, they are on a mission to have Wankie sent to a sanctuary.

"Elephants don't belong in urban zoo environments because they don't have adequate space," Smith said. "Lincoln Park Zoo's outdoor enclosure area is less than one-third of an acre."

While animal rights groups attribute odd behaviors in zoo animals — polar bears swimming in circles, monkeys grooming themselves to baldness — to life in captivity, they take particular issue with elephants, which are the largest animals displayed.

Zoos that are located in temperate climates must bring elephants indoors when the temperature drops below 40 degrees, said Stuart Strahl, chief executive officer and president of the Chicago Zoological Society and director of Brookfield Zoo.

Smith said indoor enclosures are often smaller than outdoor ones. And with extended winters in the upper Midwest, animals that are accustomed to being outdoors year round in the wild must try to adapt.

Like most zoos, Lincoln Park Zoo's indoor elephant enclosure, which is off-exhibit, has concrete floors, she said.

"Imagine 10,000 pounds of pressure on their feet and joints on hard concrete. It's a recipe for disaster," Smith said.

Smith said elephants in the wild can roam up to 50 miles a day. Constant movement ensures good foot and digestive health. When elephants aren't allowed to move freely, she said, they begin displaying neurotic behaviors, such as bobbing and swaying. Such conditions can lead to premature death, she added.

Late-night comedian Jay Leno recently joked about reports of an elephant in Alaska that was suffering from depression. Scientists, he laughed, were baffled as to why an African elephant would be depressed to be in Alaska in February.

The elephant exhibit at Lincoln Park Zoo, an AZA accredited institution, measures 16,300 square feet — 13,000 outdoor and 3,300 indoor. The indoor area far exceeds the minimum standards set by the AZA, which calls for 400 square feet per elephant. The zoo's outside exhibit area also exceeds the AZA's 3,600 square-foot minimum for three adult elephants.

Zoo officials are currently looking in to sending Wankie, 36, to another AZA accredited zoo. Elephants, Barbiers said, are social creatures and don't like to be alone. Wankie is being kept off display until zoo officials decide on a location, she said.

Once Wankie leaves, Barbiers said, the zoo staff will take stock of its elephant exhibit and perhaps make some minor adjustments.

"We'll have elephants again," she said.

"Some of these radical animal groups are opposed to zoos and aquariums in general and they'll sensationalize or use whatever tools they can to make their case."

A learning experience

Barbiers said that while zoos are coming under attack for not providing adequate space for elephants, there probably is not enough land for elephants left in the wild anymore, either. In some countries, the animals are endangered; in others, they're over-populated in small areas because of poor management.

"Everything we learn about their behavior at the zoo will help us provide for them in the wild, and everything we learn about them in the wild will help us provide for them in the zoo," she said.

"Our primary goal is the animal's well-being. We are very confident that we provide the best care. We have expert veterinary care 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

"If we felt we could not adequately care for an animal, we would not have it in the zoo," she said, pointing out that zoo officials declined to exhibit bison in the newly revamped children's zoo after they determined the facility could not adequately provide for it.

Animal rights activists argue that sanctuaries can better provide for elephants than zoos by giving them more space and terrain that is closer to their natural habitat.

There are two elephant sanctuaries in the United States, one in California and one in Hohenwald, Tenn.

The Hohenwald facility now cares for a dozen elephants that had been cast off from zoos and circuses. Elephants are free to roam 2,700 acres of soft soil and take mud baths.

Hohenwald took in Lota, an Asian elephant owned by Illinois-based Hawthorn Corp., after federal officials accused Hawthorn's owner of not properly caring for the animal. The USDA, which oversees animal licensing, filed charges against the circus training company, located in McHenry County.

Lota arrived at the sanctuary last fall suffering from tuberculosis. On Feb. 9, Lota succumbed to the respiratory condition.

Zoo officials admit that sanctuaries serve a purpose. However, they argue that purpose is not to replace zoos.

In August, Dr. Michael Hutchins, director of the AZA's department of conservation and science, published a report, "Zoo vs. Sanctuary," explaining why bigger is not always better.

In the paper, he pointed to factors other than space that should be considered when determining the optimum facility for an elephant. Among those were enrichment activities, veterinary care and training.

A month later, The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald responded with its own position. In it, the group pointed out that female elephants bond for life and travel in herds of nine to 11 members. Most elephants in captivity, they say, are held in unnaturally small groups of unrelated adults.

AZA's Butler said his organization is not opposed to sanctuaries even though the group does not plan to place Wankie in one.

"Sanctuaries have more space, but do they do not have the veterinary care and the financial stability and the concern for conservation in the wild that zoos have," Butler said. "The function of a sanctuary is to hold older elephants and give them a peaceful place to live out their days."

The function of a zoo, on the other hand, is to educate the public and conduct research, he said. The income and knowledge that zoos take in is used to benefit elephants in the wild, Butler said.

In some cases, zoos provide a haven for elephants living in overpopulated areas. The seven elephants that replaced Peaches, Tatima and Wankie in San Diego, for instance, had been slated to be killed by Swaziland officials, Butler said. The small African country is struggling with drought and food shortages. Animal habitats are shrinking.

Last year, one of the San Diego newcomers gave birth to a male calf.

Not entertainment, conservation

Butler takes issue with activists who have never been in the wild.

"Habitat is shrinking noticeably," he said. "It could be true that some elephants travel 30 miles a day in some circumstances. In other circumstances, though, elephant populations don't move at all and decimate a region."

The fact of the matter is, he said, the zoo is striving to become more like the wild while the wild is inadvertently becoming more like the zoo.

Many zoos, he added, do a good job of devoting adequate space to larger mammals. The North Carolina Zoo, for example, has 1,400 acres set aside for elephants, he said.

Butler said a recent survey of 78 AZA-accredited zoos showed that 40 institutions plan to expand their elephant exhibits in the near future.

Brookfield Zoo is among them.

Director Strahl said zoo officials also are looking at ways to extend the amount of time elephants can spend outdoors, possibly through the use of sheds and heaters. Brookfield currently houses two elephants but has had as many as six at times.

"Our mission is not entertainment or exhibition," Strahl said. "It has to do with conservation leadership."

The elephants that live at Brookfield Zoo provide scientists insight into elephant nutrition, contraception and population management, he said. They provide the public with an altogether different experience.

"We want to get people as close as possible so they can understand what's happening with animal habitats around the world. Elephants are some of the most charismatic ambassadors for conservation of animal species," he said.

As society becomes increasingly urbanized, Strahl said, it gets harder for people to make a connection to wildlife. If not for zoos, he said, very few people would ever see a live elephant.

"I tell my staff that the justification for having live animals is that we promote conservation and we educate our visitors in a way they're not going to be educated in anymore out there in the world," Strahl said.

Nevertheless, IDA's Smith asks what kind of education are zoogoers getting if they see elephants displaying neurotic behaviors, such as swaying and bobbing.

According to a 2003 Oxford University report, 40 percent of zoo elephants display what is dubbed "stereotypical" behavior in the industry, but defined by animal rights groups as abnormal behavior. The report, commissioned by Britain's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, states such behaviors are also exhibited by grizzly bears, tigers and monkeys.

AZA's Butler said other studies attribute such behavior to stress.

"There's plenty of stress in the wild," he pointed out. Zoos combat the problem with enrichment exercises.

"No one leads a stress-free life," added Lincoln Park's Barbiers.

Nevertheless, zoo officials address the behavior with "operant conditioning," a form of mental stimulation that uses positive reinforcement in training the animals to perform certain tasks.

"Elephants really are majestic creatures," Barbiers said. "We hope seeing them will inspire people to think about nature and care about it."

She said the plethora of negative publicity of late is hurtful.

"Our staff knows we provide excellent care," she said. "To be attacked is very disheartening."

The Austria Press Agency, citing veterinarian Thomas Voracek, said Gerald Kohl, 39, was killed after he had showered the elephant named Abu as part of the morning routine. Abu, a 3-year-old bull, is currently going through a phase of separation from his mother, Voracek said.

The elephant pinned Kohl to the wall and speared him with his tusks as a colleague looked on, APA reported. Kohl had cared for the elephant since his birth at the zoo.

The elephant exhibit was closed Sunday as police gathered evidence.

In 2002, another keeper at the zoo was killed by a jaguar after failing to close a door properly.

But a zoo official said the 6,000-pound elephant is doing fine, despite a significant change to her environment.

"I think she does detect that (Susie) is no longer with her," said Bill Foster, director of the Birmingham Zoo. "She had time to know that she was gone. So, yes, she's made that connection and has moved on."

Mona is making the adjustment to life without Susie, who died Jan. 31. Mona and Susie had shared space at the zoo for 48 years. "She has lost her companion, so we're all very concerned," Foster said.

Foster said the zoo staff is familiar with Mona, having taken care of her for nearly 30 years. The elephant is thought to be 58.

"They're very in tune to Mona and her new conditions," he said.

If anything, the powerful pachyderm is getting more attention now that she doesn't have to share it with Susie.

"We now have staff that's focused on her and interacting with her," Foster said.

"So she's enjoying the heightened attention and seemingly doing playful things that she normally does."

"We're concerned, but we are very pleased with her progress, and she's doing extremely well."

At least one wildlife advocate believes Mona should be getting heightened attention from other elephants at a sanctuary rather than workers at the Birmingham Zoo.

Victoria Nichols, founder of Alabama Wildlife Advocates, said Sunday evening that Mona should be moved to The Elephant Sanctuary near Hohenwald, Tenn. "Elephants are quite social. It does not benefit them to be alone in any environment," Nichols said. "It would only be just for her to be allowed to retire, ideally at the sanctuary in Tennessee."

Foster, who also is a veterinarian, said the staff has been taking good care of Mona. The staff has Mona under video surveillance and has checked her medical conditions as well as ordered an autopsy on Susie, just to rule out any connections between Susie's death and any medical concern that might affect Mona.

Foster said he isn't worried about any connection. "It (Susie's death) was not unexpected with the advanced age, but it was still sad when it did happen," he said.

Angus, the world's largest elephant in captivity, is due to be returned to the wild after 24 years, but no one has quite figured out the logistics of moving the beast, who weighs as much as six Ford Focuses.

"We know how much he weighs because we take him down to the highway and put him on truck scales," said Mr. Hackenberger, Angus's trainer, who is also co-owner and director of the Bowmanville Zoo.

The height to the top of Angus's shoulders is 3.45 metres (11 feet 3 inches). A tall child can walk underneath the animal without crouching. Angus eats 200 to 250 kilograms a day of hay, grains, fruit, vegetables and sticks. Add water -- Angus can drink 800 litres a day -- and a greater weight comes out the other end. It takes about half an hour to wash the elephant with an industrial power sprayer.

Angus was two years old -- an infant in elephant terms -- when captured in South Africa and delivered to a Texas zoo. First acquired by the Quebec City Zoo, Angus was then adopted by the Bowmanville Zoo in 1986, just before Mr. Hackenberger, an animal nutritionist by training, and his partners bought the 17-hectare property just east of Toronto.

And for the past 19 years, Angus has been a star.

"He became the spirit of the zoo and the people of Bowmanville really identified with him," Mr. Hackenberger said. "He visited local schools and rinks and was in parades and festivals. If it weren't for Angus, we wouldn't have survived financially because he did so much work on film and at fairs."

The huge beast was trained to stand on its hind legs, a movement elephants do in the wild to pick fruit from high trees, and was trained to take riders; Angus is a regular at the Canadian National Exhibition.

For years, Angus and Mr. Hackenberger travelled together in circuses, including the Garden Brothers Circus. If the truck and trailer got stuck in the mud, Angus would push them out. The elephant loves the water.

"When we were travelling in the Gaspé once, Angus took a swim in the St. Lawrence. Some beluga whales came by and were swimming four to five feet from him. It was a magical moment."

But Angus has just kept growing, and is now five times heavier than when the adoption took place. Most of the time Angus is gentle and good natured, except during musth, a period of elevated testosterone levels that makes male elephants temperamental.

"As big as he is, he's stretched the zoo's ability to give him a good quality of life for the rest of his days," Mr. Hackenberger said. As Angus got older and bigger, the elephant has gotten harder to manage. The musth periods sometimes last months. A few years ago, Mr. Hackenberger realized Angus would be better off in the wild.

Elephants aren't often returned to Africa from North America, largely because of the challenge of getting them there -- you can't just pack them in a trunk.

"The animals who have been released back into the wild have done very well," said Douw Grobler, the South African wildlife veterinarian and consultant who will help Angus make the transition to the wild. "But repatriations have always been done by ship and it was always young adult females."

Mr. Hackenberger considered delivering Angus by ship, but that meant a month or longer at sea with no guaranteed arrival date and potential stress from storms. A cargo aircraft was better, but the zoo couldn't raise the money for a real jumbo jet.

But if Angus can act, why not make the elephant work for air fare?

Angus will be the subject of two films to be produced by Toronto's Knightscove Family Films, the maker of 2003's Santa movie Blizzard, which starred reindeer from the Bowmanville Zoo.

The first will be a $10-million feature film loosely based on the story of Jumbo, P. T. Barnum's celebrity circus elephant who was struck and killed by a freight train in St. Thomas, Ont., in 1885 (Angus played Jumbo in the 1999 A&E biopic on Barnum).

The second will be a two-hour documentary on Angus's repatriation. Sponsorship money is being raised to cover the cost of the trip.

Leif Bristow, 50, Knightscove's president, is in South Africa this week meeting with his South African co-producers and scouting locations for the feature film, which will go into production shortly after Angus's arrival in the early summer.

"I'm 99.9-per-cent confident the movie and documentary will get done," Mr. Bristow said.

Mr. Bristow had high hopes that Industrial Alliance, a Quebec life insurer, would sponsor Angus's return. More than a decade ago, the company adopted an elephant as its logo. Angus was used in a series of Alliance ads in the 1990s and the company's website talks about the elephant's return to Africa. Alliance is opting out, though.

"We've been having discussions with the producer about this," Industrial Alliance spokesman Jacques Carriere said. "But we're a small company and we decided to stick with our core sponsorships of health and education."

The logistics and expense of the trans-Atlantic exercise will be horrendous. The price of a flying freighter alone is $325,000 (U.S.).

Angus will probably fly on a Russian-built Antonov 125, the same plane that moved Canada's DART team to Sri Lanka and one of the few flying that can handle cargo of these dimensions.

If all goes well, the trip to Johannesburg or Cape Town, including refuelling stops, could take 28 hours and Angus will be accompanied by elephant experts, including Mr. Hackenberger's wife, Wendy Korver, and the zoo's veterinarian.

It won't be quite be like a scene from Disney's Dumbo, however. Angus's poop will have to be put into sealed containers, ditto the urine.

She's not as famous as Jewel. But Google the words "maggie elephant alaska," and you get 9,180 hits. The New York Times wrote about her last month, and both Jay Leno and David Letterman told the same Maggie joke in their monologues.

It went something like this: Officials at a zoo in Anchorage, Alaska, are trying to figure out why their African elephant is depressed. Well, duh. You think it has anything to do with being an elephant in a zoo in Anchorage, Alaska?

The issue is whether the Alaska Zoo can provide a decent life for Maggie, a 22-year-old native of Zimbabwe, and no one involved thinks the question is funny

Should Maggie stay in Alaska or be sent to a zoo in a warmer climate, one that has other elephants? How close to natural habitat must a zoo get to be considered a fit home for an elephant, especially a female African? What's more important for Maggie, to remain in the life she knows or to be moved to a life experts believe she wants?

It's not just Alaska. Elephant fires are burning all over the country as scientists, zoos and animal interest groups try to provide humane and appropriate care for Earth's largest, and some of its most intelligent, land animals, whose survival in the wild is threatened by loss of habitat. The arguers range from those who feel elephants should never be in captivity to those who believe captive breeding programs will be the salvation of the species.

After a year of agonizing over whether to keep Maggie or send her somewhere else, after listening to experts on both sides, the Alaska Zoo board decided last summer that Maggie would not like to be shipped to a strange place full of strange elephants.

Maggie has never known any other life and is happy where she is, the board concluded. So they are keeping her here for at least three years while efforts are made to upgrade her environment, including building the first elephant treadmill so she can exercise during the winter, said zoo director Tex Edwards. In three years, the board will re-evaluate the situation.

'A MORE NATURAL LIFE'

It was a tough call, said Edwards.

"We are comfortable with the decision we made," said current board president Vince Curry. "I understand that some people don't agree with the conclusion."

One of those people is Penelope Wells, a local artist, wife of a retired orthodontist, and a reluctant activist.

Wells says the zoo made the wrong decision and it's dangerous to wait to find another home for Maggie. She's relatively healthy now and at least two good warm-weather zoos with elephants want her. If she gets sick, those opportunities will disappear, Wells said.

"This is Maggie's chance. It's her window to get back to being an elephant, to live a more natural life."

Wells is one of the founders of Friends of Maggie, a local group with a dozen or so active members who believe Maggie must be relocated to a place where she can live a life more like the one experts say elephants require in order to thrive. This means being with others of her kind in a climate where she can walk around outside all year.

According to Wells, Friends of Maggie worked behind the scenes with a zoo committee for about two years, gathering expert information for a proposal to move Maggie. But the zoo board refused to let them make a presentation.

That was because a majority of the board concluded there was no point talking to Friends of Maggie, Edwards said. The group made it clear the only acceptable outcome was to move Maggie, he said. "They're not open-minded. We are."

There is some truth to what Edwards says. As far as Wells and her colleagues are concerned, the evidence in favor of relocating Maggie is overwhelming and the zoo has chosen to ignore it. It's an ethical matter, says Wells. Friends of Maggie can't just abandon Maggie. The group has to do something. So it has decided to take the issue to the public.

"Scientists have learned so much about elephants," Wells said during a recent visit to Maggie, who lives in a building that is larger than national standards but is still a chilly concrete cage with bars where she bumps into things and often has to back up like a big truck to turn around.

Maggie's longtime keeper, a man everyone agrees she is very fond of, has taken a job with the Department of Corrections, but he still works with her about 20 hours a week, Edwards said. During Wells' visit, two other keepers were with her, one cleaning the barn and the other engaging Maggie in games meant to exercise her trunk and her mind. As quickly as a keeper put forkfuls of hay in tires hanging from the ceiling, Maggie snatched bundles out with her trunk, eating some and flinging some around. She was lively, snuffled a lot and seemed to be having a good time until the keepers left for other duties.

'A BUNCH OF FUSS'?

The battle over Maggie's future heated up in January when the American Zoo and Aquarium Association took sides. In a letter to the Alaska Zoo, the association said Maggie should be moved.

The Jan. 13 letter is very diplomatic, deliberately so, according to Sydney Butler, American Zoo and Aquarium Association executive director. It does not say anything bad about the zoo, but the message is unequivocal.

"We do not doubt your commitment, but we must express concern that, despite your current efforts, Maggie will continue to live a solitary life in extremely challenging conditions."

Two American Zoo and Aquarium Association zoos that specialize in elephant care are willing to take Maggie, the letter says. "We believe that such a new location would be in Maggie's best interest."

The letter matters, because the association is not a radical animal rights organization or a group of romantic do-gooders who want to send all elephants back to Africa. Its members are professionals who run 78 zoos and more than a hundred aquariums across North America, including leading zoos like San Diego, Busch Gardens, the Bronx Zoo, Disney Animal Kingdom, Denver and Oakland.

There are no solitary female African elephants in any American Zoo and Aquarium Association zoos, said Alison Stevenson, a spokeswoman for the organization.

Edwards and Curry felt broadsided by the association letter and its publication by Friends of Maggie. They saw it as an attack on the whole zoo.

Edwards agrees that female African elephants in the wild are very social animals and don't live alone. But people just assume this "principle applies to every individual animal in every situation on the globe," he said.

Maggie hasn't lived that life. She has been shaped by the life she lives here and is used to it, he said.

"I don't intend to give any kind of credence to a group of people who like to raise a bunch of fuss," Edwards said.

SHE CAN'T FORGET

Raising a fuss is not Wells' preferred way to accomplish things, she said, but the zoo hasn't left Friends of Maggie much choice.

Born in South Africa, daughter of a British military family, she designs those wildflower bookmarks sold in tourist shops. Her father was a fighter pilot for the Royal Air Force in World War II in the African campaign against Gen. Erwin Rommel. After the war, he flew a Tiger Moth for a while in the Umfologi game reserve in Zululand, South Africa. Wells lived with animals much of her youth.

She landed on the North Slope in 1972 as an oil company employee. She has a master's degree in art history and is a former executive director of the Alaska World Affairs Council. She seems a little uncomfortable with the prospect of organizing a community drive to move Maggie:

"I've never taken on something like this."

But she also seems determined. "I know if the people of this community understood, they would convince the zoo to let Maggie go."

Edwards said the zoo board only wants what is best for Maggie and the evidence is not conclusive for either choice.

"We're doing our absolute best for her," said Curry.

Wells said that no matter how well-meaning the zoo is, it can't change the weather and it can't afford to create a huge winter habitat or get more elephants. Which means, as long as Maggie is here, she will be cold, cramped and alone.

"I go to bed at night," Wells said, "and I think, 'She's right here, standing on concrete.' "

Such disturbed, trance-like behavior in some zoo animals and the deaths of four elephants in the past year at two U.S. zoos have sparked animal rights protests and renewed a larger debate over the purpose of zoos.

Defenders say zoos serve important purposes, including offering access to researchers, providing money and expertise for habitat preservation elsewhere and as repositories of genetic material for fast-vanishing species. But critics say captivity is both physically and mentally stressful.

"We might see within our lifetimes a great reduction or extinction of these animals," as their natural habitats are squeezed by the crush of human populations, said Bill Foster, president of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. "Extinction is not acceptable."

Zoos originally gave city dwellers the chance to marvel at the world's fauna and later promoted habitat preservation, but those purposes have been eclipsed, critics say.

"In the old days, when you didn't have television, children would see animals for the first time at the zoo and it had an educational component," said Tufts University animal behaviorist Nicholas Dodman.

"Now the zoos claim they're preserving the disappearing species, preserving embryos and genetic material. But you don't need to do that in a zoo. There's still a lot of entertainment to zoos," he said.

Elephants are often chosen the most popular zoo animals in surveys, and a newborn calf draws hordes of visitors. But seeing animals behaving oddly in zoos is more disturbing than educational, a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said.

Oxford University researchers contended 40 percent of zoo elephants display so-called stereotypical behavior, which their 2002 report defined as repetitive movements that lack purpose.

The report said studies have shown zoo elephants tend to die younger, are more prone to aggression and are less capable of breeding compared with the hundreds of thousands of elephants left in the wild.

ELEPHANT DEATHS

Moreover, critics say many zoo elephants, though hardy, spend too much time cramped indoors, get little exercise and become susceptible to infections and arthritis from walking on concrete floors.

After two of three African elephants housed at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo died over the past four months, animal rights activists charged their deaths were hastened by the stress brought on by the elephants' 2003 move from balmy San Diego.

Zoo curators denied climate was to blame and concluded that Tatima, 35, died from a rare lung infection and Peaches, at 55 the oldest of some 300 elephants in U.S. captivity, suffered from organ failure.

When two elephants in San Francisco's zoo died within weeks of each other last year, the resulting outcry prompted the zoo to close its exhibit and opt to send its remaining elephants to a California sanctuary against the wishes of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

Detroit's zoo director, who decided his zoo lacked the space or resources to keep elephants, also had a fight with the association about sending his elephants to a Tennessee sanctuary. The association relented only when one elephant showed signs of herpes.

Detroit's zoo was the eighth North American zoo to stop exhibiting elephants since 1991, according to PETA.

"For the modern-day zoo to have elephants does nothing for the preservation or conservation of the species. And it does nothing for the welfare of the elephant," said Carol Buckley, who created a Tennessee sanctuary that now cares for a dozen cast-off zoo and circus elephants on 2,700 acres.

Foster of the zoo association countered that many northern zoos have successful elephant programs with plans to expand.

Calves born in captivity have higher mortality rates and survivors often have to be isolated for a time from their inexperienced mothers, who may trample them.

Based on the Oxford University report that found 40 percent of zoo elephants engage in stereotypical behavior, the report's sponsor, Britain's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, urged European zoos to stop importing and breeding elephants and to phase out exhibits.

Dodman said he frequently observes stereotypical behavior among zoo animals: polar bears rocking in place or swimming in endless circuits, parrots grooming themselves until they bleed, gorillas regurgitating and re-ingesting meals, and big cats pacing the same routes in trance-like patterns.

Most zoos embrace efforts to enrich the animals' lives by varying feeding rituals and providing toys, with some success; an Alaskan zoo is even building its elephant a treadmill. But elephants and other animals that range widely in the wild are less easily distracted, critics say.

Some zoos give animals behaving stereotypically the same antidepressant drugs found to ease compulsive behaviors in people, Dodman said.

Since then Maggie has been the subject of jokes, nasty e-mails, letters, Web sites and misinformation. So are some people using Maggie for their own agenda?

Recently, The New York Times ran a story on the Alaska Zoo's Maggie the elephant. Millions read it, and that group more than likely included the joke writers for both David Letterman and Jay Leno.

“Well here's an interesting problem,” Leno said in one monologue. “In Anchorage, Alaska, zoo officials are trying to figure out what has been making an African elephant, who has been in the Alaska Zoo since 1983, depressed. They’re trying to figure out why the elephant is depressed. I don't know. Do you think it's the fact that it's an elephant in Alaska? Do you think that has something to do with it? You might want to talk with the polar bear in Johannesburg.”

One could argue Maggie is better known than ever before. But not all that is being said is funny or accurate.

“Some of the other, though, is certainly a lot less well-intentioned, to the extent that people make unethical accusations about our staff and about the animals,” says Tex Edwards, director of the Alaska Zoo.

Edwards says one of the most consistent distortions focuses on Maggie's health, with some claiming the elephant is suffering from a foot infection. While foot infections often affect elephants in captivity, Edwards says Maggie has never had one.

Here's another e-mail sent to the zoo: “Why are you doing this? Is this what you call money-making? You want to beat elephants and other animals to death just for money?”

Federal inspectors have not found evidence of Maggie being beaten, and as for the zoo making money off Maggie -- “There’s a lot of people who just assume that we’re making the decisions we are and doing the things that we are because we’re making money on this,” Edwards says. “And there’s no way that I can figure out that Maggie represents a level of revenue anywhere near the kind of investment that we’re making in her improvements.”

But other groups, at the very least, appear to be benefiting financially from Maggie. Two Web sites are actively asking for money. The Captive Animals Protection Society has a page devoted to Maggie. At the bottom there’s a link to send a donation to help their campaigns.

At the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals site, there’s a video clip of Maggie and a request for donations. PETA’s elephant specialist defends the link, saying it's a standard way for nonprofits to make money.

“We are not making money off of Maggie,” said Nicole Meyer, in a telephone interview from Seattle. “We are not profiting off of Maggie. And to suggest that is irresponsible, because what it does is remove the focus on what we need to be talking about, and that’s Maggie.”

Edwards says he hasn’t seen a dime from any group with that sort of Web site. “I can't think of any way they’re actually using that money to change Maggie's status. They’re certainly not sending it to us for the improvements.”

The Alaska group Friends of Maggie is not raising money on the elephant’s behalf, but is also opposed to Maggie staying at the zoo.

Paul Joslin, vice president of the group, talked about the passion he sees on both sides of the issue.

“They’re all reasonable and all fair and a lot of caring people in each one of those areas, in terms of expressing what they think,” Joslin said.

Those opposed to Maggie staying at the zoo say the elephant needs more socialization with other elephants and more exercise. The zoo says it's working on that and will revisit the issue in a couple of years if its plans don't work. There seems little room for compromise as both sides say they're trying to do what’s best for Maggie.

When the zoo's board made its decision to keep Maggie, it included a number of provisions. They want her to get more exercise, they're expanding her living area and they're building a treadmill. They say if their goals aren't met, they will revisit the issue.

Construction of the new section of the elephant house -- soon to be the home of the world’s only elephant treadmill -- begins this summer. (Click on the video to look at the treadmill plans.)

Board members of the Detroit Zoological Society, which raises close to $7 million annually in contributions, grants and other funding for zoo promotion and projects, asked Kagan to step down late last week, according to zoo society officials and others familiar with the situation.

The change does not affect Kagan's status as zoo director -- a post appointed by Detroit's mayor.

Also on Monday, Steve Horn, chief operating officer of the zoological society, was told to clear out his desk, even though he had planned to leave voluntarily on Feb. 15. "I tendered my resignation in November, with a 90-day notice," said Horn, who said he was pleased with his job but ready to move on after 3 1/2 years. "But they asked me not to complete it, so I am no longer there."

The move makes room for a consolidation of authority for longtime society chairwoman Ruth Glancy. She will head a newly created office of the chairman, which will incorporate many of Kagan's previous duties.

"Given the challenging financial situation in the City of Detroit, which provides critical funding for the zoo, we need to develop more expansive sources of funding," Glancy said.

Kagan said he will remain as a consultant for the society, continuing to collect the $36,000 annual salary that he earned as its CEO. He also earns $140,000 as zoo director, a salary that is expected to be trimmed 10 percent this year as part of city budget cutting.

People familiar with the situation said friction between Glancy and Kagan has grown during the past several years over Kagan's management style, budget concerns and communication breakdowns. Declining zoo attendance and fund-raising challenges have contributed to the friction, said people who asked not to be named because they work for the zoo or the society and fear reprisals.

Glancy said that such speculation is unfounded: "That's absolutely untrue, Ron and I have been in lockstep with fund-raising," she said Tuesday. "Everybody on the board thinks the world of Ron. This is a positive thing, and it's unfortunate if anyone is trying to make it other than that."

Kagan declined to discuss specific areas where he might have disagreed with Glancy or the board, but conceded that fund-raising and attendance woes have been persistent concerns. "It's been a challenge, as it has for everyone in the nonprofit arena," he said.

Last year, zoo attendance was down five percent, to about 1 million visitors, zoo officials said Tuesday.

Kagan said the change, which became effective Monday after a meeting with Glancy, came as no surprise. "It was worked out late last week," he said.

The Detroit Zoological Society is run by a board of directors that reads like a who's-who of metro Detroit business tycoons and community leaders. The well-connected group raised $6.8 million and had net assets of $16.8 million in 2003, the last year for which figures were available, according to nonprofit financial data filed by the society.

The shake-up is the latest in a tumultuous year for Kagan, whose months-long battle with the American Zoo and Aquarium Association over the fate of two Detroit Zoo elephants made international news.

Zoo spokesman Ed Noles said the elephant, who died Monday night in her enclosure, had surpassed the life expectancy for her species by 11 years. She had been in declining health, and her body will be examined to determined the cause of death.

Noles said no records have been found that indicate how Susie came to belong to the zoo.

"Susie educated three generations of zoo visitors about her species and its plight in the wild," Birmingham Zoo CEO Bill Foster said. "She lived a long and fulfilling life."

Susie will buried on on the grounds of the Birmingham Zoo, where there elephant exhibit is one of the top attractions.

Noles said the American Zoo and Aquarium Association will determine the next step for the zoo's elephant program.

He said Mona, who arrived in 1955, is the only animal who has lived at the zoo longer than Susie and that there is some concern Susie's death might adversely affect Mona's health.

A keeper cleaned them gently with a scrub brush and used an X-Acto knife to gingerly search for sticks and rocks, as M'Dunda was hand-fed fruit chunks while she stood in a restraint chute.

"Keeping elephants in captivity is incredibly labor-intensive," said general curator Colleen Kinzley, the main force behind the zoo's elephant program. "Oakland has made a huge commitment to elephants."

These days, elephants are big news -- most of it bad. Zoos across the country are being pilloried for the way they treat pachyderms.

Wankie, the last elephant in Chicago's much-maligned Lincoln Park Zoo, has been given a TV to keep her company after the deaths of two companions. The Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, desperate to silence its critics, wants to build a treadmill for Maggie, who is fat, lonely and depressed. And zoos in San Francisco and Detroit have decided that Tinkerbelle, Lulu, Wanda and Winky are better off in sanctuaries.

At the other end of the spectrum is the Oakland Zoo, which now draws 500, 000 visitors a year.

"It's my opinion that Oakland is the best," said Carol Buckley, who runs the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn.

"They're just outstanding. We call them all the time for advice," said Pat Derby, founder and director of the Performing Animal Welfare Society, which maintains three sanctuaries in California.

"Director Joel Parrott has gone out of his way to improve the quality of life there," said Elliot Katz, president of Mill Valley's In Defense of Animals.

Even San Francisco Zoo director Manuel Mollinedo was complimentary. "It's a good program," he said. "But it clearly shows elephants can be managed in captivity."

In the world of pachyderm politics, where acrimony and accusations pile up like elephant dung, the Oakland Zoo remains unscathed. How is it possible?

The zoo's commitment to its four African elephants takes many forms, from around-the-clock care to a recent habitat expansion.

The business cards of zoo employees feature only one animal: elephants. And former elephant manager Kinzley agreed to become general curator two years ago only if she could donate her Saturdays to the pachyderms, in addition to working at least a 40-hour week.

Clearly, things have changed a lot since the zoo was founded by Henry Snow in 1922.

"Mr. Snow used to take a baby elephant around town in a convertible," Kinzley said.

M'Dunda and companions Lisa, 28, and Donna, 25, were born in the wild, kept on chains at previous zoos and raised by keepers who used an approach known as free contact to establish dominance through discipline. Ten-year-old Osh, the lone male, came from a wildlife park in England.

Four keepers tend to the elephants, and Kinzley visits every evening before heading home to her house on zoo grounds.

Barn stalls are kept at the temperature each elephant prefers. Besides the daytime diet -- which currently includes Christmas trees as treats -- feedings have been added at 8 and 11 in the evening and 5 in the morning. The elephants are weighed every other week to make sure they're not overweight, and their actions are recorded in hourlong observation sessions three times a day and monthly at night.

Cameras and infrared lights in each stall make it possible to monitor the elephants nocturnally, with tapes reviewed the next day.

"It takes about 30 minutes to get through the whole night," said the 39- year-old Kinzley, who has worked with elephants for more than two decades. "That allowed us to see that M'Dunda was pushing Lisa around a little, and sometimes Lisa spent more time outside than normal."

A chain was installed in the barn to solve the problem. For the aging M'Dunda, it's a barrier. For the agile Lisa, it's something she can scoot under at will.

A yearlong expansion now provides 6 acres of varied terrain, including a 3.4-acre exhibit.

"It's never enough," Kinzley said. "But it's a big improvement. It's important to measure elephant behavior. Are they getting a chance to graze or tear bark off trees or have mud to wallow in or to swim? We're coming close to how elephants behave in the wild. For animals in captivity, the more control and choice they have, the more psychologically healthy they are."

Nicole Meyer, elephant specialist with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said, "PETA does not believe elephants belong in captivity, but we recognize Oakland's efforts to provide more space. And the Oakland Zoo has pioneered protected contact, while other zoos are beating elephants with bull hooks."

Protected contact relies on barriers between keeper and beast, and persuasion through rewards rather than discipline.

In June 1991, the Oakland Zoo became the first in the country to apply the method to all its elephants. The change occurred six months after a bull elephant killed a keeper there and a year after Lisa attacked Kinzley, ripping off an index finger and the end of her thumb. In 1988, at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, another elephant also had assaulted her.

"Her name, ironically, was Patience," Kinzley said. "A new keeper got too close, and she went after him. I said, 'Patience, no!' in my most commanding voice. She immediately flattened me and did a headstand on my chest."

Patience then flung Kinzley against a wall. She slid down, like a character in a Road Runner cartoon, and ended up with three cracked ribs, a concussion, and muscle and tendon damage in her legs.

"I couldn't believe this animal I cared so much about would do this to me, " Kinzley said. "You forget they're wild animals, and when they're upset, your relationship won't be their top priority. It was an eye-opener for me."

And it was the beginning of a new philosophy -- protected contact. Now, half the zoos in the country employ this method. Among the half that don't, at least one elephant keeper a year is killed.

Kinzley, an outspoken activist who opposes the use of elephants in circuses, said that protected contact should be ancient history and that space is the new challenge.

A survey by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, released last week, found that 40 member facilities are planning to expand or build elephant exhibits in the next five years.

"What we're providing here should be the minimum," Kinzley said. "But the fact there's been so much controversy has been wonderful for elephants."

Although Buckley, of the Tennessee sanctuary, described Kinzley as "a beacon in the zoo world," the two disagree on one major issue -- breeding.

"Zoos are not in a position to give elephants the environment necessary to have a quality of life," Buckley said. "To actually bring them into this environment is irresponsible."

However, Kinzley is still determined, despite several failed attempts to raise babies at the Oakland Zoo.

When animals take a step in their natural, sod environment, the concussion felt when the foot lands is muffled. When walking on concrete or pavement, no such effect occurs. This is why shoes are cushioned, and special running shoes are manufactured for those foolhardy enough to run on streets.

The damaging effects exceed the obvious orthopedic ones. The concussive effect is proportional to the weight of the body. For massive animals such as the elephant, the effect is horrendous and is easily calculated. It can amount to three times the weight of the body. For a 5-ton elephant, that is a force of 15 tons -- as if the weight of seven automobiles is slammed into the body. Mammal bodies are composed largely of water, an incompressible fluid. When that force hits the elephant's body, the concussion is transmitted through the legs, and upward through all the organs of the body.

The cells of those organs are ruptured. This occurs notably among the delicate cells of the alveoli of the lungs. That is the source of the well-documented prevalence of deaths due to tuberculosis, a disease of the lungs, among captive elephants and other large mammals. As the many organs in the body necessary for digestion are also damaged, emaciation is also a common occurrence. Damage to brain tissues results in dementia. Ruptured capillaries results in internal bleeding and anemia. All result from the continual concussive effects of 3G (three times the force of gravity) deceleration. It is as if the elephant experiences hundreds of minor automobile accidents each day.

Confinement of large mammals such as the rhinoceros, elephant, giraffe and buffalo to concrete cells is a death sentence. After the first elephant death, the Chicago City Council ignored the plea of actress Gillian Anderson to pass a resolution asking for the return of the two surviving elephants to more suitable locations.

"In our view, the elephant could thrive better elsewhere," said Sydney J. Butler, executive director of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association in Washington, D.C.

The AZA represents 214 accredited zoos and aquariums in the United States, Canada, Bermuda and Hong Kong. The Alaska Zoo is not among them.

At least two AZA-accredited zoos, including the 550-acre North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, N.C., have said they could provide a new home for Maggie, who arrived at the zoo in 1983 as an infant when her herd in South Africa was culled.

The issue of her welfare is not new. Questions have been raised for years about the wisdom of keeping elephants in Anchorage, where temperatures can dip to 20 below zero in winter.

However, the debate intensified after the zoo's other elephant, Annabelle, died of a chronic foot infection in 1997, leaving Maggie to a solitary existence. The AZA recommends that female elephants be kept in groups of three or more.

In a letter this month to Alaska Zoo director Tex Edwards, Butler said the AZA had been keeping track of the debate.

"We do not doubt your commitment, but we must express concern that, despite your current efforts, Maggie will continue to live a solitary life in extremely challenging conditions," the letter said.

"We believe ... a new location would be in Maggie's best interests, since she could be integrated into a social group and perhaps into the SSP's (Species Survival Plan) breeding program," Butler said.

The AZA would be willing to arrange for Maggie's transfer to another zoo, Butler said.

Edwards was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.

The zoo announced in August that Maggie would be staying in Alaska, but improvements would be made. They included putting a softer material over the concrete flooring in the elephant house, installing a training wall to help with her care, increasing the time elephant handlers spend with her and getting her in shape through the use of the treadmill.

However, Penelope Wells, chairwoman of Friends of Maggie, a grass-roots group that wants Maggie moved to another zoo, said the changes, if anything, have increased Maggie's stress level.

The worst part is Maggie's boredom and loneliness, Wells said.

Zoo officials had suspected that Tatima, a 35-year-old female African elephant, had been tuberculous because of lesions found on her lungs. Test results now show she died of a rare infection with a bacterium similar to TB, called Mycobacterium szulgai.

The suspicion that Tatima died of TB fueled protests by animal rights activists who are fighting to stop zoos in northern climates from keeping elephants. They contend that because elephants must be kept indoors in cold weather, there is a highly increased risk that TB will be transmitted to them from other infected animals or humans.

Those fears were renewed Jan. 17 with the death of one of Tatima's longtime companions, 55-year-old Peaches, another female. But preliminary necropsy results also released Tuesday indicate Peaches died of age-related maladies that had no connection with Tatima's death, zoo officials said.

"Though we cannot say anything definitively about the cause of Peaches' death, it is extremely unlikely that her condition was in any way related to Tatima's death," said Lincoln Park Zoo general curator Robyn Barbiers, who is also a veterinarian.

She expects to receive a histopathological report, which will concentrate on tissue changes, in about three weeks.

Peaches was the oldest African elephant in North America, and pathologists said her internal organs showed evidence of kidney problems, a weakened heart and elevated blood pressure, all of which could have combined to cause her death.

Tatima's death of the rare mycobacterium is the most puzzling aspect of the two deaths. Routine examinations of Tatima when she was living never indicated she might have tuberculosis, but after she died, pathologists found lesions on her lungs that seemed to indicate TB.

The lesions turned out to be Mycobacterium szulgai disease, which is so rare that it barely has been noticed in human medicine either as a disease or a research subject.

"It is a non-tuberculous mycobacterium first reported as a species in 1972," said Teresa Zembower, assistant professor of medicine and medical director for infection control at Northwestern Hospital.

"Infections in humans are extremely rare, but most of those cases appear in persons with underlying immune problems, people who are immuno-compromised from some other source, like AIDS, organ transplants or lung disease," she said.

Diagnostic tests for it only recently have been devised, according to medical literature.

A Tribune check of medical, veterinary and Internet sites revealed only three instances of it being found in animals, including a zoo elephant examined by a U.S. Department of Agriculture veterinarian several years ago. The two other instances were in a snail and in the tropical fish owned by an AIDS patient.

In humans, Zembower said, Mycobacterium szulgai disease looks exactly like tuberculosis and can be readily treated and cured with the same drugs used on TB patients.

"It's not unheard of, but people are just now becoming aware of its existence," she said.

Because science knows so little about the disease, Barbiers said Lincoln Park has no clue as to how, when or where Tatima contracted it. She said it is thought to be non-contagious and cannot be passed from animal to animal, animal to human or vice versa.

Lincoln Park Zoo epidemiologist Dominic Travis and other zoo veterinary experts will continue to research and study the case, Barbiers said.

Elliot Katz, a veterinarian who is founder and president of In Defense of Animals, an organization campaigning to get elephants out of zoos, said the necropsy report on Tatima bolsters his group's position.

In situations like Tatima's, he said, being transferred from San Diego in 2003 to a cold climate is extremely stressful for the animal. Because she was confined in a small indoor space in the wintertime on hard concrete floors, he said she likely had chronic foot infections, and, combined with lack of adequate exercise, the animal's immune system can be weakened.

"You can't blame organisms when you put an elephant in a situation with its immune system weakened because of stress caused by extreme change of climate," he said.

After Peaches' death, the zoo decided to find a new home for its remaining elephant, Wankie, 36, who came to Chicago with Peaches and Tatima in 2003 from the San Diego Wild Animal Park.

"In our view, the elephant could thrive better elsewhere," said Sydney J. Butler, executive director of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association in Washington, D.C. "We think the elephant would be better off in an AZA institution."

The AZA represents 214 accredited zoos and aquariums in the United States, Canada , Bermuda and Hong Kong. The Alaska Zoo is not among them. At least two AZA-accredited zoos, including the 550-acre North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, N.C., have said they could provide a new home for Maggie.

Maggie arrived at the zoo in 1983 as an infant when her herd in Kruger National Park in South Africa was culled. The issue of her welfare is not new. Questions have been raised for years about the wisdom of keeping elephants in Anchorage, where temperatures can dip to 20 below zero in winter.

However, the debate intensified after the zoo's other elephant, Annabelle, died of a chronic foot infection in 1997, leaving Maggie to a solitary existence. The AZA recommends that female elephants be kept in groups of three or more.

The zoo announced in August that Maggie would be staying in Alaska, but certain improvements would be made, including building her a treadmill to help shed some of her more than 9,000 pounds.

In a letter this month to Alaska Zoo director Tex Edwards, Butler said the AZA had been keeping track of the debate.

"We do not doubt your commitment, but we must express concern that, despite your current efforts, Maggie will continue to live a solitary life in extremely challenging conditions," the letter said.

It goes on to say at least two AZA-accredited zoos with excellent facilities have expressed interest in providing a new home for Maggie.

"We believe that such a new location would be in Maggie's best interests, since she could be integrated into a social group and perhaps into the SSP's (Species Survival Plan) breeding program," Butler said in his letter.

The AZA would be willing to arrange for the transfer of Maggie to another zoo, Butler said.

Edwards was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.

Butler said the AZA came to its decision after looking at Maggie's overall situation and what the zoo had planned for improvements.

"A treadmill didn't seem to be sufficient," he said.

The zoo weighed the Maggie issue for more than a year before deciding she would stay. The decision was dependent upon the zoo making certain changes, including putting a softer material over the concrete flooring in the elephant house, installing a training wall to help with her care, increasing the time elephant handlers spend with her and getting her in shape through the use of a treadmill.

The improvements, some of which are already under way, are estimated to cost $500,000 and are part of a much larger zoo improvement plan.

One of the big factors that the zoo considered was the stress that Maggie - at times aggressive with people and Annabelle - would undergo if moved, and the uncertainty that she would fit in with elephants at another zoo.

Penelope Wells, chairwoman of Friends of Maggie, a grass-roots group that wants Maggie moved to another zoo, said, if anything, Maggie's stress level has increased with the changes at the zoo, which include getting used to new elephant keepers.

A member of the group checks in weekly with Maggie, Wells said.

"Basically, I think she is expressing more aggressive behavior," she said.

The worst part is Maggie's boredom and aloneness, Wells said.

The AZA is the professional body that represents the voice of 214 accredited zoos and aquariums in the United States and Canada. It sets minimum standards that zoos and aquariums must meet before they are allowed entry into the association. The Alaska Zoo is unable to qualify largely because of its refusal to recognize the association’s requirement that female elephants must be maintained in social groups of at least three.

Elephant experts around the world agree that Maggie’s situation is deplorable. Living alone in the wrong climate, she is confined almost entirely inside a barn through the long dark winter. She rubbed her tusks to nubbins against the concrete walls, and required veterinary treatment. She is over weight. She is becoming more aggressive, and on occasion has had to be chained.

The association is doing what it can to encourage Mr. Edwards to put Maggie’s interests first. “At least two AZA-accredited institutions with excellent facilities and care programs have expressed an interest in providing a new home for her”, said the association’s Executive Director, Sydney Butler. “We believe that such a new location would be in Maggie’s best interests…”

The association is also offering to provide mentoring and other forms of assistance to the Alaska Zoo so that it can eventually join the ranks of the other 214 accredited institutions.

The Alaska Zoo did establish a committee to review zoos and elephant sanctuaries that could more appropriately care for Maggie. The committee unanimously agreed that AZA accredited North Carolina Zoo would be their top choice. However, Mr. Edwards made it clear in an announcement last August that the zoo’s Board had decided that Maggie’s needs would be better met by building her a treadmill.

That's why animal-welfare activists are upset that Peaches, the oldest African elephant in the country, died earlier this week at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo.

Activists are criticizing the San Diego Wild Animal Park for its decision to move Peaches and two other older elephants, Wankie and Tatima, to the cold-weather city in early 2003. With two of those elephants now dead, they called the move "grossly irresponsible."

Peaches, 55, died of "complications due to old age," according to Lincoln Park officials. She was found lying on the floor of her heated enclosure Monday morning.

"Though she was alive, her eyes were unfocused and her breathing was labored," the zoo said in a statement. "For hours, veterinarians and keepers tried to get the elephant back on her feet, but to no avail." She was euthanized later that evening.

The 35-year-old Tatima died at the Chicago zoo in October from a bacterial infection similar to tuberculosis. Lincoln Park Zoo officials don't believe the deaths were connected because Peaches did not show any signs of disease.

Critics, however, contend Peaches' death should be blamed on the cold winter climate and the small enclosure she lived in. Activists are demanding the remaining elephant, Wankie, be transferred to a warm-weather sanctuary immediately. Kelly McGrath, a spokeswoman for the Lincoln Park Zoo, said officials are looking to place Wankie in another zoo for companionship now that she's alone, but have no plans to base that decision on climate. The Wild Animal Park would have a role in that decision, she said.

A small group of protesters gathered yesterday outside the Chicago zoo's elephant enclosure to mourn the loss of Peaches and demand Wankie be moved to a sanctuary. They charge the Wild Animal Park got rid of the three elephants because they were too old.

Ray Ryan, a former elephant keeper at the Wild Animal Park, joined the Chicago protest. "It doesn't take much logic to figure out that climate does affect them. It affects us," he said. "Wankie is going to be dead in probably three weeks if they don't get her out of here."

Elliot Katz, a veterinarian and president of In Defense of Animals in Mill Valley, likened such a move of old elephants to forcing someone with a heart condition to run a marathon.

"They sent them to about the coldest place they could send them," Katz said. "It was just a death sentence. They dumped them there, knowing full well that they were just going to dramatically shorten their lives."

But Christina Simmons, a spokeswoman for the Zoological Society of San Diego, said there's no indication weather played a role in either elephant's death. The society runs the Wild Animal Park, where all three elephants had lived for more than 30 years, and the San Diego Zoo.

"There haven't been any studies, but elephants have been kept at zoos in a variety of climates for decades and there is absolutely no reason to believe that there's any difficulty in keeping them in all kinds of different climates," Simmons said. "While people have perceptions like that related to weather, that's not necessarily accurate."

Elephants have been an attraction at the Chicago zoo for 115 years, and several other northern zoos also feature them.

Although elephants can live into their 60s, the typical life expectancy is about 42 years, said Bill Foster, president of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, an accreditation group. By that measure, he said, criticism of either zoo is unfounded and they should be congratulated for allowing Peaches to live a long and healthy life.

The Wild Animal Park decided to move the three elephants to Chicago to make room for seven wild elephants it had acquired in Africa. At the time, animal-welfare activists tried unsuccessfully to block the importation of the new elephants, and warned of sending older ones to a colder climate.

Tony Madsen, a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, said Wankie is suffering from emotional trauma that will only worsen with a transfer to another zoo.

"Dumping Wankie at another zoo would subject her to prolonged and unnecessary hardship and only benefit a stubborn and self-serving zoo industry, not the elephant," Madsen said.

McGrath, the spokeswoman for the Chicago zoo, cautioned the public to understand where such criticisms of zoos are coming from. "It's not just elephants for PETA. . . . They are opposed to zoos and aquariums in general and that is important for everyone to keep in mind," she said.

The zoological society acquired Peaches in 1953 from a circus, and she remained at the San Diego Zoo until the Wild Animal Park opened in 1972. Tatima and Wankie, both born in 1969, were purchased from a private individual and brought to the park in 1971 before it officially opened.

A La Jolla-based group called The Elephant Alliance plans to hold a memorial service for Peaches at 2:30 p.m. today near the San Diego Zoo entrance.

Wankie, 35, an African elephant who lost her two female companions, Tatima, 35, in October and Peaches, 55, on Monday, will move from Chicago as soon as an appropriate home can be found for her, zoo officials said.

The two deaths have put Lincoln Park at center stage in a nationwide controversy over whether northern zoos should keep elephants, which come from tropical and subtropical climates. Animal rights organizations campaigning to ban elephants from zoos in general have heaped criticism on Lincoln Park since Peaches' death.

Zoo industry officials, however, denied Wednesday that cold weather had anything to do with the Lincoln Park deaths and challenged the facts that animal rights activists have been proffering to support elimination of zoo elephant exhibits.

The passion generated on both sides of the issue is a measure of the almost universal attraction and regard humans hold for elephants--the largest of all land animals and among the most social and intelligent of all species.

They usually come out No. 1 on zoo surveys as the most popular animals in their collections. Conservation officials struggling to stop the slaughter of elephants in Africa and Asia regard them as probably the most important zoo "ambassadors" to educate the public about the plight of wild animals and disappearing wilderness.

Lincoln Park officials said it was easier to send Wankie to a different facility to join an established social group than it was to find two or three compatible elephants and bring them to Chicago to join her in the zoo's African Journey exhibit.

In coming weeks zoo staff members will consider finding a replacement group of elephants. They said the option of keeping no elephants at all would be discussed, though they consider that possibility remote.

PETA blames weather

The animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals on Wednesday charged that cold weather conditions were directly responsible for the elephant deaths at Lincoln Park.

"The issue is that, because of cold climate, they are forced to live indoors under conditions in which elephants are deprived of adequate exercise and enrichment," said Nicole Meyer, who said she is PETA's "elephant specialist."

"We find that elephants kept in captivity in general are dying prematurely, decades short of expected life spans as a result of captivity-induced ailments such as arthritis and foot infection."

Wankie, Tatima and Peaches came to Lincoln Park in 2003 from San Diego Wild Animal Park, a move excoriated by some animal rights activists. Wankie and Tatima were entering into elephant old age at the time, and Peaches was the oldest African zoo elephant in the country.

"We said they undoubtedly will not prosper and probably there will be some loss of life," said Pat Derby, director of the Performing Animal Welfare Society, a California group that operates three sanctuaries for captive wildlife. "Elephants can take some cold, but moving them from a climate like San Diego to a climate like Chicago is a horrible stress, and for old elephants, I think it's deadly."

Lincoln Park and other zoo industry officials say such charges are unfounded.

"The facts don't prove out what PETA and other activists are saying," said Bill Foster, director of the Birmingham (Alabama) Zoo and president of the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the zoo industry trade organization.

Current studies on the median age of death for captive African elephants, he said, "is not statistically different" than what it is for elephants living in the wild, about 36 to 38 years.

Some zoos have decided to do away with elephant exhibits. Last year, the Detroit Zoo director announced he would shut down the zoo's elephant exhibit and send Winky and Wanda to a warmer, roomier sanctuary.

In San Francisco, animal welfare groups pressured zoo officials there to stop their elephant exhibit after one died last April.

Officials at the Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden in Evansville, Ind., said they shut down the facility's elephant exhibit in 1999 after deciding it was better for the elephant, Bunny, to live in a Tennessee sanctuary.

Erik Beck, the zoo's curator of animals, said zoo officials thought the elephant needed companionship and that her exhibit space was outdated.

"Definitely what was correct 20 years ago ... even 10 years ago does not mean it's the right thing to do now," Beck said.

Elephants brought back

Yet other zoos, such as Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, are bringing elephants back after closing exhibits earlier, Foster said. And the Denver and Cleveland Zoos, are expanding elephant collections and facilities.

"Some of our most successful elephant programs have been in zoos in northern climates," Foster said, citing zoos in Cincinnati and Syracuse.

At the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage, zoo workers and animal rights activists have expressed concern that the zoo's only elephant is depressed. Officials ultimately decided to keep her and embarked on a three-year, $500,000 improvement program, including construction of the world's first elephant treadmill for exercising in the coldest months.

"People have excellent points on both sides and nobody has true answers," said zoo curator Pat Lampi.

Despite the two recent deaths at Lincoln Park, Foster said, the Chicago zoo has been notable for its expertise in care of geriatric elephants.

Meyer of PETA said the deaths, coming in rapid succession, were proof enough of the zoo's inadequate care of the animals.

Kelly McGrath, spokeswoman for Lincoln Park, said there is no link between Chicago's cold winters and the recent deaths. "You need to take each death separately," she said.

"Tatima had some kind of bacterial disease. We don't yet know if it was tuberculosis, but it had destroyed her body. That is a bacterial disease that she could have acquired 30 years ago. If she had been here, stayed in San Diego or gone elsewhere would not have mattered in terms of her death. Peaches was just old."

During the winter, the zoo's elephants have lived off-exhibit in a 4,000-square-foot area with a concrete floor. McGrath said the concrete is not ideal and that keepers are hoping to develop a flooring that is softer, yet durable enough that the elephants can't rip it up.

West suburban Brookfield Zoo has two extremely popular African female elephants and has never entertained the idea of doing away with its elephant exhibit, said zoo director Stuart Strahl.

"Elephants are probably the most enigmatic and charismatic animals we have," said Strahl, "standing as representatives for the endangered and threatened wild species and habitat worldwide.

"The role of the zoo in a modern society is one of conservation and education. Our philosophy is that people care about wildlife and nature when they have meaningful, direct experiences with wildlife."

North American zoos and aquariums attract 140 million visitors a year, which Strahl said represents an enormous opportunity to teach an increasingly urban population the importance of preserving wildlife and habitats. North American zoos have about 300 elephants total, half Asian, half African.

"People are drawn to them because of their size," said Strahl. "They are an animal everybody can relate to.

Peaches was one of three elephants sent to Chicago in 2003 from the California zoo, which needed additional space for young animals newly captured in Africa. A younger elephant from that trio also died suddenly at the Lincoln Park Zoo three months ago.

"Zoos in northern climates, like Lincoln Park Zoo, are not suitable to house elephants," said Tony Madsen, founder of a Chicago-area group that has worked to send the zoo's elephants to sanctuaries in warmer climates. He said his group is planning a memorial service for Peaches.

"It is ethically wrong to keep these intelligent and social animals, the world's largest land mammals, in small enclosures and barns just for human amusement," he said.

Lincoln Park spokeswoman Kelly McGrath said Wednesday that zoo officials had already decided to move their remaining elephant to another zoo as soon as arrangements can be made. Elephants are highly social animals and do not thrive when kept alone.

Dissatisfied with the zoo's response, activists have scheduled a protest rally at Lincoln Park Friday to call for the immediate transfer of the zoo's remaining elephant, Wankie, to a sanctuary.

According to a zoo statement, Peaches was found lying down Monday morning in her heated enclosure in the African Journey building. "Though she was alive, her eyes were unfocused and her breathing was labored," the release said. "For hours, veterinarians and keepers tried to get the elephant back on her feet, but to no avail." The animal was euthanized Monday evening.

The officials said they did not believe the death was related to the illness that killed Tatima, 35, at the zoo three months ago. Tatima died of apparent tuberculosis.

Ray Ryan, a former elephant keeper at the San Diego park who cared for Peaches, Tatima and Wankie there before they were later sent to Chicago, said he didn't think the surviving elephant would live for long at the zoo.

"She's lost all of her family, and I think she'll quickly die of grief," he said. "When all three were moved to Chicago (in 2003,) I said then they wouldn't last two years. And already, two of them are dead."

The American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which accredits facilities, is meeting in Florida this week to discuss elephant care. Spokeswoman Jane Ballentine said the meeting was part of an ongoing review of standards and research, and that it will probably result in some new recommendations.

Asked about the protests aimed at closing Northern elephant exhibits, Ballentine said the AZA strongly disagrees with the notion that elephants cannot be well cared-for in colder climates, and said some of the best elephant programs in North America are in zoos in Syracuse, N.Y., Portland, Ore., and Canada.

The issue of whether elephants belong in Northern zoos was highlighted last year by Detroit Zoo director Ron Kagan, who concluded that his facility could not ethically care for the animals. Elephants in the wild can wander up to 30 miles a day, and Kagan argued that they suffer when kept indoors during long winters. Captive elephants suffer from foot problems and arthritis that are far less common in the wild.

Kagan sought to move Detroit's two elephants to a sanctuary in California, but the AZA objected, saying that the animals were needed as companions to other elephants in the Columbus, Ohio, zoo. After several appeals, however, Kagan was given permission to send the elephants to the sanctuary.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Humane Society of the United States have been campaigning to move elephants from Northern zoos to southern sanctuaries, and local groups have become involved as well.

Peaches was transferred to the Lincoln Park Zoo two years ago from the spacious San Diego Wild Animal Park.

The zoo is waiting for preliminary reports about the cause of her death. The average lifespan of an elephant is 42.

The death leaves the zoo with only one elephant in its exhibit.

In October, an elephant named Tatima died of tuberculosis at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Other animals were immediately tested, but all the results came back negative.

Zoo officials said Peaches did not die from TB.

After Tatima died, activists with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, along with actress Gillian Anderson, urged Chicago City Council members to retire the zoo's older elephants, Wanky and Peaches, to an elephant sanctuary.

The four-ton Bamboo, an Asian elephant, was born in the wild in Thailand. She has lived in Seattle since she was a year old. "She'd never been exposed to a calf" and has not done well with 4-year-old Hansa, daughter of 26-year-old Asian elephant Chai, Woodland Park spokeswoman Gigi Allianic said yesterday.

It's taking a bitter toll.

"Every winter we have more problems, which is why we wanted to move them out of Michigan in the first place," said Ann Duncan, Detroit Zoo chief veterinarian. "They have both developed new foot problems in the last few weeks."

Wanda, 46, and Winky, 51, are undergoing evaluation, but Duncan said each has a foot abscess, or pocket of infection, under a toenail.

And for elephants, feet are the gauge of overall health.

"You can get a feel for when they're less comfortable," Duncan said. "We've increased their pain medication."

Deteriorating health is fodder for the pocket of zoo fans and keepers pushing for Detroit's elephants to go to a Tennessee sanctuary.

They could head 600 miles south now, some say, instead of waiting for spring to safely travel 2,300 miles to California — where zoo Director Ron Kagan plans to send them.

But California's PAWS sanctuary has vets on staff, a prestigious veterinary school nearby and keepers who sleep every night with the elephants; The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee has veterinary visits twice a month.

Wanda and Winky need more care than can be provided every two weeks, zoo staffers said.

"We have a couple of keepers who are very passionate about the sanctuary in Tennessee, but their perspective is not shared by the rest of the staff here in terms of veterinarian care and (weather) environment," Kagan said, adding that the Tennessee sanctuary is great, but it's not the perfect fit for Wanda and Winky.

Detroit plans to take care of the elephants' ailments until road conditions are safe to drive them in a giant truck to California.

The aged elephants get stiff joints in the cold and are uncomfortable on concrete, Kagan said.

The zoo combats that with oral painkillers, twice a day medicated foot soaks, piles of dirt on the floor of their stalls and trips to their outside one-acre habitat for ache-relieving walks whenever the temperature hits 40 or 45 degrees.

Many are impatient for Wanda and Winky to get year-round comfort in a sanctuary where acres of natural turf keep elephants joints healthy.

"Wanda is doing very poorly," wrote volunteer zoo docent Carrie McIntyre in an e-mail. "She ... is spending a lot of time rocking and sucking her trunk. She lifts up her right foot because of arthritis pain. That means she has all her weight on her other three feet, including the bad foot with the new abscess."

McIntyre, a Clawson resident, is not an elephant specialist or veterinarian, but she's part of the group waging a battle on behalf of The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. The group has gone international with people as far away as Germany sending imploring messages to the zoo and media that say Wanda and Winky need to go south immediately.

"The reality is the people who really know, know we're doing the most responsible thing we can," Kagan said, adding that he's talked to elephant specialists involved in more than 100 pachyderm relocations and the zoo has heard from thousands.

They all applaud the California decision.

Still, it was impossible to answer the question that is causing so much consternation: is Alaska's only elephant happy?

Maggie, the African elephant who has resided at the Alaska Zoo here since 1983 - a creature of the tropics amid snow leopards and polar bears - is, after all, said to be rather moody and prickly.

But whether Maggie, a 22-year-old native of Zimbabwe, is depressed because she is spending another dark and freezing winter in Alaska has been the subject of a long and charged debate, here and across the country.

Facing growing demands that she be moved to a warmer climate, where she could socialize with other elephants and get much more outdoor exercise, Alaska Zoo officials decided to keep her in Anchorage for now but came up with an unusual proposal to improve her exercise situation: They plan to build this 9,120-pound elephant a treadmill.

"I just don't know where you are going to put her where she's happier than she is here," Rob Smith, Maggie's trainer and manager for the last seven years, said on a recent frigid afternoon at the zoo, as Maggie stomped around her concrete barn. The zoo has been under fire from national animal rights groups and some Alaska residents, who, in atypical acceptance of outside interference, have called for a boycott of the zoo until Maggie is moved south. Other zoos across the country, including those in San Francisco and Detroit, facing similar criticism and internal debates about the treatment of elephants in captivity, have closed their elephant exhibits in recent months, saying they were relocating the animals to warmer climates and to wide-open sanctuaries where they could roam for miles, as they do in the wild.

The plan here is to complete the treadmill, a first-of-its-kind $100,000 elephant exercise machine, by the summer. It would be 20 feet long and 5 feet wide, according to the plans, with a conveyer belt strong enough to allow Maggie, who is kept indoors here during most of the long winter, to get her blood flowing and move her creaky joints, zoo officials say.

A donor has already paid for the treadmill, the officials say, part of a roughly $500,000 "elephant house" improvement plan that would double the space in Maggie's 1,600-square-foot barn and add other amenities. Maggie, who has been trained to play the harmonica and to paint in watercolor on cardboard with her trunk, would have to be trained to use the treadmill.

If it keeps Maggie in shape, preventing the arthritis and foot infections that have plagued other elephants in the nation's zoos, then remaining in Anchorage is best for her, zoo officials say. Maggie has a history of not getting along with other elephants, and is easily made anxious by change, so the risks in moving her from "the only home she has known" outweigh the benefits, they say.

Mr. Smith contended, as did other zoo officials, that when the Alaska Zoo had two elephants - Annabelle, an Asian elephant, died of a foot infection in 1997 - Maggie was miserable and unusually aggressive.

But animal rights groups and outside elephant experts say it is cruel to keep an elephant alone, particularly a female who is meant to socialize with other elephants. Worse than Anchorage temperatures, which can dip to 20 degrees below zero in the winter and require Maggie to spend much of her time indoors, they say, is her lack of elephant companionship.

"A lone elephant is clearly not a good thing," said Ron L. Kagan, director of the Detroit Zoo, which last month decided to move its two arthritic elephants, Wanda and Winky, to a sanctuary in California because officials decided the cold Detroit weather and the lack of space at that zoo was not healthy.

"The fact that she's without elephant companionship - we shouldn't fool ourselves that somehow humans are the equivalent," said Mr. Kagan, who said he had seen Maggie in Anchorage a few years ago. "I'd say that's a very challenged elephant."

The Detroit Zoo has decided to close its elephant exhibit permanently. The San Francisco Zoo sent one elephant, Tinkerbelle, to a sanctuary in November and plans to send its last remaining elephant, Lulu, there too, officials there said. In December, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a law requiring the city's zoo to have a 15-acre habitat before the elephants can return.

"People's expectations of a zoo are to see animals like lions and tigers and elephants," Mr. Kagan said. "But also, I think that now the expectation is to only see elephants that are thriving."

Nicole Meyer, an elephant specialist for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which has made Maggie a cause célèbre in recent months, derided the Alaska Zoo's decision to keep Maggie as "selfish" and said the treadmill plan was a "truly ridiculous concept."

"The fact that she is in solitary confinement as a social animal is unacceptable," Ms. Meyer said. "She is in a completely inappropriate environment for an elephant. You certainly do not find elephants in the Arctic in the wild." Even elephant experts who support keeping the widely popular elephant exhibits open, for educational reasons and for conservation of the vulnerable species, say they do not support keeping Maggie alone and are skeptical of the treadmill.

"People use treadmills," said Mike Keele, deputy director of the Oregon Zoo and chairman of the elephant species survival program for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which accredits zoos in North America. "I guess it's an interesting concept. But I'm not sure what the message is - for visitors to come up and see an elephant on a treadmill and somehow make a connection with nature? That's a tough one for me."

Officials here say the Alaska Zoo has not sought accreditation from the association, which strongly recommends keeping no fewer than three female elephants in a zoo.

Tex Edwards, director of the Alaska Zoo, said officials here had been anguished during a yearlong debate over what to do about Maggie, and he acknowledged that among the many experts consulted there was great concern about her being alone. But Maggie is in good health, Mr. Edwards said - her doctor said she had a pocket of fat along her belly but had no other health concerns.

"I think we're trying to do the right thing," he said.

The law, which requires the creation of a 15-acre habitat before elephants can return to the zoo, comes as animal welfare groups nationwide are questioning whether zoos can provide an adequate environment for the world's largest land mammals.

Earlier this year, the Detroit Zoo stopped exhibiting elephants after 81 years and agreed to send two of the animals, Winky and Wanda, to a sanctuary. Zoo officials said the elephants would do better in a warmer climate with more room to roam.

Six other U.S. zoos and five zoos in the United Kingdom have ended their elephant exhibits since 1991, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA.

In Europe, where nearly half of all zoo elephants are held, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in a 2002 report found "no evidence to suggest that European zoos are able to keep elephants satisfactorily long term" and called for European zoos to phase out their elephant populations.

At stake are the complex issues of psychological and physical health for elephants and the role of zoos in society. Groups like PETA maintain that elephants in captivity suffer because they are apart from their families, are unable to roam long distances and contract foot injuries and arthritis from concrete floors. Zoo officials maintain that elephants are well-cared-for by highly experienced veterinarians and play a crucial role in inspiring the public to protect the wild.

Elephant died in Chicago

Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago, home to African elephants Wankie and Peaches, has been targeted recently by PETA, which has staged several demonstrations at the zoo, including a protest outside the zoo's November formal-attire annual fundraiser. Among other charges, PETA maintains that the cold Chicago weather forces the elephants to spend too much time indoors.

When another elephant at the Lincoln Park Zoo, Tatima, died in October, PETA stepped up its calls to end elephant captivity at the zoo. "The zoo does not want the public to know how badly the elephants are suffering," said Nicole Meyer, elephant specialist at PETA.

The zoo, however, said the cause of Tatima's death was tuberculosis. But Meyer said there were "a lot of unanswered questions" about Tatima's health, including possible complications from a leg injury that was diagnosed last spring.

Kelly McGrath, spokeswoman for the Lincoln Park Zoo, said the zoo has been a good home for its elephants. "I think everyone acknowledges that the zoo is not the wild, but it's top-quality care," said McGrath. The elephants are cared for by chief veterinarian Kathryn Gamble, one of 72 vets in the U.S. who is a diplomate of the American College of Zoological Medicine. Other staff members hold a doctorate in animal psychology and a doctorate in nutrition.

Caretakers cite bonding

At the Brookfield Zoo, home of African elephants Affie and Christy, caretakers say the elephants are doing well and are bonded with each other from more than 20 years together. "Our keepers work very closely to stimulate them physically and mentally and with an exercise program that varies with the seasons," said Ann Petric, mammal curator at the Brookfield Zoo.

In San Francisco, the controversy began when a 38-year-old Asian elephant named Calle died in March after being pushed by her companion, Tinkerbelle. Calle was already in a weakened condition from a degenerative joint disease and had been scheduled to be euthanized. In April, the African elephant Maybelle, 43, died of heart failure.

Animal welfare groups pressured the city to take action to improve conditions at the zoo and relocate the remaining elephants, Tinkerbelle, 38, and Lulu, 38. City Supervisor Bevin Dufty said the zoo habitats, which together add up to less than 1 acre for four elephants, are "just miserable." He added, "We've come to understand that elephants are sensitive, intelligent creatures. To have them spend 35 years in such conditions is not reflective of what San Francisco's values are."

The law, which was approved on Dec. 7, doesn't rule out elephants in the future at the 120-acre zoo because 40 acres are currently undeveloped. Building a new elephant habitat would require a huge fundraising effort, according to the zoo.

Tinkerbelle has already moved while Lulu is expected to depart in the next month or so. The zoo, which is owned by the city but managed privately, chose the sanctuary against the recommendation of the prestigious American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which recommended that the elephants be moved to other zoos. "The zoo facilities available at the time did not meet our standards," said Robert Jenkins, director of animal care and conservation at the San Francisco Zoo.

The decision puts at risk the zoo's accreditation, which is up for review in March. The relocation of Tinkerbelle and Lulu will certainly be discussed at length at the March meeting, said Jane Ballentine, spokeswoman for the AZA, but is only one issue in determining accreditation. AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums are about 10 percent of the total number of wildlife exhibitors.

Of 174 AZA-accredited zoos, only 12 are privately owned. Of the rest, half are publicly owned and half are owned in a public-private partnership, according to Ballentine. The ability of the public to put pressure on zoos, as demonstrated in San Francisco, has been celebrated by animal-rights groups such as In Defense of Animals, which lobbied the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

"What happened in San Francisco is really important," said Deniz Bolbol, elephant campaign coordinator at In Defense of Animals. "The animals are actually owned by the public. Any one of those other cities with publicly owned zoos could do what San Francisco did."

As for the educational value of zoos, Bolbol protests that the public often doesn't recognize what she called the stressed behavior--repetitive pacing, licking and head-bobbing--of animals in captivity. "The vast majority of people don't even know what they're looking at," she said. "We're teaching these children that it's acceptable for a polar bear to be pacing back and forth on one-eighth of an acre when hundreds of miles are the normal range."

But zoo officials reject the idea that zoos are inhospitable to elephants and say they can play a vital role in providing a rescue shelter for abused elephants. In addition, they say zoos foster conservation efforts. "If somebody never saw an elephant, would they care what happened to them?" asked Ballentine of the AZA.

But time has taken its toll. At 46 and 51, the two females are well into maturity for Asian elephants.

They have arthritis, take ibuprofen daily and have sore feet, which their keepers say is a result of standing indoors for long periods during cold weather.

Ron Kagan, director of the Detroit Zoo, wants to send Wanda and Winky to a sanctuary where they can live out their lives in more comfort.

To some, his decision borders on the heretical. But it also illustrates a growing debate over the well-being of zoo elephants -- a debate sadly familiar to Lower Mainland animal fans.

Tina, once the star attraction at the Greater Vancouver Zoo, died this summer at an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee at age 34 -- less than a year after she was moved from the Langley facility.

The elephant had suffered recurring foot woes complicated by the hard-packed earth at the Vancouver facility. It was hoped her move to the spacious sanctuary would cure her ailment -- which had grown so severe a set of special boots had been made for her.

She died before she could roadtest them, and they were passed along to another elephant who suffered from the same ailments.

Joint problems, neuroses, reproductive difficulties and high infant-mortality rates are common among elephants in captivity. In the past, the controversy has been driven by animal-rights groups. Now zoo experts have joined the debate.

"When you see lots of elephants with physical problems or neurotic issues, it's really tough to argue that they're thriving," says Kagan. "In many cases, animals can thrive in captivity.

"Unfortunately, elephants in a lot of situations do not."

Kagan's is but one view. At the Fort Worth Zoo, veteran animal experts are defending zoos and the health of their elephants.

Detroit Zoo staff members are lobbying director Ron Kagan to consider a Tennessee sanctuary that would cut 1,700 miles off the trip and significantly reduce stress on the arthritic elephants, according to people familiar with the effort. The zoo also is sending one of its veterinarians to the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn., to examine the facility.

The trip would be stressful, especially for Wanda, who has advanced arthritis and a fragile psyche, according to her former keeper.

"Wanda is unable to stand on four legs for very long. She lays down four or five times a night, and she wouldn't be able to do that on the trip," said Erin Carlesimo, who was a Detroit Zoo elephant keeper from 1998 to 2002 and said she has been in touch with current zoo staff involved in the lobbying effort. "I'm afraid she'd be a three-legged elephant by the time she got there, if she even makes it."

Kagan announced two weeks ago that Winky, 52, and Wanda, 46, would live out their lives in the Performing Animal Welfare Society's sanctuary near Sacramento. The announcement came simultaneously with news that the zoo and its accrediting organization, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, had ended a months-long impasse over the elephants. The AZA initially directed the elephants go to the Columbus, Ohio, zoo.

Kagan said both sanctuaries are excellent, but concluded that the warmer climate and more readily available veterinary care at the California location outweighed the challenges posed by the trip's length. The California sanctuary is 2,350 miles from the zoo -- a trip Kagan said on Tuesday he hopes can be completed in about 48 hours. The Tennessee location is 625 miles away.

Kagan said Wednesday he is not reconsidering the California decision, but left the door open for a change in plans: "We don't want to say, 'We're going West no matter what.' "

Circumstances -- like an extended stretch of inclement weather along the driving route this winter -- could force a reassessment, he said.

"Our plan is clear," he said. "But we continue to try to keep all of our options open."

Carlesimo said the lobbying effort has included appeals to Kagan and an e-mail campaign to local media. The authors of several e-mails to the Free Press confirmed they had been urged by zoo staff members to write them.

She believes both sanctuaries provide excellent care, but questions whether the long trip to PAWS might break Wanda's body or spirit.

Kagan confirmed that a zoo veterinarian will visit the Tennessee sanctuary, but declined to characterize it as part of a reassessment of the elephants' destination. That sanctuary "is interested in strengthening its veterinary program, and we are glad to assist," he said. But people familiar with the arrangement, who asked not to be named because of their positions, said the visit is in response to lobbying from zoo staff who want a re-examination of the elephants' fate.

Carol Buckley, director of the Elephant Sanctuary, declined comment Wednesday on the veterinarian's visit. The sanctuary has a 200-acre Asian elephant enclosure and 300 acres for its African elephants. A fencing project will soon be complete, expanding the acreages to 1,800 and 900, respectively.

Pat Derby, founder of the PAWS sanctuary, said Tuesday she was unaware of any reconsideration under way in Detroit.

"Ron has told us it's definitely PAWS, and that's all I know," she said.

PAWS has a 100-acre elephant enclosure and six pachyderms, with a seventh expected to arrive soon.

Derby said the PAWS vehicle on its way to Detroit is a modified moving truck capable of holding both elephants in the same enclosure. The elephants can be facing each other inside the truck, she said, which reduces the stress that the pair would face if they were separated during the journey.

The truck has huge life-size murals on its sides, depicting two of the sanctuary's elephants, named Mara and #71. "It's pretty hard to miss," she said.

The truck could arrive today or Friday, said Derby. Kagan said it could take a week or two to acclimate Winky and Wanda to the truck. After that, it's a matter of waiting for good weather.

Kagan said he and his staff have spoken with numerous zoos along the transport route to California, providing a network of assistance should any trouble arise. The truck will be followed by another vehicle with the elephants' keepers and veterinary staff, he said.

One prominent animal rights critic rejected that explanation. "I doubt that there are many elephants in the wild that just fall down and die of heart attacks," said Elliot Katz, president of In Defense of Animals.

Katz, whose group is spearheading a campaign to move elephants out of zoos and into sanctuaries in California and Tennessee, said it was more likely that medication for arthritis had strained Tara's heart and liver.

It was the sixth death of an elephant in captivity in a U.S. zoo since March, including two in San Francisco.

Tara, who was brought to the Los Angeles Zoo from East Africa in 1966, had been taking medicine for arthritis and had fallen before.

Full results from an examination of Tara's body could take two months to complete, said zoo spokeswoman Lora LaMarca.

Elephant keeper Mary Wulff lifted her arm and, on cue, Winky inched closer to the fence separating her from Wulff and keeper Patti Miles.

"Foot."

Winky picked up her back left foot and pushed it between the bars. Miles took a large brush to the foot, scraping off dirt and dead skin. After four feet were scrubbed, it was Wanda's turn.

Weighing in at about 10 tons each, Wanda and Winky appear to be the epitome of strength, but the big gals of the Detroit Zoological Institute aren't doing too well.

Winky, 51, suffers from arthritis. Wanda, 46, on loan from the San Antonio Zoo, has endured foot problems for years. And two weeks ago, it was found that Wanda may carry a virus that could kill younger elephants.

Detroit officials said they can't improve either animal's health. The zoo in September announced it will close the elephant exhibit and ship both to a Tennessee sanctuary, where they could roam green pastures.

That ignited a public and highly charged debate among animal rights activists and the American zoo community. How should the world's smartest land mammals treat the world's largest land mammals?

Animal rights advocates claim captive elephants at zoos around the country suffer limb problems because they spend most of their time pacing the concrete floors of small enclosures. And being isolated or kept in small groups disrupts their natural social structure, causing abnormal behavior. Forcing elephants to breed exploits the animals for profit. And elephants in zoos, they argue, die early.

There are 295 elephants housed in 83 zoos accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. Animal advocates say too many elephants are doing too little for the good of the species.

"There are 40,000 Asian elephants and 500,000 African elephants in the world," said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, an animal rights organization. "What good can 300 elephants do? Is there any value having elephants at zoos beyond allowing people to see them in person?"

Zookeepers reject the notion that elephants suffer in their care, saying the other side is spreading misinformation to discredit zoos. But they acknowledge change is coming.

"We are at a nexus of making decisions about our future in terms of elephants in North America," said John Lehnhardt, Disney Animal Kingdom's animal operations director "We're sitting down now to plot out that future in a way that's best for elephants."

"We're through the crossroads," adds San Antonio Zoo Director Steve McCusker. "We're marching full steam ahead to do something about it."

The Winky and Wanda saga came to an abrupt conclusion last week.

After Detroit announced its plans, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's Species Survival Plan stepped in and ordered the animals sent to the Columbus Zoo, which is AZA-accredited and had room for two more elephants.

AZA, the zoo accreditation association, uses Species Survival Plans, subgroups consisting of experts in a particular animal, to set policy and ensure the viability of the nation's zoo stock.

But when Wanda's virus was uncovered during a routine, pre-transfer physical, the Columbus Zoo backed out of the plan since it has a younger elephant that could be threatened by it.

The SSP then retired the pair — labeling them surplus — since they no longer were integral to research or breeding.

San Antonio donated Wanda to Detroit, and Detroit announced it will send its elephants to a California sanctuary.

Although Detroit got what it wanted, the larger issue remains unresolved.

***

Domesticated elephants have been used as beasts of burden in Asia and Africa for centuries. Carthaginian Gen. Hannibal rode elephants over the Alps in 218 B.C. to invade Italy.

African and Asian elephants always have been a prized part of zoo collections. Although there are some differences in behavior between them, the two breeds share many traits.

Elephants live in a matriarchal society, with herds consisting of multigenerational families of females. Bull elephants enter the picture during breeding, but are shunned otherwise because of their hostile and unpredictable behavior.

When elephants are happy, they emit a guttural gurgle, or flap their ears, or playfully wrap their trunks together. When they're really happy, they let loose with their unmistakable trumpeting.

They also employ an inaudible "infrasound" that travels miles. Researchers think it's used like a long-distance phone system between herds and families.

"If you're close to an elephant when they do it, you can't hear it," said Harry Peachy, Columbus' head elephant keeper, "but you can feel it (rumbling) in your sternum."

Although strict rules here and abroad limit the importation of elephants, anyone can legally own them under federal law.

The federal Animal Welfare Act mandates humane treatment, said Mike Rogers of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, but it only applies to sellers and those putting the animals on exhibit. Buyers are exempt from federal rules unless they opt to sell or exhibit the animals.

The AZA — through the Elephant SSP and another panel called the Elephant Taxon Advisory Group — has stricter guidelines for its 78 accredited zoos.

Different zoos take different approaches to elephant-human contact.

Some zookeepers employ "free contact, " a technique that allows them to be in the same room with the elephants. It's controversial among animal rights activists because most of those zookeepers use a walking-stick sized device — called an "ankus" — equipped with a hooked end

Critics complain the ankus is overused, but proponents say it's employed sparingly during an elephant's early training and only as a last resort after that.

The Columbus Zoo, considered one of the nation's best and which has a sterling reputation in zoo circles, uses free contact.

Other zoos, such as San Antonio and Detroit, use "protected contact," a technique in which a fence always separates humans from the elephants and ankuses aren't used.

At the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn., where Detroit first planned to send Winky and Wanda, Carol Buckley's staff employs "non-dominance free contact" or "passive control."

Staffers who have earned the elephants' trust treat them like very big pets — petting, caressing and embracing the elephants — without an ankus in sight.

"We've become part of the herd," she said. "We don't dominate. Zoos can't do it our way because of the circumstances their elephants are kept in."

Buckley and Scott Blais founded the 2,700-acre preserve, located among rolling hills southwest of Nashville, in 1995.

The sanctuary, closed to the public, has a dozen elephants. Some were confiscated from neglectful owners. Three came from AZA-sanctioned zoos after being declared "surplus."

Staffers bring food, water is plentiful and veterinary care is provided when necessary. Beyond that, the elephants are allowed to roam freely.

"They're not here for entertainment," Buckley said, "and they're not here to breed."

The AZA hasn't approved the facility, nor the California sanctuary where Winky and Wanda are heading, citing veterinary and financial concerns.

Buckley says the sanctuary has been successful in raising money. As for veterinarians, she says the Elephant Sanctuary doesn't need one because its elephants aren't in the unhealthy environs of a zoo. [NOTE: the last sentence is a misquote. Quote should have read: "As for veterinarians, she says the Elephant Sanctuary doesn't need a full time veterinarian because its elephants aren't in the unhealthy environs of a zoo." A correction will be printed in tomorrow's paper.

San Antonio's McCusker says Buckley is wrong about zoos.

"It's a whole ego thing," he said. "They justify their existence by doing what they think is right for those animals, but I don't think that serves any purpose" for the species.

***

Most of what's known about elephant reproduction, nutrition and behavior, McCusker says, resulted from the past 30 years of zoo research.

Zoo patrons love elephants, and their admission fees help bankroll research and protection of native herds throughout Africa and Asia.

"We're doing a good job," McCusker said, "in a humane manner."

Decisions about animal swaps, such as the one involving Wanda and Winky, usually occur behind the scenes. San Antonio, for example, no longer keeps sea lions or gorillas because McCusker's staff couldn't provide the best setting for those animals. Deals were made and those animals were sent to zoos that welcomed them.

Detroit Zoo Director Ron Kagan sympathizes with animal rights advocates — a position inconsistent with the animal welfare role of zoos — and went public with the Winky and Wanda impasse to publicize that agenda, McCusker said.

Kagan essentially agrees.

"I'm proud to be a bunny hugger and a scientist," he said. "To love and be compassionate is good. It's about being humane. It's about being ethical. Zoos are a reflection of our values, and zoos contribute to shaping our values.

"There's a need for zoos to have an open dialogue of issues and not just be an (archive). A zoo is not a museum."

Kagan says he tried behind the scenes to negotiate with San Antonio and the AZA to get the elephants moved to a sanctuary, but was rebuffed each time.

He offered to buy the animals, though McCusker counters that it wasn't a serious offer.

When Kagan went public, it spawned an onslaught of support.

The Detroit and San Antonio zoos received boxes of letters and hundreds of e-mails. A Detroit student created a Web site dedicated to the issue. Detroit's mayor wrote San Antonio city officials asking for their assistance.

"How embarrassing is it that zoos have been in the elephant business and we haven't gotten it?" Kagan said. But "if you explain it to the public, they get it in five minutes. It illustrates our arrogance as a profession."

Animal rights advocates are wrong when they say zoo elephants fare badly, elephant keepers say.

Not all zoo elephants, for example, suffer foot problems, said Michael Fouraker, including the six at the Fort Worth Zoo, where he's the executive director.

While some elephants suffer from that malady, he said, many of those animals were mistreated before being acquired by zoos.

Nor do elephants die early in captivity, said Fouraker, who's president of the International Elephant Foundation.

That's a statistical bluff created by comparing the average age of elephant death in zoos to the oldest elephant age recorded in the wild, he said.

As for the need for space, Disney's Lehnhardt says studies about the elephants' need to roam are inconclusive.

"They go where there's food or water," he said, "or where the weather's better. If they get that in one place, they stay in one place."

A Disney-commissioned study of its 12 African elephants showed they put in 10 miles a day in their 7-acre compound without evidence of foot problems.

Nor is cold weather a problem, says Charlie Gray, who runs African Lion Safari, a 700-acre drive-through park in Camridge, Ontario. It's 75 miles farther north than Detroit.

"Our elephants have acclimated well to the weather," he said. "Our younger elephants like to play in the snow. And we've had elephants go to the ponds and break the ice to splash around in the water."

Another misconception, Fouraker said, is the public's image of life in the wild.

As habitat disappears in Africa, elephants are being captured and confined in large preserves to protect them and people living nearby. A preserve is bigger than any American zoo, but it's still a fenced world.

Despite the rancor, there's actually agreement between the disparate sides about the future.

Cynthia Moss, who's spent 30 years at the Amboseli Elephant Research Project in Kenya and supports sanctuaries such as Buckley's, sees many U.S. zoos following Detroit's lead and getting out of the elephant business.

The scenario — being eyed by both the IEF and AZA — is a network of large, regional zoos that have made a financial commitment to keeping larger herds of elephants. Those zoos would contribute money and stock to AZA wildlife reserves set up for breeding and retirement.

"There's no need," Moss said, "for every zoo in every city to have two elephants."

Though Buckley maintains zoos have no need for elephants, Moss believes zoos still serve a role in education and fund-raising.

"This whole Detroit issue is part of the evolution," she said. "It's raising questions. It's made some people angry and it's caused some fighting, but it's raised some very important issues."

Michael Hutchins, AZA conservation director, agrees.

Animal rights advocates had sought a permanent ban -- which would have been a first for an urban zoo -- but the city's Board of Supervisors came up with a compromise to require the zoo to provide elephants 15 acres (6 hectares).

At present the zoo, considered one of the best in the nation and located off the Pacific Ocean, devotes about 1/64 of an acre (63 sq metres) to elephants, said Amanda Kahn, an aide to Supervisor Bevan Dufty who brokered the compromise rules.

"I'm a little disappointed but then on the other hand you have to remember that this was a compromise," Manuel Mollinedo, president of the San Francisco Zoo, said in an interview. "It is not what was originally proposed -- elephants are not being banned from the zoo like the original intent was."

He said the zoo planned to have elephants again in the future, but animal rights advocates hoped the 15-acre(6-hectare) requirement would prove too onerous.

"I hope it is going to be too much space and too expensive for them to turn 15 acres into an elephant exhibit," said Elliot Katz, president of In Defense of Animals, which had fought for an outright ban. "I hope it does turn out to be an elephant ban."

"It is the first time that the board of supervisors of a city tells the zoo against their wishes," he said. "People concerned about the welfare of animals are going to be so pleased."

The zoo had opposed the city ordinance revision as an interference in their efforts to improve conditions for elephants which they said they were doing anyway.

Zoo director Mollinedo said the zoo would need to raise $17 to $20 million for the new elephant area, and gave no target opening date.

The debate in liberal San Francisco is part of a wider campaign among animal activists against keeping wild animals in captivity, particularly elephants which are the largest and also considered among the more intelligent animals.

Zoo officials say the elephant ban idea comes from a vocal minority of animal activists who want to close all zoos. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association counts 295 elephants in 78 different North American zoos accredited by the industry group, and says they are well treated.

Unfortunately, the circumstances surrounding this sudden change of plans leaves the underlying moral question unresolved. That is: Is it right for zoos to keep elephants at all?

Ron Kagan, the Detroit Zoo director, has indicated that not only the Detroit Zoo, but all zoos, are unable to meet the health and psychological needs of elephants. While the Detroit staff is certainly qualified to assess their own ability to care for their own animals, I believe Kagan is wrong in his assessment of all zoos.

Certainly, the debate regarding the Detroit Zoo elephants has been one-sided at best. Judging by the most recent articles and letters to the editor, it appears that Kagan has led a compassionate public to believe there is only one simple and obvious solution to the troubles of zoo elephants, ignoring all other considerations. As a former zoo veterinarian and long-time supporter of the Detroit Zoo, I could not disagree more, and certainly do not believe that Kagan and the animal rights extremists with whom he is allied deserve the moral high ground that has been yielded to them. I have yet to see any of the "growing body of evidence" to which Kagan refers that indicates zoos are bad for elephants. The vast majority of zoo curators, veterinarians, directors, zookeepers and other zoo professionals, all having considerable experience, education and compassion, also disagree with Kagan's perspective, as evidenced in a recent review in the zoo association's trade journal, Communique, titled "Better Off Dead Than Captive Bred?" The article summarizes the issues well and would be useful reading to those interested in both sides of the argument. It is available to the public on the zoo association's website ( www.aza.org), along with other relevant statements.

Most zoo professionals agree with Kagan that the best place for elephants is in the wild, if ever our collective conservation efforts create a world where humans and animals can peacefully coexist, and elephants can return safely to their natural home. In the meantime, zoos are doing a world of good for elephants, both as individuals and as a species. Zoo-based captive breeding programs are just beginning to pay dividends, and scientific research in zoos is making huge strides in improving our care of both captive and wild populations. Children who will never go to Africa can grow up visiting and learning first- hand about elephants in zoos and will have a personal connection and stake in the preservation of elephant habitat.

While the care of elephants in zoos in the past has sometimes been less than desirable, current standards, rigidly enforced by the zoo association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ensure quality care. Certainly there are still places with inadequate animal husbandry -- these are not facilities accredited by the zoo association (and, in fact, many call themselves sanctuaries).

Although the name sanctuary carries a benign and caring connotation, there are no guarantees that a sanctuary can provide better care to an elephant than a zoo. In fact, their funding may be more precarious and their staffs less well-trained. Many do not have a veterinarian.

Further, the accreditation process for sanctuaries is not as rigorous as that for zoos, and many are not inspected by the Agriculture Department or held accountable to the Animal Welfare Act. Some sanctuaries even charge admission to see the animals, making this supposed difference from zoos a matter of semantics. The most important distinction, however, is that conservation, education and research are not priorities in sanctuaries.

There are no easy solutions to the trade-off between the needs of conservation, education and research, which zoos provide, on the one hand, and our obligations to animal welfare on the other. The issues involved are complex. I cannot casually dismiss any of these needs, and I don't believe zoos or the zoo association is doing so either. They are striking a moral balance among them. Kagan, it seems, wants to tip the whole scale off-balance. Simple solutions sound grand, but do not work in the real world.

"It's a tough time for us," zoo president Alex Graham said amid tearful staff and volunteers who had spent the last three weeks trying to keep the little pachyderm alive. "In a very short time we became very fond of a very special little girl, and last night we said goodbye," said Graham, his voice breaking.

Zookeepers and veterinarians had been providing round-the-clock care to the Asian elephant, which died Tuesday shortly after slipping into a coma. Late Wednesday, the zoo said a group of kindergarten children had named the female calf Keemaya, Hindi for "miracle."

It was a bittersweet postscript to the short life of the young elephant.

Zoo officials had feared the calf would die after its mother, a 14-year-old elephant named Maharani - Rani to her caregivers - refused to nurse after giving birth Nov. 16.

"We don't know why Rani chose not to accept her baby," said Graham. "Maybe our autopsy will show there was something dramatically wrong with this baby and Mother knew it all along. I don't know."

The plight of the little elephant touched Calgarians and people around the world. The zoo has been inundated with thousands of calls and e-mails from people wanting to help.

Graham rejected criticisms that Maharani was too young for motherhood.

"What utter nonsense," he said, noting that animals in the wild have reproduced at as young as nine, while some wait until age 18 to have their first offspring.

Maharani's own mother was 11 when she gave birth in captivity.

Graham said zoo officials intend to breed Maharani again as soon as medical staff say she is physically ready.

"We must do that," he said. "If we don't take the progressive steps to reproduce the Asian elephant, at some point in the future there will be no Asian elephants left."

Critics say this is proof elephants shouldn't be bred in captivity. In their natural setting, new elephant mothers also have help from the herd, where maternal knowledge is passed along.

There are fewer than 30,000 Asian elephants remaining in the wild. Another 16,000 are in zoos and wildlife preserves.

Zookeepers initially tried to sedate Maharani to allow Keemaya to feed and acquire antibodies from her milk. But when that failed, the baby fell ill and her health quickly deteriorated.

Keemaya was treated for an infection shortly after birth that veterinarians say led to a secondary infection of the liver. In her final days, she was suffering digestive problems that may have been related to her formula. She did not respond well to medication.

"She was able to recover from the first infection, but she was not strong enough to go through the second cascade of events," said veterinarian Clement Lathier, who oversaw care of the young elephant.

Maharani is the youngest of the three female elephants at the Calgary Zoo and the only one which has successfully been bred. Her mother also rejected the calf.

Zoo officials were overwhelmed by the outpouring of concern from the community and people from as far away as Europe. They said the response shows that Keemaya touched people in her short life.

"Elephants are close to our hearts because as children we've been exposed to Dumbo, to Babar," said Lathier. "Elephants are part of everybody's childhood. This will not affect just our employees but everyone."

Although some say elephants should not be kept in captivity, Lathier said keeping the animals in zoos and wildlife preserves helps save wildlife habitat which is rapidly vanishing.

That scotched plans to move the pair to a breeding herd and necessitated the 11th hour decision to send the pair to the 2,300-acre Peforming Animal Welfare Society park, located two hours east of San Francisco.

The decision ends a bitter stalemate between the Detroit Zoo, the San Antonio Zoo and their accreditation organization.

That impasse had become a public relations disaster for the zoo community, with hundreds of animal lovers siding with Detroit officials who wanted the animals sent to a warm weather sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn.

It spilled over from the zoo to city hall when humane organizations called on members to pressure the zoos and mayors of both cities to ship the animals to Tennessee. Detroit's Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick sent a letter to Mayor Ed Garza asking for help in resolving the issue.

Wanda, 46, owned by the San Antonio Zoo and on longterm loan to Detroit, is arthritic, and Winky, 51, owned by the Detroit Zoo, has chronic foot problems.

Detroit's Ron Kagan blamed the healt problems on the confinement and cold weather. He announced plans to close the zoo's elephant exhibit and send the animals to Tennessee several weeks ago.

The American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which sets zoo standards, balked at Kagan's plans, questioning the financial stability and quality of care offered by sanctuary.

The Columbus, Ohio Zoo, with a larger, indoor elephant compound, offered to the take the animals in. The AZA ordered Detroit to keep the animals or ship them to Columbus.

Detroit's appeal was denied two weeks ago and the animals appeared headed to Columbus.

But last week, Detroit officials discovered Wanda carried elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV). While it doesn't pose a health risk to Wanda, there's a chance it could be fatal to younger elephants.

"This is the type of routine testing that's done whenever animals are transferred from one zoo to another," said Gerald Borin, Columbus Zoo director. "Once (the virus was found), we had to back out. We have a 9-month old elephant calf here and we couldn't take that risk."

Once Columbus backed out, AZA Director Syd Butler said, the Elephant Species Survival Plan — an AZA-approved group of zoo keepers charged with shaping national pachyderm policy — declared the animals "surplus," meaning the pair no longer figured into longterm breeding or socialization programs.

San Antonio then donated Wanda to Detroit.

"We had made a valiant effort to keep the animals together and get them to the right institution," said Steve McCusker, San Antonio zoo director. "We couldn't do that. So I made this decision (to donate the elephant to Detroit) to keep them together."

Detroit then was free to do what it wanted with the elephants, said McCusker and Butler.

Kagan opted for the California sanctuary.

Because of the rigors of moving the elephants in cold weather, Kagan told the Detroit News Saturday, the pair might spend another winter in Michigan.

The dispute left bitter feelings on all sides. Borin said the welfare of the elephants, however, should be the most important concern.

"I certainly don't discount the possibility of some legal action," Director Ron Kagan said amid a maelstrom of controversy and media attention Friday -- a day after a committee of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association upheld a decision blocking a move to a sanctuary.

The AZA has directed that the elephants, Winky, 51, and Wanda, 46, be transferred to the Columbus, Ohio, zoo.

Wanda is on loan from the San Antonio Zoo, complicating Kagan's attempt to send them both to a sanctuary that has dozens of acres of soft ground for the arthritic animals to roam. San Antonio supports the Columbus option.

Splitting them up could be traumatic for the elephants. The animals form lifelong bonds and are considered among the planet's most intelligent creatures.

In a scathing Friday news release denouncing the AZA decision, the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak quoted animal experts, including primate researcher Jane Goodall and Cynthia Moss, director of the African Elephant Conservation Trust.

"It is time to put science and welfare ahead of politics," Goodall said. "Let these elephants go."

Kagan declined to elaborate on what legal options might be available but suggested action wouldn't cost taxpayers: "We have had lots of pro bono legal services provided over the years, and I don't think we'd have any problem with that in this instance."

A spokeswoman for the AZA said she didn't know what to make of Kagan's comments.

"We're not a regulatory agency, so I struggle with what he might mean by that," said spokeswoman Jane Ballentine.

An AZA committee has blocked Kagan's request to allow Winky and Wanda to go to one of two sanctuaries, one in Tennessee and another in California.

Kagan said a growing body of evidence shows zoo enclosures of any kind are incapable of meeting elephants' physical, mental and social needs -- a position opposed by many zoo directors.

The AZA disagreed with Kagan in September, concluding that Columbus was the place for the pair.

Columbus has a larger facility than Detroit, a warmer climate, and is subject to AZA standards for medical care that the sanctuaries are not. With four elephants there, Columbus also provides more social opportunities. Also, the trip to Columbus would be shorter and less stressful on the elephants than a drive to California or Tennessee, the AZA said.

But Kagan said the AZA ignored significant problems with the Columbus elephant facility, including what he believes is outdated and inhumane physical punishment, and a hard concrete surface that will inflame troublesome arthritis. Additionally, he said that on a per-elephant basis, there is no more room in Columbus' facility than in Detroit's. Both zoos vastly exceed AZA space requirements.

Thursday's upholding of the Columbus decision leaves Kagan with limited options. He could keep the elephants in Detroit if the AZA allows him to. He could send them to Columbus. Or he could split them up and send Winky to a sanctuary in violation of the AZA -- a distasteful idea not only because of potential AZA repercussions but because of emotional damage separation might cause the animals.

If Detroit owned both elephants, Kagan legally could send them both to a sanctuary and accept administrative repercussions from the AZA.

On Friday, he said he had unsuccessfully tried to persuade San Antonio to sell Wanda to Detroit so that he could do just that -- an assertion the San Antonio Zoo director, Steve McCusker, denied.

McCusker said it was he, not Kagan, who brought up the idea.

About a month ago, during a conference call, "I said to Ron, 'Do you want to buy Wanda?' and he said, 'I don't know. I'll have to get back to you,' " McCusker said Friday. "I didn't hear back from him."

Kagan said it was he who broached the subject with McCusker, who never fully responded to the inquiry. And he supplied a March e-mail in which a Detroit Zoo animal curator told San Antonio's curator that "we are willing to consider purchasing Wanda if that will facilitate the elephants' placement together."

Asked Friday whether he would consider selling Wanda to Detroit now, McCusker was noncommittal: "I don't know," he said.

Responding to a second appeal from the Detroit Zoological Institute, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) ruled Thursday that the two elderly animals would fare best in a zoo that can provide extensive care for them. The zoo in Ohio's capital has one of the nation's larger elephant facilities and five Asian elephants, including a baby.

The decision ends a contentious appeal process within the AZA, but it may not be the end of the saga. Ron Kagan, director of the Detroit Zoo, said in a statement: "We are very disappointed and are considering what action to take. . . . We want what is best for these elephants."

Kagan unsettled the zoo world this summer when he said that he did not think northern zoos such as his can ethically keep elephants.

He said that the animals need large spaces where they can walk -- in the wild, some travel 30 miles a day -- and that no northern zoo can provide enough space in the winter. As a result, Kagan said, his zoo will no longer exhibit elephants. Wanda, 45, and Winky, 51, would do best, he said, in a southern elephant sanctuary where they could live out their days.

Asian elephants are an endangered species, and their movements and care in larger American zoos is overseen by an arm of the AZA. Soon after Kagan voiced his interest in sending the two animals to either a California or a Tennessee sanctuary, the AZA stepped in and objected.

Its position was that Wanda and Winky should go to another AZA-accredited facility, where they could remain a part of what AZA officials call the American herd. The two females would fit well into the Columbus Zoo, they concluded, would enjoy the company of other female elephants and might help care for the new baby.

Complicating the issue was the fact that Winky and Wanda -- who had lived together in Detroit for the past 10 years -- belonged respectively to the Detroit and San Antonio zoos. In order for the animals to be declared "surplus" to the herd and eligible for a life together in a sanctuary, both zoos would have to agree to that solution. The San Antonio director, J. Stephen McCusker, did not agree, so the issue went to the AZA for a decision and then two appeals.

The issue of animal welfare has become increasingly important to many people, and the case of the two Detroit elephants touched a nerve with some advocates. Cynthia Moss, director of the African Elephant Conservation Trust, said: "What would be the best outcome for these two elephants at their advanced age is to be able to live out their last years together in a warm climate. I feel that the decision is not what is best for the elephants."

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States called the AZA decision "an unfortunate and disturbing outcome for two animals caught in a web of political maneuvering" and said, "The AZA's rejection of this animal-friendly option reflects a basic and undeniable failure to make the animals' needs a top priority."

But Kevin Willis, vice chairman of the Wildlife Conservation Management Committee of the AZA, which heard the Detroit Zoo appeal, said the two aged elephants would do best at the Columbus Zoo, where their arthritis and foot problems could be best attended to.

"The committee looked at all sides of this issue and made the welfare of these elephants a priority," he said in a statement. "With all facts and opinions considered, we determined that transferring them to the Columbus Zoo is the best option."

The two sanctuaries that Kagan favored for the animals are the Elephant Sanctuary, a 2,700-acre facility in Hohenwald, Tenn., and a preserve operated by the Performing Animal Welfare Society in San Andreas, Calif. The 2,300-acre, cage-free habitat for a variety of animals has a 100-acre range for elephants.

At the National Zoo, concrete flooring in the Elephant House has contributed to foot problems for several animals housed there. The zoo, however, is building a bigger facility for its elephants, including a young male it hopes to breed.

A final appeal to the American Zoo and Aquarium Association was rejected Thursday -- upholding a prior directive that the elephants be moved to the Columbus, Ohio, zoo.

The decision effectively blocks Detroit Zoo Director Ron Kagan from sending Winky, 51, and Wanda, 45, to one of two U.S. sanctuaries where they would be able to roam hundreds of acres.

Kagan had announced the sanctuary plan in May, declaring that a mounting body of evidence suggests zoo enclosures of any size are inadequate to meet elephants' extraordinary physical, social and intellect needs.

It was a groundbreaking announcement, the first time a major U.S. zoo voluntarily decided to give up elephants primarily on ethical grounds. Widespread praise from the public and animal welfare groups poured into the zoo's Royal Oak offices.

But the committee charged with managing elephants in AZA-accredited institutions disagreed in September, directing Detroit to send Winky and Wanda to Columbus.

Kagan acknowledged Thursday that the denial leaves him in a painted corner. "There don't seem to be any great options," he said.

Among them:

•Send the elephants to Columbus. AZA officials say they'll have more space, a warmer climate and four other elephant companions. But Kagan recoils at the thought, arguing that Columbus uses outdated, inhumane methods involving blows with a sharp-pointed bull hook; does not have soft ground substrate essential to easing arthritis symptoms; has a climate barely warmer than Detroit's, and -- on a per-elephant basis -- has no more room than Detroit.

•Keep the elephants in Detroit. Kagan would need AZA permission, which would stand a good chance of being granted, AZA officials suggested Thursday. But it would put Kagan in the embarrassing position of keeping the elephants in the 1-acre facility that, although it vastly exceeds AZA standards, he has repeatedly declared too small and too cold for them.

•Send both elephants to a sanctuary in defiance of the AZA directive. Since Wanda is owned by the San Antonio Zoo and is on long-term loan to Detroit, that could be a criminal violation. Kagan said Thursday he would not consider this option.

•Send Wanda to Columbus and defy the AZA by sending Winky to a sanctuary. That would open the Detroit Zoo to possible AZA sanctions, including loss of its accreditation. Perhaps more significantly, it would break the strong social bond that has formed between the two elephants -- a psychological blow to both creatures.

Kagan declined Thursday to rule out splitting the pair, but he has said in the past they should stay together.

He said he and zoo staff are discussing what to do: "There are different scenarios within the options you went through," he said. "There may be additional ones, but it would be premature of me to speculate more than that."

Kagan had hoped to send the pair to one of two sanctuaries -- one in Tennessee and the other in California -- both with climate and landscape more close to that of a natural elephant habitat. In the wild, elephants walk up to 30 miles each day. Sanctuary life would help keep Winky's and Wanda's arthritic joints from deteriorating any faster, Kagan said.

Elephants are widely considered to be among the Earth's most intelligent creatures, forming strong social bonds, mourning for their dead and exhibiting a powerful need for mental stimulation.

In captivity, they often live in unnatural climates, develop physical problems -- like chronic arthritis -- and exhibit psychological problems related to boredom and stress.

Wayne Pacelle, chief executive officer of the Humane Society of the United States, blamed the AZA decision on politics.

Other zoo directors feared a decision that seemed to support Kagan would imply that their animals were living in substandard conditions, too.

"They're worried about the precedent," Pacelle said. "The whole dynamic is colored by Kagan's assumptions that zoos are not good places for elephants. The AZA politics has trumped animal welfare."

Considered one of the best in the nation, San Francisco's zoo plans to send its two elephants, Tinkerbelle and Lulu, to a California sanctuary by next month before improving its facilities for pachyderms in the future.

That plan is not enough for Elliot Katz, president of In Defense of Animals, which is lobbying San Francisco's Board of Supervisors for what would be the first ban of its kind.

"It's cruel and inhumane for these elephants," Katz told Reuters before city legislators held a public hearing. "Unfortunately the public doesn't have the full picture, how these elephants have suffered."

The American Zoo and Aquarium Association counts 295 elephants in 78 different North American zoos accredited by the industry group, and says they are well treated. Their numbers grew by one on Wednesday after an elephant birth in Canada.

That count does not include elephants held privately by people such as singer Michael Jackson and by circuses.

The debate in San Francisco is part of a wider campaign among animal activists against keeping wild animals in captivity, particularly elephants which are not only the largest but also considered among the more intelligent, social, and fascinating animals.

ZOO UPDATE PLANNED

Officials for the San Francisco Zoo, which is located in the city's southwest corner across from the Pacific Ocean, acknowledge their current facilities are inadequate.

"The facility is outdated," Robert Jenkins, director of animal care at the zoo, said in an interview. "We're looking for a situation that gives them a larger amount of space."

The zoo seeks to raise $7 million to $25 million to implement the latest standards in elephant care before reopening that section in five to seven years with perhaps six elephants, he said.

The new plan would give them more space and better conditions, but Katz, a veterinarian based in Mill Valley, California, said elephants in captivity suffer disease and death more often than in sanctuaries or in the wild.

Asked why the issue was raised in San Francisco, he replied: "The rest of the country doesn't necessarily have the sensitivity."

Mayor Gavin Newsom has not taken a position on the issue.

Zoo officials say the elephant ban idea comes from a vocal minority of animal activists who want to close all zoos.

"It is highly questionable whether politicians who know absolutely nothing about animal management ought to be the ones who are making decisions about complex animals, about elephants or other animals in zoos," said Michael Hutchins, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's director of conservation.

So far, zoo officials aren't too worried because elephants in captivity in other zoos have also rejected their calves for short periods, zoo spokesperson Trish Exton-Parder said Thursday.

"Sometimes in a captive situation it takes a couple of days for the mother to actually bond and except her offspring ... but the keepers are giving the (baby) formula and supplements ... while working on a planned introduction with the mother," Exton-Parder added.

"Rani, too, hasn't witnessed another mother having a baby (in the Calgary zoo) so she probably is not 100 per cent sure what is going on."

Rani is a first-time mother and is relatively young to be giving birth, given that Asian elephants in zoos can frequently live into their 50s.

The elephant handlers are keeping mother and child in quiet quarters now to give them time to warm up to each other.

Exton-Parder said it is an exciting event that an Asian calf was born in captivity, not only for this zoo, but also for zoos around the world.

"It is quite rare for Asian elephants and African elephants to be born in captivity ... and we've had three Asian elephants born here now since 1986."

The Calgary zoo is part of a North American species survival program for Asian elephants so all Canadian and American zoos will be celebrating now that there is a new female on the block that can add to the genetic diversity of captive Asian elephants, she added.

There are three adult Asian elephant females at the Calgary zoo plus Spike, the resident male and proud father of this latest arrival.

The 8,600-pound pachyderm left the Knoxville Zoo Friday morning in a large tractor-trailer to return to the Los Angeles Zoo.

Her departure was not announced jointly by both zoos until 3 p.m. (noon California time) today. She is expected to arrive at the L.A. Zoo later today. The trip of about 40 hours is non-stop except for periodic breaks for the elephant and the people accompanying her. Three members of the L.A. Zoo staff flew to Knoxville to help with the move. Ruby was moved in a truck by animal transport company Planned Migration.

Ruby came to the Knoxville Zoo in May 2003, as a recommendation of the American Zoological Association’s Species Survival Plan. That plan oversees the moves of elephants in accredited zoos.

Even before she left, a lawsuit was filed in California courts against the move. The Superior Court lawsuit filed by L.A. resident Catherine Doyle and backed by the Humane Society of the Unites State’s Hollywood offices wanted Ruby to stay in L.A.

The suit, which remains open, contended moving Ruby separated her from her best friend, an Asian elephant named Gita.

LA. Zoo officials counter that the lawsuit exaggerated Ruby and Gita’s relationship. Gita is the zoo’s most "malleable" pachyderm who gets along with most other elephants and people and Ruby was subservient to her, L.A. Zoo General Manager John Lewis said last week. But Ruby and that zoo’s other African elephant, Tara, don’t get along and can’t be put together.

Ruby was sent to Knoxville to integrate into its elephant program and serve as an older role model to the park’s two breeding-age females, Jana and Edie.

But the former circus elephant showed signs of dominance she hadn’t displayed in her California home and never became part of the Knoxville program. In July, L.A. Mayor James Hahn asked she be returned to California.

Her return puts new wrinkles in the L.A. Zoo's elephant program. That zoo moved Ruby because it wanted to focus on its Asian elephants. "If Ruby comes back, our program is all up in the air again," said Lewis.

L.A. Zoo officials said last week Ruby’s long-term future may mean another trip on the road. A new placement may be difficult to find; Lewis said last week Ruby’s saga in Knoxville and the controversy around her added a lot of "public relations baggage" to her trunk.

In Knoxville, the zoo will focus on its elephant breeding program that was delayed with its emphasis on Ruby’s attempted integration.

In addition to Jana and Edie, the Knoxville Zoo also is home to Mamie, 41, and the 26-year-old bull elephant, Tonka. Since Tonka has never produced offspring, he is a potentially important member in zoos’ African elephant breeding program.

"We like Ruby but we are glad the controversy is over," Knoxville Zoo Executive Director Jim Vlna said.

The decision made by the AZA (American Zoo and Aquarium Association) to send Winky and Wanda to Columbus Zoo is upsetting. In May, Ron Kagan, director of the Detroit Zoo, decided that Winky and Wanda needed to be moved from their current home to a different facility. The winters were becoming too hard on the elephants, and he felt a sanctuary would be the best place to nurture the aging animals and their growing physical and psychological needs. Despite the obvious perks of sanctuary life - large roaming space and the presence of other elephants, among the top advantages - the AZA maintains that the elephants would be best suited at Ohio's Columbus Zoo. It is an unfortunate reality that politics and bureaucratic red tape has blinded the AZA from realizing a sanctuary is the only humane refuge for the retiring elephants. I was blown away in more than one way when visiting The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn. in the summer of 2000. Carol Buckley and Scott Blais - the founders of the sanctuary - led myself and the two other staff members on a tour of the 2,700-acre facility. They explained how the huge amount of land allowed the Asian elephants to roam, eat, and play much in the same manner that wild elephants do. Additionally, the facility housed several Asian elephants; two of whom were imported together in the 1950s. Their amazing reunion is documented on their website www.elephants.com. Not only did the physical "freedom" touch me, but, to an even sharper degree, the elephants' ability to socialize in privacy - away from prying eyes in the normal waking hours - made a lasting impact in my mind.

Following my visit to the sanctuary, conversation buzzed among the zookeepers and administration about the Detroit Zoo's ability to humanely care for Winky and Wanda. Modern research provides solid scientific proof that elephants confined to small spaces, forced to live on unnaturally hard surfaces such as concrete, in cold climates and deprived of the room necessary to stimulate activity, develop painful life threatening diseases including arthritis and osteomlyitis. After long discussions, all parties agreed that it was impossible to emulate an environment similar to the facility in Tennessee. Ron Kagan was right in his declaration that if the Zoo couldn't do the elephants right, it shouldn't do them at all. This philosophy fits with the Zoo's motto of Celebrating and Saving Wildlife. It was observed that Winky and Wanda's situation necessitated a change, and since the Zoo is not able to rightly care for the elephants, it is taking the necessary actions to ensure their continued livelihood.

Why the AZA feels that placing the elephants at another zoo is beneficial is beyond me. It has been observed, for instance, that the hard, cold concrete floors Winky and Wanda stand on in the winter months is hard on their feet. Both Winky and Wanda suffer from chronic foot abscesses. How could the Columbus Zoo improve that situation? By placing wood chips on the floor "to break up the monotony," as Jerry Borin, director of the Columbus Zoo, states in the Oct. 24, 2004, edition of The Detroit Free Press? The Detroit Zoo is currently doing that. How can wood chips compare to the natural grassland found in the Tennessee sanctuary? And for that matter, how could the Columbus Zoo care any better or offer any additional perks for the elephants that the Detroit Zoo has not already attempted?

In addition and most importantly Winky and Wanda are currently in a protected contact management system at the Detroit Zoo. This system of management is totally void from negative stimuli, i.e. chains, bull-hooks. Both Winky and Wanda have thrived from this management system. Columbus' management combines both practices of protected contact and free contact. Expecting either of them to revert back to the opposing management system of negative reinforcement training to any extent is putting them and their future keepers in harms way. Wanda's behavior has indicated that she has experienced an abused past and is known for lashing out. If she enters a free-contact environment, even on restraints, she is likely to hurt someone, or be hurt by someone in self defense. Sending her to Columbus Zoo would not be improving her future.

I congratulate and fully support the Detroit Zoo's motion to appeal the AZA's decision. I am asking the San Antonio Zoo Director relinquish the rights to Wanda so that she can retire to the sanctuary. I am urging that the arbiters who will decide Winky and Wanda's fate will realize the undisputed advantages of an elephant sanctuary and not send them to another zoo. ,P. Please join me in my effort to save Winky and Wanda from an unjust retirement and write to the Detroit Zoo. Many voices are better than one.

The decision made by the AZA (American Zoo and Aquarium Association) to send Winky and Wanda to Columbus Zoo is upsetting. In May, Ron Kagan, director of the Detroit Zoo, decided that Winky and Wanda needed to be moved from their current home to a different facility.

The winters were becoming too hard on the elephants, and he felt a sanctuary would be the best place to nurture the aging animals and their growing physical and psychological needs. Despite the obvious perks of sanctuary life - large roaming space and the presence of other elephants, among the top advantages - the AZA maintains that the elephants would be best suited at Ohio's Columbus Zoo. It is an unfortunate reality that politics and bureaucratic red tape has blinded the AZA from realizing a sanctuary is the only humane refuge for the retiring elephants.

I was blown away in more than one way when visiting The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn. in the summer of 2000. Carol Buckley and Scott Blais - the founders of the sanctuary - led myself and the two other staff members on a tour of the 2,700-acre facility. They explained how the huge amount of land allowed the Asian elephants to roam, eat, and play much in the same manner that wild elephants do. Additionally, the facility housed several Asian elephants; two of whom were imported together in the 1950s. Their amazing reunion is documented on their website www.elephants.com. Not only did the physical "freedom" touch me, but, to an even sharper degree, the elephants' ability to socialize in privacy - away from prying eyes in the normal waking hours - made a lasting impact in my mind.

Following my visit to the sanctuary, conversation buzzed among the zookeepers and administration about the Detroit Zoo's ability to humanely care for Winky and Wanda. Modern research provides solid scientific proof that elephants confined to small spaces, forced to live on unnaturally hard surfaces such as concrete, in cold climates and deprived of the room necessary to stimulate activity, develop painful life threatening diseases including arthritis and osteomlyitis. After long discussions, all parties agreed that it was impossible to emulate an environment similar to the facility in Tennessee.

Ron Kagan was right in his declaration that if the Zoo couldn't do the elephants right, it shouldn't do them at all. This philosophy fits with the Zoo's motto of Celebrating and Saving Wildlife. It was observed that Winky and Wanda's situation necessitated a change, and since the Zoo is not able to rightly care for the elephants, it is taking the necessary actions to ensure their continued livelihood.

Why the AZA feels that placing the elephants at another zoo is beneficial is beyond me. It has been observed, for instance, that the hard, cold concrete floors Winky and Wanda stand on in the winter months is hard on their feet. Both Winky and Wanda suffer from chronic foot abscesses. How could the Columbus Zoo improve that situation? By placing wood chips on the floor "to break up the monotony," as Jerry Borin, director of the Columbus Zoo, states in the Oct. 24, 2004, edition of The Detroit Free Press? The Detroit Zoo is currently doing that. How can wood chips compare to the natural grassland found in the Tennessee sanctuary? And for that matter, how could the Columbus Zoo care any better or offer any additional perks for the elephants that the Detroit Zoo has not already attempted?

In addition and most importantly Winky and Wanda are currently in a protected contact management system at the Detroit Zoo. This system of management is totally void from negative stimuli, i.e. chains, bull-hooks. Both Winky and Wanda have thrived from this management system. Columbus' management combines both practices of protected contact and free contact. Expecting either of them to revert back to the opposing management system of negative reinforcement training to any extent is putting them and their future keepers in harms way. Wanda's behavior has indicated that she has experienced an abused past and is known for lashing out. If she enters a free-contact environment, even on restraints, she is likely to hurt someone, or be hurt by someone in self defense. Sending her to Columbus Zoo would not be improving her future.

I congratulate and fully support the Detroit Zoo's motion to appeal the AZA's decision. I am asking the San Antonio Zoo Director relinquish the rights to Wanda so that she can retire to the sanctuary. I am urging that the arbiters who will decide Winky and Wanda's fate will realize the undisputed advantages of an elephant sanctuary and not send them to another zoo.

Please join me in my effort to save Winky and Wanda from an unjust retirement and write to the Detroit Zoo. Many voices are better than one.

I am a volunteer at the Detroit Zoo and spend a lot of time with Winky and Wanda. I wanted to pass along a big thank you on their behalf.

Many people have been trying to get a different direction out of the American Zoo and Aquarium and Stephen McCusker, executive director of the San Antonio Zoo.

Citizens of San Antonio could have an impact on the fate of Winky and Wanda if they were to speak out in support of their move to a sanctuary. Wanda is especially in need of a warmer climate and lots of room to walk. When the weather turns cold, you can see the difference in her movements and moods. She begins to rock back and forth, and she's much stiffer.

It's been a long battle, and I hope it's not over yet. We're waiting for the outcome from a final appeal. Then our director, Ron Kagan, will have to make a very tough decision.

Carrie McIntyre, Clawson, Mich.

Think humanely

Thank you from Winky and Wanda for Editor Robert Rivard's fine words regarding their plight.

I am a volunteer at the Detroit Zoo and spend many hours observing Winky and Wanda. They truly deserve to be together, to go to a warm climate to help their arthritis and other foot problems and to enjoy the company of other female elephants. (You know how tight girlfriend groups are.)

Our visitors see this. Humane thinking demands this.

Steve McCusker at the San Antonio Zoo sees Wanda, his elephant, as getting what she needs only in a zoo setting. As far as elephant husbandry goes, that is a very old-style way of thinking.

I hope he will hear the words of the national community on this issue and change his stand.

Carol Bresnay, docent, Detroit Zoo

Give them peace

I am a contributing member and volunteer at the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. I have been closely watching the events unfolding in Detroit after the zoo director announced his desire to humanely send elephants Winky and Wanda to sanctuary.

As Editor Robert Rivard noted, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association recommended transferring the two to another equally inadequate environment at the Columbus Zoo.

The association, in my opinion, has never shown much interest in the social and physical health of elephants. It is concerned more with establishing the minimal standards necessary to confine these magnificent, enormous animals without endangering the general public, who pay again and again to see them.

Many Elephant Sanctuary residents have experienced untold physical and psychological hardships as circus and zoo elephants and have finally reached a place of peace for their final years. They, as do Winky and Wanda, deserve no less.

It is a matter of public pressure and expanded consciousness to force the AZA to reconsider its decision. I applaud Rivard for his efforts to help readers understand the problems of captive elephants, especially Wanda, who is owned by the San Antonio Zoo.

Tatima died Saturday morning in her indoor habitat in the Regenstein African Journey exhibit in the Chicago zoo, officials said. A necropsy, or animal autopsy, has been scheduled to determine the cause of death.

Preliminary findings indicate the animal likely experienced complications from tuberculosis, which probably had started to affect her joints and internal organs, officials said.

The elephant had been tested regularly for TB and the most recent test results, from June, came back negative for the disease, officials said.

Tatima had been undergoing treatment for several months due to swelling and discomfort in her rear left leg, including anti-inflammatory and pain-relief drugs, physical therapy and hydrotherapy.

Though she showed no signs of TB, her health declined rapidly in the past month. Officials said they now suspect her problems may have been related to tuberculosis.

Officials said Tatima could have been exposed to the disease as long as 30 years ago. She was brought from Zimbabwe to the U.S. by a private citizen in 1969. She lived at the San Diego Wild Animal Park from 1971 until the spring of 2003, when she arrived at Lincoln Park Zoo.

Both elephants and their human handlers at the zoo are tested annually for tuberculosis, officials said. Tests conducted in April showed no exposure to the illness among the humans.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the state and city Departments of Public Health have been notified of Tatima's death, officials said. Veterinarians are testing the zoo's two other elephants for TB as well as other potentially susceptible animals at Regenstein, such as rhinoceroses.

While the rest of the newspaper world writes about Bush and Kerry, I'm breaking ranks to write about Winky and Wanda.

There is nothing I can offer on presidential politics you haven't read or heard already, and I seriously doubt one more column will sway a single voter or non-voter. As the campaign for the White House enters its final weeks, only the outcome is of great interest now. The debates are history, the nonfiction best-seller list is littered with partisan rants I do not intend to buy or read, and the polls are within the margin of error. Only the sight last week of a neighbor's "Undecided" yard sign provided a rare smile and moment of relief from the civil war of words and beliefs that divides the nation.

So it seems like a good time to publicize another national campaign, currently under way in the animal kingdom, and one that happens to have a San Antonio connection. It also feels good — and just might do some good — to publicize the plight of Winky and Wanda, a pair of aging Asian elephants on display at the Detroit Zoo.

Attention elephant-loving e-mailers: This is the first time an Internet message campaign has moved me to write a column. Newspaper editors and columnists tend to ignore such organized efforts, and for good reason: They are usually the brainchild of paid political hacks pretending to be grass roots activists. In this case, animal lovers from my native state of Michigan took the time to share their personal thoughts rather than pass along the prepared script.

If there is one thing these Michiganders agree on, beyond their love of elephants, it is that Winky and Wanda have endured deplorable conditions at the Detroit Zoo. Many of us question the practice of holding wild animals captive purely for display and entertainment, and zoo officials there recently announced the Detroit Zoo will become the first in the nation to "voluntarily discontinue the exhibition of elephants solely for ethical reasons."

Zoo officials mangled their syntax, but we know what they mean.

That seems to be a laudable and progressive position to adopt, but it also leaves Winky and Wanda without a home. Winky, 51 years old, belongs to the Detroit Zoo, but Wanda, age 46, belongs to the San Antonio Zoo, which still displays captive elephants. Wanda, however, is not one of them and probably is not wanted back home. She has been "loaned" out to Detroit and other zoos for the last 18 years.

Express-News staff writer Scott Huddleston wrote a Sept. 17 article about Winky and Wanda, but his story was published inside the Metro section and attracted little attention. It also appeared in advance of the building opposition to how zoo officials intend to deal with the aging and ailing pachyderms (with apologies to thin-skinned readers).

Both elephants are victims of their own long captivity. Huddleston reported that Wanda suffers from severe arthritis in her front legs, the result of prolonged confinement in close quarters, which has prevented the animals from roaming a few miles each day to keep their joints and feet limber and healthy.

Winky and Wanda supporters had hoped an independent zoo commission studying the case would decide to send the pair to the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn. The elephant refuge, one of two nationwide, is "expanding from its current 200-acre habitat and six resident Asian elephants to an enormous 2,700-acre natural habitat preserve that can sustain up to 100 elephants of both species," according to its Web site.

Last month, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association panel instead recommended that Winky and Wanda be shipped to the nearby Columbus, Ohio, Zoo and Aquarium, and its four-acre elephant compound, which includes a one-acre enclosure for use during the harsh winter months. A Detroit zoo official interviewed by Huddleston appeared to favor the sanctuary, but did not want to put at risk the zoo's accreditation by ignoring the association's decision.

Steve McCusker, the executive director of the San Antonio Zoo, told Huddleston he was concerned about the "lower level of husbandry" practiced at sanctuaries compared to zoos, and appears to favor the Columbus zoo option.

Zoos undoubtedly offer a greater range of medical services, largely because it otherwise would be impossible to keep zoo animals reasonably healthy while confined in such small spaces. In fact, it's the prolonged stay in zoos that has contributed to Winky and Wanda's condition.

It seems far more humane to let the aging elephants experience a little freedom and spend the rest of their lives roaming a large sanctuary in the company of other Asian elephants of a like age rather than waiting for medical attention inside what amounts to a well-designed cage. It's the difference between spending your last days at home amid friends and family rather than in a well-equipped hospital.

In this campaign, a vote for Tennessee is a vote for Winky and Wanda.

"These animals came out of the wild in a very emaciated state - malnourished and dehydrated," says Jeff Andrews, animal care manager at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park in Escondido, Calif., which brought over seven of the elephants.

The Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa imported the other four. "Once they realized we were here to comfort them and were going to offer them everything they needed, they learned to trust us. And once they got into a better physical state, the trust became stronger and stronger," he says.

But the zoos haven't convinced those who oppose keeping the giant animals in captivity. Debbie Leahy of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says the captive environment may eventually lead to health problems.

In August 2003, the two zoos imported the elephants from Swaziland after a protracted legal battle with animal rights activists. The Swazi government said it had an elephant overpopulation problem and would have to kill the endangered animals if they were not transferred.

Animal rights groups were skeptical and thought the zoos had used large financial incentives to obtain the animals. They said there were two wildlife reserves in South Africa and one in Mozambique willing to take the elephants.

The Save Wild Elephants Coalition took the zoos to court. The coalition is a union of a number of prominent animal rights groups: PETA, In Defense of Animals, Animal Protection Institute and Born Free USA. The activists argued that wild elephants housed in zoos die young and do not breed well in captivity.

But the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which authorized the transfer, eventually prevailed, and the animals crossed the sea. The San Diego park keeps its seven elephants - one male and six females - in a 3-acre enclosure. One of the females bore a calf, named Vus'musi, which means "to build a family" in the native language of Swaziland.

The Wild Animal Park was the first to introduce a hands-off training method called "protected contact" that is now being adopted by other U.S. zoos. Through positive reinforcement, keepers train elephants to pair the sound of a whistle with successfully completing a given task. Slowly, tasks become more complex, until the elephant is trained to participate in enrichment activities, grooming and health care.

"This method is much safer for the keeper, and there's not an adversarial relationship between the elephant and the keeper," says Larry Kilmar, deputy director of collections for the San Diego park.

The Lowry Park Zoo opened a new exhibit in May - complete with a 5.6-acre safari park and a large pool - for its elephants. "They are enjoying their new home," says Heather Sitton, the zoo's spokeswoman. "They have a large exhibit area to roam, a 250,000-gallon watering hole and several enrichment items to keep them socially and physically stimulated."

The enrichment items are toys and foods such as peanut butter that keepers use to challenge the elephants and supplement their natural tree-and-leaf diet.

Animal activists are still upset at the move. "In the wild, these animals would be walking 30 miles every single day, and even in sanctuaries they are provided with hundreds of acres of natural habitat," says PETA's Leahy. "These animals suffer and die prematurely in captivity."

It was a year ago this week that the 300-pound adolescent gorilla Little Joe escaped from Franklin Park Zoo -- running through the grounds, injuring two people, and then frantically making his way past zoo gates to the street beyond before being subdued with tranquilizer darts. But Little Joe's breach of security did more than spark a tabloid kind of buzz. This too-clever-for-his-own-good gorilla also set something in motion much bigger than an emergency response team -- he got folks all around the country talking seriously about the role of zoos in society and the relative happiness of the animals that live inside them.

Oddly, the debate was prompted by a mis-conception about the escape. Many people thought the gorilla's flight was an indictment of the conditions he was kept in. It wasn't. Little Joe wasn't complaining about his digs, he was just doing what any healthy and curious young gorilla would do -- testing his boundaries. But the conversations that came out of all this -- in newspapers, on radio and TV, and at dinner parties -- have been heart-felt, insightful, and crucial to the future of the American zoo, an institution teetering between a quaint past of Victorian-era displays and a formidable future in which they will play a leading role in conservation and in our understanding of animals themselves.

The central paradox of zoos -- that wild animals don't belong behind bars -- remains the same today as it did a few years ago, or even a hundred, for that matter. But with all the interest in Little Joe's care, I wondered if zoos were any closer to the humane ideal spoken of but not yet implemented when I toured so many zoos and interviewed so many dedicated zoo biologists in the mid-1990s, a heady time for zoos, when a healthy economy fueled something of a renaissance.

Since then, the sometimes chaotic battle to make conservation and the preservation of endangered species a core mission of American zoos has largely been won. All zoos that are accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association have gotten religion -- they fund projects in the field, they generously loan their specimens (even the most charismatic ones) out to other zoos for mating purposes, and they have applied their stores of scientific knowledge about medical and nutritional care to the needs of conservationists in the field. Biologists working in the wild, for example, have zoos to thank for identifying the precise drugs and dosages required to anesthetize their subjects. And field researchers have analyzed paw prints from zoo jaguars to help them read the tracks and estimate the size of wild cats in the forest.

These days, zoos aren't just talking about conservation (a stance many were guilty of in the mid-1990s); they are doing something about it. Some are absolute paragons. The Wildlife Conservation Society based out of the Bronx Zoo, for instance, actually commits more resources and staff to the field than bigger and better-known wildlife groups. Even smaller zoos run conservation programs around the world. Zoo New England, which runs both Franklin Park and Stone Zoo, boasts projects to help cranes and snow leopards in Asia, wild dogs in Africa, and jaguars in Central America.

Aside from conservation, one of the biggest questions about zoos -- the one that bubbled to the surface with the Little Joe episode -- is about animal welfare. Are zoo animals essentially being driven crazy in captivity just so we can gawk at them?

THE RECENT EVIDENCE HAS BEEN STRONG and steady that in too many cases, the answer is yes. The most obvious indicator is "stereotypic behavior," and it can be witnessed in any zoo. When tigers pace, elephants sway, or monkeys overgroom, they are ritualistically performing monotonous motions that change the animal's brain chemistry, possibly releasing pleasurable endorphins. The problem is a complex one, not fully understood, but we do know that bored animals in captivity indulge in this behavior and that it is never seen in the wild.

A study published in the journal Nature last year made plain that large carnivores that inhabit vast ranges in the wild fare poorly in captivity. They don't breed well, their health can be questionable, and they have a high incidence of stereotypic behaviors. Unhappy captive birds are known to pluck their feathers out, and marine mammals may repetitively swim in a orchestrated pattern, without variation.

Intelligent animals of all kinds suffer. The public learned in the wake of Little Joe's escape that in zoos around the country, researchers have tried treating captive gorillas with psychopharmaceuticals like Haldol, Prozac, and Valium. It was concern for the well-being of its two elephants that, in May, prompted the Detroit Zoo to pursue placing the charismatic creatures in sanctuary. Zoo director Ron Kagan said that the area's cold weather, the small exhibit, and the lack of engaging social activity were compelling reasons to surrender the pair.

SEVERAL YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS WRITING my book on the history of zoos, The Modern Ark, I was concerned about just these problems and intrigued by a new concept to combat them: behavioral enrichment. It wasn't grabbing headlines the way the breeding of endangered species was, but I thought it one of the most important developments a zoo could invest in. And "invest" is the operative word, because the practice is so expensive.

More recently, I wondered about the state of enrichment in zoos today. What do zoo visionaries have to say about it? Where do they think the future of zoos lies? Is it possible that enrichment practices could neutralize the moral repugnance of keeping animals in enclosures? Will it always be a reachable dream for only some zoos, and pie in the sky for the others?

The most logical place to look for answers was the Oregon Zoo. Portland's park not only has a long history of pioneering in the field of enrichment, its director, Tony Vecchio, is the man credited with turning around the once-troubled Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence in the 1990s. He is known as a quiet maverick, unafraid to rock the boat.

I saw Vecchio as soon as the Oregon Zoo opened one Monday morning in June. But he didn't want to talk, not yet anyway. He first wanted me to see enrichment in action, so he hooked me up with David Shepherd- son. Rail thin, with wispy blond hair and a red-hued beard, Shepherdson is the self-effacing guru of the enrichment movement; as a conservation-program scientist with the Oregon Zoo, he has been quantifying the happiness and mental health of captive animals for nearly 20 years. There is almost no one else like him in the zoo world.

Shepherdson doesn't actually toss the buckets of frozen mackerel to the polar bears or spray strange scents around the tiger exhibit. But he does go over every detail of such methods with the keepers, marshaling volunteers to record the reactions animals have to such stimuli. He then studies the data to decipher what they all mean. His mission, as ambitious as it is straightforward, is "to improve the welfare of all the animals."

Over three days, Shepherdson shows off the hundreds of ways zoo staffers keep their animals engaged.

ONE MORNING, WE ACCOMPANY CHENDRA, an 11-year-old Asian elephant, as she leaves her enclosure to stroll around the zoo grounds with her two keepers. It's 7:40 on a cool, damp Portland summer day -- early enough to ensure that the powerful if compact elephant won't be crossing paths with any visitors. The peacocks are screeching, keepers are hosing down exhibits, and as Chendra softly pads by the tiger exhibit, one striped cat who has seen it all before barely swivels his head in the elephant's direction. Chendra keeps going, and after 15 minutes of a fast-paced walk, she is allowed to make her way into a pasture of knee-high grass and clover, where she can rip up and devour the succulent vegetation. For a time, there are only soft sounds in the air the cleaving of the grass, followed by muffled munching.

Her "enrichment" is deceptively simple. Untold hours of training have come before to ensure that Chendra will stay with her keepers and listen to their directions. Her stroll out of her exhibit is rare in zoos, which increasingly separate keepers from elephants because of the serious risk contact with these huge animals poses. The walk, perceived as downright dangerous by many zoo professionals but nothing more than a matter of understanding and training here, may help stave off serious health problems that beset captive elephants -- obesity and life-threatening joint and foot problems. Psychologically, the benefit is incalculable. "The world opens up for her," says one of Chendra's keepers.

IN MY TIME WITH SHEPHERDSON, I SEE mandrills being given papier-mache globes that they rip apart to get at the seeds and nuts stuffed inside. Polar bears are called inside the building that houses their night cages, where one by one they sit on command, hold a well-furred paw up to an iron grate separating them from a keeper, and open their mouths wide for inspection. River otters that receive Gatorade jugs filled with silvery fish spend several excited minutes figuring out how to extricate the delicacies. And a male elephant uses his trunk to spray-paint abstract art on large canvases (which are sold to help fund the zoo).

The animals aren't just being kept busy, they are entering a new dimension, psychologically speaking. "The best of enrichment is when you really fundamentally change the animal's environment," Shepherdson says. When an animal hunts for food in his exhibit instead of simply being fed, when he can dig up a pile of dirt or chase and catch a moving target, he has some control over his own world for the first time in a life spent in captivity. "That's important to all of us," Shepherdson reasons, "very important. A human psychologist would say the same thing."

Throughout the zoo, in the cluttered, often odoriferous back offices of the staff members, thick charts are filled out daily and kept on file, recording an activity, how much it stimulated the animal, and what exactly the animal's reaction was.

Here, keepers and curators -- some of whom carry advanced degrees along with pooper-scoopers -- work closely with Shepherdson, discussing the ways that the "psychological space" of an exhibit may be increased even when the physical space cannot.

The systematic intellectual effort expended on animal happiness is something new. "When I was a zookeeper," Vecchio says as we finally sit down to talk in an office bursting with stuffed-animal toys, "everything was about trying to get the animals to reproduce. Now the new focus is moving toward enrichment."

Zoo historian Rory Browne, the associate dean of freshmen at Harvard University, agrees, saying that zoos in the past had a tendency to view animals as "genetic units." They focused on a strategy of "moving those genetic units around in order to produce more valuable genetic units." That is changing. "I think partly through the influence of the public, partly through the influence of behavioral studies, and partly through the type keepers we now have in zoos -- the educated and animal-friendly workforce -- there has been a great drive to respond to some of the criticisms of zoos in the past as being places where animals have just been treated like genetic parcels," Browne says.

While no zoo wants to see its charges suffer, enrichment is labor-intensive and costly. Vecchio says that staff compensation -- pay and benefits -- is the single largest item in his budget, accounting for about 50 percent. Because most zoos are financially strapped, with barely enough staff to carry out feeding and cleaning, there usually isn't much left over for frills. And Vecchio says that "in most zoos, enrichment is still considered an extra."

Vecchio made a decision when he came to the Oregon Zoo 6 1/2 years ago to deepen the institution's commitment to enrichment. He wanted to ensure that the approach would be considered as vital and necessary to an animal's welfare as food and medicine. "Here, it is interwoven into the fabric of a zookeeper's job," he says. "To talk about skipping enrichment would be like saying we're going to cut out feeding."

More than that, he says, "enrichment is not just clever toys for the animals to play with when someone has time; it has to involve a cultural, a philosophical shift in thinking."

Devra Kleiman, a research associate with Smithsonian National Zoological Park and a longtime zoo insider, keys in on that point. "Enrichment is happening at zoos," Kleiman says, "but they're just applying techniques. Shepherdson is doing research, and not everyone seems to understand the difference."

Vecchio points out that the Endangered Species Act of 1973 galvanized zoos, setting a higher standard for acquiring animals. Instead of pulling animals from the wild, the institutions were forced to figure out how to breed them in captivity. On the other hand, on the issue of well-being, he says, the federal Animal Welfare Act "is a lower bar"; it outlines only a minimum standard of care for adequate shelter, water, food, sanitation, and veterinary care. The short, vaguely written rules don't come close to prodding the kind of progressive care that the public expects.

JOHN LINEHAN IS THE DIRECTOR of Zoo New England. A compassionate man well-schooled in animal welfare, Linehan is also a believer in enrichment. He's even sent some of his keepers to the enrichment "school" Shepherdson runs through the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. Linehan does not want me to visit Little Joe, who is still on the premises, but in the secure back holding pens of the tropical forest, not on exhibit. (Little Joe is still in Boston for a number of reasons, chief among them because other zoos are fearful he could escape their exhibits, too.) It's not an optimal situation, and Linehan is struggling to correct it.

The zoo director does want me to see some of his enrichment care in action. One sunny June day, he takes me to the African wild dog exhibit to watch "blood-sicles" -- chunks of frozen meat juices -- being tossed to the excited animals.

Franklin Park does not employ a fulltime or even part-time enrichment specialist, though it does have a committee that works on the matter. "We have animals categorized into 'must,' 'should,' 'could,'" Linehan explains. "The law requires that primates have enrichment, for example. And then 'should' might be something like the capybara [the world's largest rodent]. And then 'could' might be something like the ducks."

If you want to know how much enrichment is possible at a given zoo, follow the money. Linehan has about $7 million a year to run Franklin Park, while the Oregon Zoo has $23 million to spend.

But in Portland, supporting the zoo is the thing to do; it's the institution everyone wants to be associated with. In Boston, the zoo struggles as a second-class citizen behind longtime stalwarts like the Museum of Fine Arts, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Museum of Science, even the New England Aquarium.

Ultimately, society will have to judge whether it's all worth it or if it would be easier to just shut zoos down. But as wild places shrink around the world, zoos truly have become modern arks -- in the case of Siberian tigers or California condors, for instance, there are more animals held in captivity than there are left roaming in the wild. Zoos are saving animals whose numbers are dwindling. They provide incredible stores of up-close knowledge of animals we are racing to understand. Zoo medicine is reaching out to the field and saving animals that will never know the confines of a cage. And zoos connect us with nature in a way that films never can. Richard Lattis of the Wildlife Conservation Society, a former president of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, says that the animals in good zoos are "inspirational icons" that motivate people to support conservation. "The Bronx Zoo," he points out, "is a forest in an urban environment, where our goal is to help people who have little experience with wildlife dedicate themselves to an appreciation of living animals as well as a concern for our earth."

As to whether zoos are worth it -- even in the face of staggering conservation and enrichment costs, plenty of us would say yes. Yes, but only so long as that last piece of the puzzle -- animal welfare -- is securely put in place.

Wanda the elephant is doing physical therapy to ease her arthritis and joint pain, a serious condition for a 9,300-pound animal and one common among older elephants that spend long periods on concrete instead of the softer soil of the wild.

Nearby, her longtime companion Winky is getting her feet cleaned and scrubbed in an effort to stave off infections, which are also common among zoo elephants.

By any current standards, their nearly one-acre enclosure at the Detroit Zoological Institute is an exemplary elephant display, filled with trees and hanging balls and baskets of hay to play with. But Wanda and Winky are nonetheless at the center of an unprecedented dispute within the zoo world, touched off by the director's conclusion in May that it is inhumane to house two Asian elephants in a northern zoo. The long winter keeps them cooped up inside for months, he said, and makes them prone to serious physical and emotional ailments.

That decision has led to months of conflict between the Detroit zoo and the national zoo accrediting organization: The zoo wants to send Winky and Wanda to a warm-weather elephant sanctuary, but the zoo organization wants them to go to another northern zoo. The dispute could have major implications for the way zoos operate and provide for their elephants, and for the future of elephants in many other zoos. Already, the controversy is being seen as a defining moment in the broadening national debate over animal welfare and animal rights.

"We struggled for a long time to come up with a plan for our elephants that met their needs in a humane way, but we ultimately concluded it was impossible here in Detroit," said zoo Director Ron Kagan, a longtime advocate of improving the welfare of zoo animals.

"We in the zoo world present ourselves to the public as advocates for our animals, and yet it became clear that elephants in northern zoos don't get adequate time outside because of the cold, and they suffer physically and emotionally as a result," he said, adding that the zoo now pays $1,000 a month for Wanda's pain edications. "We realized we have to walk the talk, and that means sending these two wonderful animals to a place better suited to them."

After coming to the difficult decision to part with the elephants, Kagan thought he had a perfect solution. Winky, 51, and Wanda, 46, would be sent to one of two warm-weather U.S. elephant sanctuaries -- in Southern California and in Tennessee -- where they could roam relatively freely year-round and spend what Kagan called a "great retirement for two animals that have excited people for 50 years."

But Kagan's announcement proved premature. Earlier this month, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which accredits most major U.S. zoos and controls the movement of endangered zoo animals such as Asian elephants, recommended that the animals be sent instead to the zoo in Columbus, Ohio.

Rejecting Kagan's argument that elephants cannot be housed humanely in northern zoos, AZA officials concluded that the two should be integrated into Columbus's "herd" of five elephants -- where they could serve as elderly "aunts" to a newborn male. Mike Keele of the Oregon Zoo, head of the association's species survival program for Asian elephants, said sending the animals to either of the two sanctuaries would be inappropriate because neither is accredited by the organization. He also said that some Asian elephants appear to like being outside in the snow.

"Every member of the herd in North America is important to the survival of the herd," Keele said. "We believe that Winky and Wanda still have an important role to play at the Columbus zoo in terms of the social situation there, and so they should remain in the managed herd." Unless the animals are declared "surplus," he said, they cannot be sent to a sanctuary, and any zoo that does so risks sanction from the AZA.

Dismayed, the Detroit zoo this week made the first formal appeal ever of an AZA elephant placement decision. It is now marshaling supporters to try to convince the association that, when it comes to elephant care, it's time for change.

What zoo officials call the North American herd of Asian elephants numbers about 280 animals, with about 150 in AZA facilities and others in circuses and smaller zoos. It is, by all accounts, a group that cannot sustain itself without the highly controversial addition of animals from the wild because it has a disproportionate number of older females.

What's more, breeding in zoos has proven difficult, life expectancy is shorter than in the wild, and many captive elephants sway their heads back and forth in a stress reaction when in small spaces for long periods of time. In 2000, an African elephant named Nancy at the National Zoo in Washington was found to have tuberculosis after it was euthanized.

And then there are the foot and joint problems, which are widespread. In the wild, elephants walk as much as 30 miles a day, and movement keeps their feet and joints healthy. In many zoos -- and certainly most circuses -- elephants spend long hours standing still on concrete. As zoo leaders explain, however, the alternatives may not be better: Many elephants are killed in the wild by poachers, and their habitat is quickly vanishing.

The nation's two major elephant sanctuaries -- a 100-acre elephant range in California that is part of a preserve with about 2,600 captive animals, and a 2,700-acre facility in Tennessee -- have agreed to take Wanda and Winky. Both offer large open spaces and mild climates, and the California facility even has a massive hot tub for the elephants. However, the sanctuaries, which are nonprofit organizations that take in abused and "surplus" animals, have not been embraced by the zoo organization, in part because the sanctuary leaders have been quite critical of AZA guidelines and practices.

In the sanctuaries, the animals are largely allowed to do as they choose. In addition, keepers and the animals never come into direct contact, and keepers use only positive enforcement methods to encourage the animals to behave. In many zoos, elephant keepers still have direct access to the animals inside their enclosures, a practice that requires some level of dominance and physical intimidation to train the animals and protect the keepers.

One of Kagan's objections to moving Winky and Wanda to the Columbus zoo is that the facility -- acknowledged to be one of the nation's best for elephants -- nonetheless uses dominance techniques.

"We just don't see how threatening or punishing an elephant can be ever okay," Kagan said.

Gerald Borin, executive director of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, acknowledged that his keepers do enter the enclosure of one female elephant regularly. He said the keepers carry an ankus -- a short metal staff with a sharp, curved end -- for protection, but almost always work with the elephants using positive reinforcement. The hands-on approach inside the enclosure, he said, allowed keepers to help the elephant with the recent successful birth of a baby male.

Borin said his zoo asked for Wanda and Winky in order to create a larger and more complex herd for the highly social elephants. He said a large new indoor elephant enclosure allows the animals to move about even during the winter months. But he said he was not opposed to sending some elephants to sanctuaries "if that would clearly be best for them."

Detroit's action follows the San Francisco Zoo's decision earlier this year to send its two elephants to a sanctuary. That decision, also contested by the AZA, was prompted by accusations of inadequate facilities and care, not ethical considerations, but the coincidence means the "AZA is finding itself not just trying to contain a brushfire, but seeing the blaze break out all around the country," said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States. The society strongly supports the Detroit zoo's position.

In resisting calls to send Wanda and Winky to a sanctuary, the AZA is also trying to stave off difficult questions being raised about keeping any elephants in captivity -- questions that could easily mushroom into a broader debate about rhinos or lions or other big mammals.

Michael Hutchins, the association's conservation and science director, pointedly made the connection by bringing up the Detroit zoo's large new polar bear display and noting that in the wild, the bears travel extensively and never experience the summertime temperatures that occur in Detroit. "Using their logic," he said, "then polar bears really shouldn't be in Detroit, either."

Kagan says there is no comparison between his zoo's polar bear display -- which features one bear rescued from a Mexico circus and large pools of cold salt water with fish -- and the elephants' situation.

In Defense of Animals went so far as to call the decision "a death sentence" for the Detroit Zoo's beloved old pachyderms.

"It is abundantly clear that the AZA decision is not in the best interest of Winky and Wanda," said Elliot Katz, the animal group's executive director.

Les Schobert, an IDA member and elephant expert, likened the AZA's elephant space requirements to putting a dog in a closet and leaving him there. For life.

It's just not good enough for Wanda and Winky, Kagan said.

Kagan appealed the decision of the powerful AZA and though he refuses to speculate on what happens if the zoo loses the appeal, he does say that one way or another Wanda and Winky will leave Detroit in the next two to four weeks.

Kagan said he refuses to believe that the zoo association will ultimately deny the Detroit Zoo the right to send its elephants to a wide-open new home at a PAWS sanctuary in California.

"I think that really nothing has changed in the sense that we're still completely committed to the welfare of these animals," Kagan said. "Although (Columbus') was a generous offer, it would not significantly change conditions for the elephants."

Kagan says Columbus' exhibit shares with the Detroit Zoo anti-elephant features like concrete floors, a cold climate and not enough room to maintain the walking they need for joint health.

In Royal Oak's zoo, Wanda and Winky share one acre. They would share two acres in Columbus — with five other elephants.

And Columbus participates in a notion that Detroit gave up years ago: elephant discipline. Columbus' elephant keepers use hooked metal rods to keep their five elephants in line, something Detroit zookeepers say they would never use on 46-year-old Wanda or 51-year-old Winky.

"We have rejected the recommendation," Kagan said. "We can proceed in terms of appeal and we have every intention of working within the system and we believe the association will do what's best."

Kagan and others involved in animal welfare believe elephants need many acres to roam in a natural habitat, a large community of other elephants and a warm climate.

Elephants naturally form their own communities, mate for life, and walk up to 30 miles a day on soft dirt surfaces to keep their joints limber.

Without those benefits, Detroit's elephants suffer from arthritis. Wanda is on a cocktail of daily pain medications, a special whirlpool foot therapy; and Winky sleeps standing up because it's too stressful to get up and down.

Kagan said the PAWS sanctuary in San Andreas, Calif., is perfect for Wanda and Winky to comfortably live out the rest of their days.

"The weather is milder there, they have additional veterinary support there and one of the best vet schools in the country is nearby," Kagan said.

He added that the elephant keepers have trained the elephants for weeks to ride in the 8,000 pound trailer that will transport them to their new home and Wanda and Winky seem comfortable with their transportation.

AZA members who disapprove of sending zoo animals to sanctuaries, say they're unsafe because they're not part of the zoo's accreditation process or overseeing agency. And putting animals in a place where they're not on display goes against the basic zoo conservation philosophy that people will rally to support animals with which they're familiar.

Kagan counters that what people know about elephant intelligence and physical needs leaves little doubt that zoos like Detroit's are not serving them well. The zoo will not accept elephants again and will probably put rhinos in their former habitat, officials say.

But the decision to send elephants to a sanctuary without AZA approval is a heavy one. The AZA issues accreditation, a stamp of approval that says the zoo meets a strict list of criteria.

It's important to zoos because accreditation puts them in line for federal funds, rescue programs, animal exchanges, field conservation and captive breeding programs.

"We know that the issue of accreditation has been raised and we take that very seriously," Kagan said. "We value accreditation, but it's hard to believe there's an accreditation system that does not fully embrace animal welfare. I really can't imagine how our accreditation could be withdrawn."

Detroit zookeepers got a preview of the stakes in the increasingly political elephant tug of war when San Francisco announced it would send elephants to a sanctuary despite an AZA recommendation to put them in another zoo.

The AZA quickly announced it was considering issuing an ethics violation and/or revoking the zoo's accreditation.

California's zoo was different than Detroit's in that two of its four elephants died at the end of last year. The public was enraged and many, including city officials, demanded the zoo send its elephants to a sanctuary — not another zoo.

In Royal Oak, the public also seems to support the sanctuary decision, stopping by the elephant exhibit in droves to bid adieu to Wanda and Winky.

Montes is seeking $300,000 in damages for the alleged race and age discrimination charges, along with court costs. We also spoke with the district attorneys office which acknowledged the lawsuit but would not comment on it.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Someday soon, this introduction might happen:

"Wanda and Winky, meet Phoebe, Connie, Ganesh, Bodhi and Coco. Now you two be careful with Coco. He's 11,000 pounds of lookin'-for-love."

Should Wanda and Winky -- the Detroit Zoo's aging and arthritic Asian elephants -- make the Columbus Zoo their eventual home, they'll share their quarters with five other pachyderms.

No one can say whether they'll all get along. In the best case, the Detroit elephants would acclimate to their new roomies and share a comparatively spacious new home in the Buckeye State.

But Wanda and Winky are females about 50 years old. Ganesh is a mere lad. Phoebe and Connie are breeding females who share a taste for Coco, an aggressive 5.5-ton male. Connie might be pregnant. And Phoebe gave birth in April. Her little Bodhi is already 642 pounds.

Wanda and Winky "can be grannies," Columbus Zoo elephant manager Harry Peachey suggested last week.

The elephant relationships in Columbus might eventually be as challenging a soap opera as the current debate in the zoo community about what to do with Detroit's old elephants.

Detroit Zoo Director Ron Kagan made international headlines last spring when he declared that he planned to send Wanda, who is own loan from the San Antonio Zoo, and Winky to sanctuaries with dozens of acres in Tennessee or California. Kagan said they would receive the space and the warmer weather they deserve there.

But he lost a round this month when the American Zoo and Aquarium Association ruled that the animals will be sent to the Columbus Zoo, where the exhibit is spacious compared to Detroit's, but still less than Kagan deems necessary for animals that sometimes wander 30 miles a day in the wild. Also, it's not much warmer in Columbus.

The AZA says zoos offer better veterinary care, emergency health preparedness and nutritional options than sanctuaries do. The association regulates and writes standards for zoos, and it has opposed sending Wanda and Winky to the sanctuaries, which are not inspected or accredited by the association. But Kagan and others say the sanctuaries can make good homes.

In Columbus, Wanda and Winky would find more room outside, where the 2-acre fenced-in area is more than twice that of Detroit's, and an indoor facility with about an acre of open space. Detroit's comparatively cramped elephant house is split into five small chambers.

Kagan said Columbus is a great zoo, but he doesn't want the elephants to go there for several reasons.

Its larger space might be an illusion given the number of elephants there, and Kagan expects the animals' use of the open space would be rotated. Columbus officials said their zoo has enough room for eight to 10 elephants. In Detroit, Wanda and Winky have the place to themselves, and some dirt inside for their tender feet.

Columbus' indoor facility has a concrete floor. Zoo Executive Director Jerry Borin said installing a rubber mat is a possibility.

Both zoos have enrichment toys, like giant tires and hanging balls that the animals enjoy.

The weather also concerns Kagan, who said elephants don't thrive in northern climates. He said Columbus' yearly temperature averages just five degrees warmer than Detroit's.

Columbus also uses some care techniques Kagan has done away with in Detroit. The keepers there, as in many zoos, carry bull hooks -- wooden sticks with metal hooks on the end used to help keep elephants in line. And the animals are commonly restrained when it comes time to care for their feet, trim their nails or address other health issues.

Any new elephants introduced in Columbus could be restrained until social bonds are formed, Columbus Zoo's Peachey said.

"We would do the same thing with Wanda and Winky, feel them out first," Peachey said.

The Detroit Zoo no longer restrains its elephants. Instead, a cage was installed about five years ago that keepers enter when they need direct contact. The animals are encouraged with treats to approach the enclosure so the keepers can work on them.

Kagan has appealed to the AZA to reconsider its decision to send the animals to Columbus.

"It's a great zoo. It's wonderful they've offered a home," he said.

But he'd prefer the sanctuary in California, where he feels the warmer year-round weather is beneficial for elephants.

He hopes to have a new ruling soon.

Kagan said he does not know what he'll do if the AZA again rules against sending the animals to a sanctuary. If he does not abide by the ruling, the zoo could face disciplinary action, including revocation of its accreditation.

Finally he had to admit defeat. In January 2003, Meehan called in an old veterinarian friend, who is also an accomplished acupuncturist.

The camel's chief keeper was skeptical. "When they said they were going to try acupuncture on Jewel, I thought, no way. This camel hates needles," said Mary Schollhamer. "She gets upset at the sight of a hypodermic injection needle."

But a couple days after Jewel's first half-hour treatment, Schollhamer became a believer. As she arrived for work in the morning, strolling up an access road to the rear of the camel enclosure, Jewel glanced up and saw the keeper coming. "I hadn't seen this camel run for more than two years, she'd gotten so lame," said Schollhamer. "But when she saw me that morning, she ran all the way to the fence to greet me. I was so moved, I started to cry."

An ancient Chinese medicinal art, acupuncture is now becoming a legitimate medical tool in Western medicine - and also is getting a foothold in the care of animals.

Dr. Barbara Royal, who has a more ordinary veterinary practice at Family Pet Animal Hospital in Chicago, comes by the zoo every two or three weeks to treat Jewel's pain, using the same delicate acupuncture needles on the 1,600-pound camel as are used for humans. "Jewel is definitely the biggest patient I've ever worked on," Royal, 43, said on a recent Tuesday morning after administering a routine treatment on the camel as reporters watched. With a veterinary medical degree from the University of Illinois, Royal had been a practicing vet for several years before she took animal acupuncture training.

"You have to be aware of 390 specific points on the body that you use in this treatment whether the patient is a human or an animal," Royal said. "Depending on what you are treating, you use 8 to 30 needles in different parts of the body.

"There are still some people who think acupuncture sounds like some sort of voodoo thing, but it is so widely accepted now as a human treatment that most of my clients aren't shocked when I suggest acupuncture for their pets."

Working with zoo animals is not a big change for Royal, as she had intended to become a zoo doctor and worked her way through school as a veterinary assistant at Lincoln Park Zoo.

By the time she got her degree, however, she also had acquired a husband and a baby, and she thought the long and erratic hours of zoo doctoring would be too much, so she went into the pet practice. About eight years ago, frustrated at the failure of conventional medicine to deal with many animal ailments, especially age-related ones like pain, she decided to learn about animal acupuncture. She began devoting one day a week at her clinic to acupuncture treatments, mostly on pet cats and dogs, but also on exotic birds, such as neurotic macaws that methodically pluck out all their feathers until they are bald.

About four years ago, Lincoln Park Zoo called her in to see if acupuncture could work on an arthritic camel. Her success there led to Brookfield calling her to help Jewel.

The Chinese have been using acupuncture for 5,000 years or more, and there is evidence they have been using it to treat livestock at least as far back as 2300 B.C. Because Bactrian camels were the main source of transport along the legendary silk route across China to Europe, they probably were early beneficiaries of animal acupuncture.

The Chinese traditionalists say that the tiny acupuncture needles, when inserted into the body at carefully mapped points of the body, adjust the body's life energy, called chi.

Western medicine, seeing the undeniable success of acupuncture in treating certain ailments, believes the needles somehow stimulate the constant surge of electrical impulses that travel from cell to cell in animal tissue.

"There is a constant ion exchange between cells," said Royal, "that governs a lot of the body's activities." Unfortunately, acupuncture may be practical only for a small subset of zoo animals - those species that humans long ago domesticated and trained as work and companion animals, such as horses, cows, camels and llamas.

Those animals are comfortable with hands-on human contact. Close relatives that never were domesticated, like zebras or giraffes, would never allow humans the sort of intimate contact that is needed to put in acupuncture needles.

"You could do it under anesthesia," said Royal, "But anesthetizing these rare animals is very risky. Sometimes it can kill them." Except for acupuncture work done on llamas in the San Diego Zoo, she said she knows of no other acupuncturists active in American zoos.

Royal said that so far she has worked at Lincoln Park and Brookfield only with the Bactrian camels but may eventually widen her scope to other species.

Acupuncture as a pain treatment does not cure but only relieves temporarily, which means Royal has to work on Jewel frequently. Although keepers reward the camel with a favorite treat each time a needle goes in, Jewel is not always happy to receive the treatment, which Royal provides for free.

"Camels can kick in any direction when they're upset, so Dr. Royal has to be careful around Jewel," said keeper Schollhamer. "When Jewel is really mad, she spits at you."

Partly saliva and partly the contents of the animal's stomach, camel spit is legendary as a sticky, stinky mess.

The zoo's veterinary staff performed a necropsy on the 6,000-pound elephant, named Kimba, shortly after her death Monday night, but the procedure did not reveal a cause of death. Organ tissue samples will be sent to a lab for further examination, and it could take weeks for the final results.

"There was no heart defect. The animal's organs all looked fine," said zoo director Rick Barongi. "When an elephant dies this swiftly and suddenly, it's got to be some type of disease or virus. We're waiting to see what the lab tells us."

One likely culprit could be elephant herpes virus. Kimba's sister Singgah died Jan. 1, 2000, of the virus as did three other elephants born at the Houston Zoo and shipped to other facilities. All were Kimba's siblings.

Barongi said the virus is also found in the wild.

"It can go through a population and some elephants can develop an immunity for it. It does seem to affect adolescent animals. We don't know why," said Barongi. "If it is (the herpes virus), we're going to spend as much money and time as we can to protect these animals."

Barongi said none of the zoo's other elephants are showing signs of sickness.The animals were eating and back on display. But zoo officials are keeping a close watch on the herd.

Kimba showed symptoms of illness Sunday morning. By early afternoon the veterinarian staff was notified when a handler noticed her diminished interest in eating and slight swelling around her head.

The staff gave Kimba antiviral medication and Monday she seemed better.

By Monday afternoon, and despite an another round of medication, she fell down in the yard. Her eyes were dilated, her breathing was labored and she was disoriented, said zoo spokesman Brian Hill.

Kimba, who had lived at the zoo her entire life, began displaying signs that she was not well early Monday, said Houston Zoo spokesman Brian Hill. He said the elephant had appeared to be in good health over the weekend.

"She was separated from the herd and treated with antivirus drugs," Hill said. "She had no appetite in the early afternoon."

Hill said the zookeepers' day-to-day contact with the animals can make a death very difficult. The group that works with the elephants was devastated by the loss. To lend moral support, keepers from other parts of the zoo stopped by the elephant area.

"It's tough for everybody, but it is especially tough for the keepers. These guys work with these animals from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.," Hill said. "They take care of every aspect of their being."

Hill said the keepers are responsible for feeding the animals, maintaining their health, entertaining them and training them with natural behavioral exercises.

"You can't do that day after day without developing a very strong bond between you and the animal. When you have something like this happen, it's like you lose a member of your family," Hill said.

Hill said a postmortem examination, known as a necropsy, will be performed, and tissue samples will be sent to Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab at Texas A&M University to determine the cause of death.

The elephant was the offspring of the zoo's two elders — the father, Thai, born in 1965, and the mother, Methai, born in 1969. Kimba was one of five other elephants at the zoo. Methai, who has been with the zoo for 20 years, lost her newborn in December after a 22-month pregnancy.

To help the surviving elephants, zookeepers put Kimba in a private area near the exhibit and allowed the animals to mourn her away from the public, Hill said. He said the zookeepers did this to bring closure to the herd.

Word of the death came as 47,000 visitors poured into the zoo for Labor Day, and many of them learned of the loss after inquiring about the late-afternoon closure of the elephant display.

Lydia Riascos of Houston brought her family to the zoo for the first time in over four years and was saddened to learn of the elephant's death.

"I didn't even know it had passed away. I think it is really sad," she said.

Jessica Jeronimo of Conroe said the death of Kimba was a great loss to the entire community.

"We like to come see them, and it's always one of the main attractions to come see the family, and now there's one less," she said.

Jeronimo said she noticed something different about the behavior of Thai and Methai as they stood at the rear of the main display. "Every time we come, they are always in the water and they're kind of playful, throwing dirt on each other. And right now they seem to be avoiding the public," she said.

The death comes 21 days after a 13-year-old Asian elephant named Shanti gave birth. The unnamed baby and the other elephants were in good health Monday, and zoo staff will continue to monitor them for any signs of illness, Hill said.

Hill said the loss also reflects on the dwindling worldwide population of Asian elephants, which continue to lose their natural habitat to development and farming across Southeast Asia, Western India and Sri Lanka. All elephants at the Houston Zoo are Asian.

"The loss of any member of that tribe is more devastating as young as she was," Hill said. "It's a terrible loss, and she can't be replaced."

If the pachyderms go anywhere, it must be to the Columbus Zoo in Ohio, decided a committee of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, the group that provides care standards and accreditation to zoos nationwide.

"The Columbus Zoo has five elephants -- including a male calf -- and 4 acres, including a 1-acre, indoor heated, temperature-controlled facility," said AZA Director Sydney Butler. "The committee found this is the right place to send these two elephants."

Detroit Zoo Director Ron Kagan declared in May that Detroit would be the nation's first major zoo to voluntarily give up its elephants solely on ethical grounds. Even though Detroit's 1-acre enclosure vastly exceeds AZA standards, Kagan said zoos -- especially in northern climates -- are generally not capable of providing for the social, physical and emotional needs of the animals.

He expected to send Winky and Wanda to one of two U.S. sanctuaries. There, they would be able to roam hundreds of acres and get more exercise like they would in the wild, where elephants can walk 30 miles a day.

Kagan said Thursday he needed to digest the AZA recommendation but suggested the zoo might appeal.

"I don't think a lot has changed as far as our intent," he said. "There is an appeal process, and we'll obviously do that if we feel it's appropriate."

Violating the AZA recommendation by sending the elephants to a sanctuary could mean disciplinary action against the Detroit Zoo and possible revocation of the association's accreditation. There could be further repercussions for sending Wanda elsewhere, because that elephant is on loan to Detroit from the San Antonio Zoo, which supports the AZA recommendation.

"Loss of accreditation is way down the line, and I trust this can be worked out," said Butler.

Kagan's intent to send the elephants to a sanctuary drew widespread public praise but alarmed many in the nation's zoo community who believe that zoos are fully capable of providing good lives for elephants.

The AZA's Species Survival Plan Committee is charged with overseeing the management of the U.S. captive elephant population in AZA-accredited facilities.

Had the committee declared the Detroit elephants as surplus, rather than making a specific recommendation, Detroit would have been free to send them to a sanctuary, barring an objection from the San Antonio Zoo.

In May, Detroit Zoo officials announced a decision to no longer exhibit elephants and the desire to send them to a sanctuary. Zoo officials have determined that elephants, highly intelligent and social animals need a year- round multiple acre environment, a larger group of elephants and a much milder climate.

Director of the Detroit Zoological Institute, Ron Kagan states, "The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has excellent leadership as well as expert animal care and veterinary staff. The elephant enclosure is larger than ours at two acres. That is a fraction of the 30 or more acres available at either of the two sanctuaries. However, we want to ensure that these two aging elephants live out the remainder of their days without the arthritic pain and foot complications that are exacerbated in cold climates. While we care about the AZA process, our first and foremost commitment is to the elephants' well- being."

Detroit Zoo officials are planning a trip to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium next week to meet with the staff. Detroit Zoo officials reinforce that they believe Winky and Wanda should reside in a place with a mild climate, many acres to roam, a large elephant herd, and a place that does not physically discipline or threaten elephants. Due to the elephants' arthritis, it is important for Winky and Wanda to be on natural substrates day and night. Natural substrates not only decrease the impact on arthritic joints but also evoke natural behaviors, such as digging, the ability to lie down with ease and a reduction in footcare complications. The two sanctuaries that meet all these requirements are still willing to take them. Zoo officials hope to send the elephants together to the elephant sanctuary in Tennessee or the Performing Animal Welfare Society preserve in California, both of which have tens of acres of habitat, a large social grouping and are located in warmer climates. Zoo officials hope that the elephants go to the same place, however the ultimate fate of Wanda is up to the San Antonio Zoo.

SILVER SPRING, Md., Sept. 2 // -- A committee of national elephant experts has recommended that two female Asian elephants, currently housed at the Detroit Zoo, be transferred to the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium in Columbus, Ohio. The recommendation is to ensure that the aging animals receive the best long-term care available.

The American Zoo and Aquarium Association's (AZA) Elephant Species Survival Plan (SSP) Steering Committee recommended today that the elephants -- Wanda and Winky -- be transferred to the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium as soon as possible. The transfer could occur within three-to-four weeks as the animals are prepared for the trip and a health assessment is completed.

The recommendation follows a May announcement by Detroit Zoological Institute officials, who said they no longer intend to keep elephants at that zoo.

Detroit Zoo owns Winky, and the San Antonio Zoo & Aquarium, in San Antonio, Texas, owns Wanda. As accredited AZA members, both zoos agree to follow SSP recommendations for any species managed cooperatively by an SSP. The Elephant SSP consists of national elephant experts, who oversee a management plan for the species to ensure the maintenance of a healthy and self-sustaining population.

"We are delighted that Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, with its excellent staff and spacious elephant facilities, will add Wanda and Winky to their successful elephant program. There is no better place for this pair than at an AZA-accredited zoo, which has the latest developments in animal nutrition, preventative health care, enrichment, training and research," said San Antonio Zoo Director Steve McCusker. "Our veterinary staff will work closely with the Columbus team in designing the best care program for these elephants."

The Columbus Zoo & Aquarium currently has five Asian elephants, including a male calf born on April 16, 2004. In addition to a spacious 2-acre yard and two smaller outdoor areas for their elephants, the zoo also has a temperature-controlled, 1-acre indoor facility.

Columbus Zoo & Aquarium Director Jerry Borin said bringing Wanda and Winky to Columbus is a win-win opportunity for the elephants whose care and welfare is the most important consideration regarding where they go after leaving Detroit.

"We know that Wanda and Winky have special health care needs, and our elephant specialists are equipped to provide daily treatment," he said. "Our experienced staff will work collaboratively with San Antonio, Detroit and other zoos' veterinarians and will use the best technology and treatment plans for these elephants."

Both Wanda and Winky have suffered from arthritis and foot problems, and zoo experts are already planning specific treatment programs to address their health problems.

"We have one of the largest zoo elephant exhibits in the country, which enables us to incorporate healthy exercise and enrichment into our elephant care program," said Borin. "We can all learn from collaborating on the best care options as elephants age and require the special treatment available in accredited zoos."

AZA Executive Director Sydney Butler praised the collaborative effort among AZA accredited zoos to provide the best option for the long-term care of the two elephants.

"Keeping Wanda and Winky together is what the Detroit Zoo wants and requested from the SSP. We are confident that the SSP carefully considered all options and has made a decision that reflects what will be best for these elephants," Butler said. "The Columbus Zoo & Aquarium has an extraordinary and wide-ranging elephant program which, in addition to providing the best in care, supports numerous local and international conservation projects that benefit elephants at home and in the wild."

"Leg up," says Mary Wulff, who guides Wanda through the routines. "Good girl!"

Wulff is no ordinary trainer. She's an elephant keeper at the Detroit Zoo, and her patient, Wanda, is a 9,500-pound Asian elephant who was diagnosed with arthritis in 1998. For the past four weeks, they have worked through a routine of stretching and whirlpool therapy set up by Detroit physical therapist Mary Ann Usniz.

"This all began because one of my clients worked at the zoo," Usniz said Monday, as Wanda gently dunked her left leg into a 100-gallon tub of hot water to ease her joints. "We got to talking about Wanda and her problems and I offered to help."

Usniz works extensively with children. She said they provided her with the framework of the way to devise therapy for Wanda.

"You can't always communicate to children what to do simply by talking to them, so you have to show them," she said. Keepers use a target pole a five-foot rod with a plastic tip to help Wanda focus on the action they would like her to perform.

When Wanda's arthritis was first diagnosed, zoo officials put her on medication a daily regiment of Ibuprofen and Cosequin, a joint supplement, to help manage her pain, said Chris Tabaca, the zoo's head veterinarian. When that stopped working, she was switched to other medication.

"Pain management is just a part of this, but just like with people, there's only so much you can do for arthritis," said Tabaca.

Wanda's daily 20-minute sessions involve various stretching routines directed by her keepers. The incentive is in a bucket of chopped vegetables, fruits and bagels at the keeper's side.

"We have to build up the time she spends with her leg in the tub," said Tabaca. "Getting her used to it takes time and she can get a bit nervous about the whole thing."

Arthritis is just one of the problems that can develop for elephants in captivity. The ailment also was one of the reasons why Detroit Zoo officials decided months ago to no longer display Wanda and her 51-year-old friend, Winky. Officials are preparing to move them to either the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee or to the Performing Animal Welfare Society preserve in California.

Winky, who was kept distracted throughout Wanda's workout with her own bucket of snacks, also suffers from mild arthritis, but has not had to undergo therapy as extensively as her younger friend.

"It's time for them to live like elephants," said Scott Carter, director of conservation and animal welfare at the zoo. He said he hoped the freedom to roam in the sanctuary would relieve the elephants' arthritis.

Like many elephants in captivity, Wanda is slightly overweight.

The whirlpool therapy, massage, and therapeutic exercises have been incorporated into Wanda's daily routine. Wanda is being monitored closely by Zoo staff for any signs of improvement.

Detroit Zoological Institute Director, Ron Kagan announced earlier this year plans to move the two aging elephants, Wanda and 51-year-old Winky to more suitable homes. The Institute will no longer exhibit elephants. Zoo officials determined that elephants, highly intelligent and social creatures, need large environments, a large group of elephants, a mild climate, and should never be disciplined.

Zoo officials had hoped to move the elephants by the end of the summer, however since both elephants are part of the AZA's Elephant Species Survival Plan, and the San Antonio Zoo owns Wanda, the final decision regarding their placement is ultimately only partly Detroit's. The Institute has been waiting for three months for approval from both organizations to move them together to one of two elephant sanctuaries, which have the appropriate physical and social environment. Detroit Zoo officials hope that the elephants go to the same place, since Winky and Wanda have a strong, 10-year bond.

In preparation for the move, a specially designed elephant trailer will be delivered to the Detroit Zoo within the next two weeks and the Zoo's elephant keepers will start trailer training the elephants. The keepers will work for about four hours a day, positively reinforcing Winky and Wanda until they feel safe and comfortable with their transportation method. This process could take a few weeks or a few months, depending on the elephants' reaction.

It's a decision that could be made Wednesday night at the Alaska Zoo. Maggie is on the agenda at the zoo's board of directors meeting.

In June, the board received a report from a special committee that studied Maggie for a year. Some in the community say Maggie is lonely, stressed and should be moved.

Her handler disagrees.

"Though the move of Ruby to the Knoxville Zoo was well-intentioned, it is clear that she has not fully assimilated to her surroundings and therefore should be returned to the Los Angeles Zoo," Mayor James K. Hahn said.

Los Angeles Zoo officials said they haven't decided when Ruby will return but that it probably would be after the summer heat had passed.

The decision marked the latest event in a rethinking of elephant exhibits in zoos across the United States. The San Francisco Zoo decided last month to retire two elephants to a sanctuary when their companions died. In May, the Detroit Zoo also decided to send its elephants to a sanctuary because its director believed that the elephants shouldn't live in small groups without many acres to roam.

Ruby spent 19 years in Los Angeles after the zoo bought her from a circus. In May of 2003, the zoo loaned her to Knoxville to serve as a role model to younger African elephants trying to breed and raise calves (she has had one calf). Also, the Los Angeles Zoo had decided to focus on Asian elephants.

Calls for her return -- or for her retirement to a sprawling elephant sanctuary -- were renewed after a television channel aired footage last week of Ruby standing by herself and swaying in the Knoxville Zoo.

In the footage, Ruby looks like "a desperate elephant," said Gretchen Wyler, the Humane Society official who shot the home video in June. This behavior, she said, contrasted from the playful tenderness Ruby used to exhibit with Gita, an African elephant and her friend for 16 years. Wyler also had shot video of the two elephants touching trunks and throwing hay on each other.

"All an elephant girl needs is a best friend, and she had it," said Wyler, who cheered Ruby's return.

"It's called doing the right thing," she said. "She'll be back at the L.A. Zoo where she's happiest."

The Humane Society has supported a lawsuit filed last year by a Los Angeles resident claiming that Ruby, as city property, belonged to the taxpayers and asking for the elephant's return.

Plaintiff Catherine Doyle said she was pleased by the city's action.

"I think all the activists and the people who cared about Ruby really pushed the zoo's and the mayor's hand," she said.

But the case isn't over until either Ruby is back or the city has a plan to return her shortly, said Doyle's lawyer, Paul Chan.

In Knoxville, officials acknowledged that Ruby had spent 14 months separated by a metal rail from the other elephants. When zookeepers tried to introduce her to an elephant named Jana, Ruby started pushing and shoving, said Director Jim Vlna.

"We realized that Ruby wanted to be in charge, so we backed off," Vlna said. "It wasn't a matter of Ruby getting hurt, but the other elephant getting hurt."

The zoo had to rethink Ruby's integration plan.

"We can't force the issue," he said. "If Ruby is not going to work with our cows, then another situation has to come up."

But Vlna said pushing or swaying didn't necessarily mean that Ruby was unhappy or disliked the other elephants.

"Everybody's going to interpret that reaction differently," he said. Elephants push each other around in the wild, he said. Swaying might stem from boredom, frustration or anticipation of going inside for the night.

Besides, Vlna said, Ruby had been eating well and flirting with the bull. "We have lots of other video of her interacting with other elephants and seeming pretty lively."

The decision to bring Ruby home was based on her failure to make new friends, not concern that she pined for Gita, said Los Angeles Zoo General Manager John Lewis.

"Ruby and Gita's relationship from the beginning was kind of overplayed," he said. "Our goal was to incorporate her with a herd, not just send her to another location. When that was not going to happen, we decided to bring her back."

"She's totally disoriented," said Gretchen Wyler, an actress and vice president of the Hollywood office of the Humane Society of the United States.

Wyler said Sunday that she expected Ruby's situation to come up during the public comment period Tuesday morning during the monthly meeting of the Los Angeles Board of Zoo Commissioners.

She and Bill Dyer of In Defense of Animals said in interviews with KNBC (Channel 4) that Ruby needs something like Gita, an Asian elephant that was Ruby's best friend at the Los Angeles Zoo. "I think Gita was the only happiness she ever had," said Dyer.

Los Angeles Zoo officials said they, too, are concerned about Ruby's happiness.

"We've been tracking Ruby's progress ever since she went to Knoxville a little more than a year ago," said Lora LaMarca, a spokeswoman for the zoo.

John Lewis, the zoo director, said in a television interview that Los Angeles could bring Ruby back if appropriate.

"My view is it didn't work out as quickly and the way we would have anticipated, so now we have to reassess where we're at and make a decision," Lewis said.

Wyler said Ruby might be better off at an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals thinks so. "Life in captivity is harmful for elephants -- for their psychological and physical well being," said PETA elephant specialist Nicole Meyer.

What do you expect from PETA, right? But other zoos are taking the same position.

"It's becoming clear that the disparity between what elephants need and what they get in captivity is quite significant," said Ron Kagan, director of the Detroit Zoo, which is dropping its elephant exhibit.

The San Francisco Zoo is closing its elephant exhibit, too.

Hmm.

There are about 300 elephants in zoos in the United States, along with maybe another 300 in circuses, other private facilities and, on occasion, in residence as pets. The ones in zoos have always been a special cause of animal-rights activists. PETA recently started after the Lincoln Park Zoo in fact, in the matter of Peaches, Wanki and Tatima, recent transfers from the San Diego Zoo. It is always warm in San Diego. It is not always warm in Chicago.

"With the long, harsh winters you have, these elephants are now being warehoused for a good part of the year," said Meyer. "Beyond that, elephants are extremely intelligent animals, and, without the proper room to roam -- elephants in the wild will roam 30 to 50 miles a day -- these elephants can simply go nuts."

PETA offered to pay the way for Peaches, Wanki and Tatima to the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn., so they could roam with Bunny, Sissy, Winkie and Zula, among others. As with many PETA campaigns, this one was politely declined, with assurances the elephants were doing fine.

But then came Detroit.

"This is something we have decided over years of thought and study," said Kagan of the Detroit Zoo. "Five or six years ago, we doubled the size of our elephant environment to over an acre and were planning the next enhancement. But there were still problems with all this.

"One thing we couldn't change, obviously, was winter. The elephants couldn't go outside for long periods of time. And even when they were outside, well, an acre is large by zoo standards, but it doesn't compare to miles and miles, which is what they generally roam.

"We started to assess what captivity means to elephants, which are animals with very special needs. We knew they didn't breed well in captivity. They didn't live as long in captivity. In captivity, they developed arthritis, foot problems, skin problems, signs of psychological stress."

Which is why the zoo decided, finally, to send Wanda and Winky to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee or to another sanctuary in California. "We're still awaiting clearance from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association," Kagan said.

The San Francisco Zoo, meanwhile, announced recently it will move Tinkerbelle and Lulu to a sanctuary, following the deaths of two other of its elephants, Calle and Maybelle. It wasn't a question of zoo philosophy. The money wasn't there to upgrade facilities for the first time in 50 years, so the elephant exhibits would close.

And what has been the reaction in the zoo community to such elephant slippages?

"It has been mixed," Kagan said.

A zoo official, who asked not to be named, put it another way: "Everyone's a little worried this might open the floodgate."

The American Zoo and Aquarium Association says it isn't worried, though. The AZA represents the industry and oversees member zoos. If zoos want to move animals somewhere, the AZA must rule.

"We set minimum standards for elephant exhibits -- and I stress the word 'minimum' -- as part of a general effort to improve elephant management programs everywhere," said Michael Hutchins, AZA director of conservation and science standards.

What are the minimum standards for space? "The minimum is 1,800 square feet for one animal and another 900 square feet for each additional animal," Hutchins said. "But, again, I say minimum. We have multi-acre exhibits out there, also."

An acre is 43,560 square feet.

The AZA, meanwhile, is as wary of some sanctuaries as PETA is of zoos.

"People hear the word 'sanctuary,' and it has a very positive connotation," Hutchins said. "And, while sanctuaries do have more space than urban zoos, there are other aspects of an elephant program that need to be addressed: veterinary facilities, emergency protocols. . . . And, also, it gets cold in Tennessee, too."

As for Chicago's zoos, both stand their ground, even with the occasional tremor.

"The elephants from San Diego have actually gained weight since they arrived," said Kelly McGrath of the Lincoln Park Zoo. "We've had elephants for more than 50 years. They receive the best of care."

At the Brookfield Zoo, meanwhile, "We do whatever we can to exercise the elephants both physically and mentally," said curator of mammals Ann Petric. "We recently fabricated and installed, for example, a reproduction of a baobab tree with feeder holes. The elephants have to hunt for their food, the branches are scratching posts, there's a spray mister."

Both zoos have room to roam well beyond AZA minimum standards, though still less than an acre in each case.

The debates -- with lovers of animals on both sides -- will go on a while. But at least there is this: Once the elephant matter is settled, one way or another, the zoos can rest easier.

It's only a question of when.

"We go on elephant time now. You'd have to talk to Tinkerbelle and Lulu," Pat Derby, who runs the Performing Animal Welfare Society's 2,300-acre refuge in San Andreas, said Wednesday.

The zoo's decision was easy: The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn., withdrew as a contender. Founder Carol Buckley was worried about Asian elephant Tinkerbelle making a 2,292-mile trip, and the presence of African elephant Lulu would have made life difficult for a new arrival named Flora.

San Francisco Zoo director Manuel Mollinedo said PAWS's Ark 2000 sanctuary was appealing partly because of its proximity. It's 132 miles from the zoo, a 2 1/2-hour drive. The lame-duck elephants will have a better trip, and zoo employees can visit more often.

"We're looking at these elephants as just moving to a different address," Mollinedo said.

The zoo will still be responsible for the elephants because they're being sent to a place that's not accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which has 214 members and much sway.

Mollinedo decided to relocate Lulu and Tinkerbelle, both 38, in May after their two companions died earlier this year. Animal rights activists and the Board of Supervisors wanted the pachyderms sent to a sanctuary. The association, however, recommended four zoos instead.

Mollinedo said June 2 that the elephants would go to a sanctuary -- risking the loss of the zoo's accreditation from the association. That risk hadn't receded Wednesday.

"The decision raises serious ethical and accreditation concerns," said association executive director Sydney Butler of Silver Spring, Md.

At the other extreme was Elliot Katz, president of In Defense of Animals, who has lobbied hard to get the elephants out of the zoo.

"I feel wonderful," he said. "This has been close to a five-year battle."

He hopes the PAWS trailer arrives soon on zoo grounds so the elephants can get used to it.

Derby said many people just chain an elephant's legs and then throw it on a truck. That's not her style. Instead, she'll resort to lots of treats and gradual moves in and out of the trailer.

Mollinedo said the elephants already are being conditioned. Tinkerbelle, for example, has been walking up and down her hallway for weeks.

The road behind Lulu's barn will be modified to accommodate a trailer. That should take only a week or two, he said. But given the glacial pace at which elephants adjust, moving day -- and it's one elephant at a time -- could be two or three months away.

The elephants arrived at the zoo in January 1966 -- Lulu from East Africa, Tinkerbelle from Thailand.

"It's liking moving someone who's lived in the same apartment for 50 years," zoo spokeswoman Nancy Chan said.

Michele Rudovsky, associate curator of mammals, described both as "very scampy."

"Tinkerbelle is a very confident individual," Rudovsky said. "Lulu is not as confident, but she's become more so in the last decade. Tinkerbelle is very smart and extremely manipulative. She has a history of being aggressive toward keepers, but once she's your friend, she's your friend for life."

In real estate terms, both elephants will be moving up. Lulu will trade her 9,500-square-foot enclosure for 75 acres and a lake. And she'll be keeping company with African peers Mara and "71" -- whom Derby fondly refers to as "hooligans" -- instead of hanging out with a tractor tire.

As for Tinkerbelle, she'll be leaving her 17,000-square-foot yard for 40 acres and three new companions: Minnie, Rebecca and Annie.

Zoo veterinarian Freeland Dunker said Lulu and Tinkerbelle are both in good health, though somewhat arthritic. And the Asian elephant shows no signs of the tuberculosis that her companion Calle once had, so she can join the herd immediately.

Zoo officials decided last month to move the 4-ton Asian elephants because of the long winters here, and the fact that the pair outgrew the zoo habitat. The decision on the location of their new home rests with the American Zoological and Aquarium Association.

It’s not clear yet whether the two females will end up in the same new home. But wherever they go, it’ll be a long truck ride on a climate-controlled semi-trailer. They’ll have to stand for what is expected to be a two- or three-day journey — there’s just not enough room for them to lie down in a truck.

“People don’t understand it’s not about Winky or Wanda,” said Zoo Director Ron Kagan. “It’s about not having the resources to provide these animals with neotropical climates and environments that they are accustomed to.”

Typically, elephants both African and Asian, breeds found in American zoos, are accustomed to warm climates thriving with lush vegetation and forestry.

To re-create a habitat of that caliber would cost many zoos, particularly those in the north, millions of dollars. Plans to create a large domed climate-controlled area spanning anywhere from five to six acres was deemed unfeasible by the Detroit Zoo.

“This has been an issue discussed in the community for a long time. It’s risky to do in terms of public attitudes but if we give people the illusion that the elephants are happy here, that would be selling the American public short,” Kagan said.

The pair of Asian elephants, who have been at the zoo since 1994, live on a one-acre lot with artificial rocks and tree trunks. Kagan hopes that the female pair will find homes at either the Performing Animal Welfare Society in California or The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee by the end of the summer.

“Zoos are not set up to provide a healthy environment for elephants,” said Carol Buckley, executive director of the elephant sanctuary.

“They have an innate need to move because they’re nomadic creatures. They are very social animals who do not generally like to live alone, unless they’re males, and consume over 150 pounds of vegetation,” Buckley said.

The elephant sanctuary has about 2,700 acres with old-growth forests, spring-fed ponds and green pastures. Eleven other female elephants live there.

“We’ve rescued animals from traveling circus shows to zoos, where they have been inhumanely treated,” Buckley said.

The Detroit Zoo prides itself on training animals without punishment.

Despite their efforts, zoo officials haven’t been able to keep the elephants from developing health ailments common to more than half the elephants kept in captivity. Both Wanda and Winky have feet and joint problems and are treated with anti-inflammatory and pain medication.

“Elephant feet are designed to be on soft floors or pastures,” Buckley said. “However, at many zoos, they have to endure hard floors made of concrete or hard-packed dirt and sand, which leads to many chronic illnesses and diseases.”

Two elephants from the San Francisco Zoo died this year of foot infections that developed into deadly health problems.

Researchers also have found that captive females don’t breed well due to stress, and elephants suffer degenerative joint problems, lameness and chronic foot infections, arthritis, boredom and severe psychological problems.

Six other accredited zoos have experienced similar problems and closed their elephant exhibits, after pressure from the American Zoological and Aquarium Association.

Largely unknown a few years ago, there are now two well known sanctuaries where pachyderms that are old for zoo life or otherwise in need of a break can go, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Monday.

One is in Hohenwald, Tenn., and the other is in San Andreas, Calif.

One or the other will be home to two African elephants, Lulu and Tinkerbelle, currently in the San Francisco Zoo.

Facing pressure from animal rights activists after the deaths of two other elephants earlier this year, zoo director Manuel Mollinedo decided on June 2 to send Lulu and Tinkerbelle to San Andreas or Hohenwald -- defying the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which had recommended other zoos instead.

If you're an elephant, just head straight for the local sanctuary: San Andreas and Hohenwald are pachyderm paradises. And one of these days, San Francisco Zoo residents Lulu and Tinkerbelle will be packing their trunks and moving to either Calaveras County or Tennessee.

Carol Buckley, a former exotic animal trainer who runs the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, said she tells new arrivals one thing: "We are here to serve you. We don't want to control you."

Hohenwald and San Andreas are among the few places on Earth where elephants have nothing to worry about: no chains, bullhooks, concrete floors, beatings, shrinking habitats, ivory poachers or ennui.

"I'm philosophically opposed to the bullhook boys -- the guys with the big belt buckles that hang down to their knees, and they've got a big bullhook and they're managing 10,000 pounds of killer beast," said Pat Derby, who oversees the Performing Animal Welfare Society's Ark 2000 sanctuary in San Andreas, 123 miles east of San Francisco.

Facing escalating pressure from animal rights activists and politicians after the deaths of two other elephants earlier this year, San Francisco Zoo director Manuel Mollinedo decided on June 2 to send Lulu and Tinkerbelle to San Andreas or Hohenwald -- defying the powerful American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which had recommended other zoos instead.

Although the San Francisco Zoo risks losing its AZA accreditation, Mollinedo said African elephant Lulu and Asian elephant Tinkerbelle, both solitary 38-year-olds, needed a lot more space and pachyderm pals. Their future home will be determined in the next few weeks, but it's unclear when they'll leave.

"It's not like moving your pet hamster," Mollinedo said.

The morning after he announced his decision, Derby was getting her 2,300-acre sanctuary ready for its first non-elephant residents -- abused tigers from Southern California.

From the road, the only hint that this ranch might be a little different is a rusting iron gate with six elephants parading across the top, a pachyderm face in the middle and an Ark 2000 logo.

It took a five-minute trip up the driveway, past another gate through swirling clouds of red dirt and gravel dust, before any elephants were visible.

Annie, a 48-year-old Asian elephant from the Milwaukee Zoo, was tossing hay on her back. Minnie, 48, and Rebecca, 43, were ambling down to the lake. Before long, they were splashing around like schoolkids rather than arthritic retirees from the Ringling Bros. circus.

To avoid communicable diseases and clashing temperaments, Africans and Asians are typically separated, and the PAWS sanctuary is no exception. The Asians have a 40-acre spread, half as much as Mara and "71," their perkier 23-year-old African colleagues.

"The Africans are free spirits. The Asians are senior citizens," Derby said. "It's like the Crips and the Bloods. It would be like sending gangbangers to a senior citizens' home."

Derby herself is 62, a fourth-generation vegetarian with long red hair and strong opinions. She used to train wild animals in Hollywood for films and TV shows, including "Lassie" and "Flipper."

She opened the San Andreas refuge in October 2002. Before that, the elephants lived in the PAWS sanctuary in Galt, a Sacramento County retreat that opened two decades ago and now houses bears and exotic cats. It's close to the organization's hoofstock haven in Herald.

Derby and her husband, Ed Stewart, divide their time between the three sanctuaries of PAWS -- a nonprofit with a $2 million annual budget covered by $25 yearly memberships, grants and the generosity of big-name supporters such as Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin.

"Captivity is a jail," Derby said. "You can make it as pleasant as possible, but it's still captivity and they're deprived."

In San Andreas, there are yellow-brown hills, shrubs, bamboo, grasses, a 5-acre lake, heated barn and trees that range from oak and cottonwood to Chinese locust. There is also acacia, a favorite treat.

The sanctuary is regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the California Department of Fish and Game. John Stark, of the state agency, said the refuge has been problem-free.

He added that neighbors are inevitably curious.

"Just think Jurassic Park," he tells them.

Derby said the elephants have developed their own routines. They get up around 5 a.m., eat breakfast, head for the lake, retreat to the trees, browse and graze, drop by their mud holes and return for dinner around 5 p.m.

They usually choose to sleep outside, though they're brought in the barn if the temperature drops below 45. And they always have company: either Derby and Stewart, or one of seven keepers, spend the night in their sleeping bags.

Minnie and Rebecca are clocked when they nap in full sun and are awakened after 45 minutes to avoid heat prostration. Annie, too crippled to walk to the lake, soaks in the elephant Jacuzzi every night.

Twice a week, veterinarian Jackie Gai tends to the pachyderms. She said all five are thriving.

"Their mobility has increased," she said. "It's almost like this place is physical therapy."

Derby has worked with elephants for 35 years. She raised "71" -- the weakling in a herd of 93 formerly owned by an eccentric Florida millionaire. What does she like about them?

"Everything," she said. "There's nothing I don't like. I like their smells, their sounds, their movements, their spirits."

Derby said Tinkerbelle would be quarantined first in Galt to make sure she's free of the tuberculosis her deceased companion Calle once had. On the other hand, Lulu -- who lost her friend Maybelle on April 22 -- could move right in with Mara and 71.

"Mara and Lulu have the same temperament," she said. "They're very playful. 71 is the boss. And Lulu had a boss -- Maybelle. In captivity we don't have herds, we don't have matriarchs. We have these little dysfunctional groups of elephants who are forced to live with each other."

Derby and her husband pioneered the no-dominance approach to elephants, which uses patience and persuasion rather than chains and bullhooks. She goes through many buckets of banana bribes, but it pays off.

"I've never been hurt by a wild animal," she said. "I've never tried to hurt them. I'm just somebody elephants like and trust."

At the only other sanctuary in the country that accepts solely female pachyderms, the word "trust" is used a lot. It is the basis for the relationships Carol Buckley and Scott Blais have developed with the eight Asian and three African elephants at their 2,700-acre refuge in Hohenwald, 83 miles southwest of Nashville.

The animals' histories are full of heartbreak and horror.

Jenny is blind in her right eye, and her left leg is crippled. A fire in a circus barn claimed a chunk of Shirley's right ear. Sissy was swept away in a flood and wrapped around a tree limb. Years later, she was the victim of a beating that was caught on videotape.

Sissy also fatally crushed a keeper in Texas in 1997.

"She was labeled a killer," said Buckley, a 50-year-old native of Orange County. "But she was the sweetest elephant I've ever seen."

She said pachyderms, which live to be 35 on average in captivity but into their 70s in the wild, need vegetation, other elephants and room to roam -- 30 to 50 miles a day in the natural world.

In Hohenwald, they enjoy pastures, rolling hills, ponds and mud holes, dense woodland and more than 100 varieties of trees, including sycamore, hickory and cedar -- along with plenty of poison ivy to devour.

Although the Tennessee and San Andreas sanctuaries are closed to the public, Hohenwald's seven "elecams" allow the "elefans" to keep up with their favorites on a Web site.

The nonprofit's 30,000 members pay from $10 up to sustain the sanctuary, which had a $1.2 million budget last year and employs seven keepers.

It's clear that Buckley and Blais, who live together at the refuge, are nuts about pachyderms.

"Elephants wear their emotions on their sleeves. They are sensitive, kind and caring," Buckley said. "They're deep thinkers, and they're very inclusive. And they are absolutely honest."

Blais, 31, said he was amazed by their "depth of compassion."

And they never forget. Jenny and Shirley were reunited five years ago after a few weeks together at a circus -- 23 years before.

"They recognized each other," Buckley said.

Like problem children written off as hopeless, the elephants are saddled with labels and reputations when they show up.

Blais said Delhi, who arrived in November from Illinois, "never played," according to her keeper.

He proceeded to spend half an hour horsing around with Delhi, who blissfully kicked and flung balls around, trumpeting madly.

Delhi was the first elephant ever confiscated by the USDA. A keeper had used undiluted formaldehyde to soak her feet, resulting in severe chemical burns. She and Tina, the sanctuary's only captive-born elephant, get 20-minute soaks twice a day for their diseased feet -- part of the homeopathic approach Buckley favors.

"Tina has the personality of a princess," said Buckley, as she and Blais placed her feet in buckets of water mixed with apple cider vinegar.

Tina is patient, though. She stood for two hours while casts were made of her feet for shoes that Teva will donate. It's one of many gifts the elephants receive.

Buckley has worked with elephants since 1976, when she bought one for $25,000 and created a circus act. She taught Tarra to waltz, play the harmonica and even to roller-skate -- and saw nothing wrong with that until some animal rights activists changed her mind.

Tarra was the inspiration for the sanctuary, which opened in 1995. She lives there now.

Before Buckley will agree to accept the San Francisco elephants, her vet must examine Tinkerbelle to make sure a three-day trip won't be harmful, while Flora, the newest African, must fully adjust before Lulu could join the herd.

And elephants can't be rushed. It took Bunny, who arrived in 1999, six weeks to go into the trailer that would eventually bring her from Evansville, Ind.

The Detroit Zoo's annual fund-raiser, Sunset at the Zoo, will be held from 7 to 11 p.m. Friday at the zoo in Royal Oak. For more information on helping the zoo, call 248-541-5835 or visit www.detroitzoo.org.

Director Ron Kagan said he and his staff believe that although the zoo's 1-acre enclosure far exceeds professional standards, it is nonetheless inadequate for elephants, whose social, intellectual and physical needs exceed those of other large animals.

The decision has drawn skepticism from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, whose director, Sydney Butler, publicly criticized news media coverage of the issue, saying it contributed to "emotional ballyhoo, fractured partnerships, mistrust, pious posturing and inflammatory comparisons of prison-like zoos to Eden-like sanctuaries."

The Detroit Zoo is awaiting decisions on whether the move will be endorsed by the AZA's Elephant Species Survival Plan and the San Antonio Zoo, which technically owns one of the elephants.

Kagan shared some of his thoughts on the issuelast week.

QUESTION: What's been the reaction to sending Winky and Wanda elsewhere?

ANSWER: Well, not surprisingly, it's mixed. There have been a number of people who've been upset by the decision. First of all, they feel if you don't have elephants, what about the other animals here? Why would it be any better for them? And there are other people who believe we should just spend the money to make things wonderful and that people really want elephants. But I think there are other people who feel that the world of animals is here for us, for our enjoyment. Not that they would want us to intentionally harm any animal, but that our real commitment should be to the people, not the animals.

But fortunately, there have also been many people who have lauded our decision. And we've gotten phone calls ande-mails and letters from not only the region but all over the country and also abroad. Many of them very, very supportive.

And then we've also gotten a response from our colleagues, and my sense from reading the letter the head of the AZA wrote was they thought this was not such a great idea. But there have been a few colleagues who have told us they applaud what we're doing.

Q: What are the percentages?

A: I hesitate to tell you because I don't think it's a true sample of the general public. But I would say we've probably heard from a thousand people and probably 10 have been negative.

Q: Do you know where the elephants are going yet?

A: We don't know. We clearly want them to go to a place that we think meets reasonable criteria. But we're also trying to work within the system. The initial response from the AZA has been a little bit ambiguous. They're clearly reminding us that this decision is more their decision than it is ours, in terms of where they go.

But we're trying to explain: This is not about sanctuary versus zoo. We simply want them to go to a good place. And if there is such a place at a zoo, fine.

Q: Why do you need permission from the AZA's Elephant Species Survival Plan and the San Antonio Zoo?

A: We need permission from San Antonio legally. For the AZA, we need approval or we risk losing our accreditation. We're obviously hoping it doesn't come to that. We've had some discussions, and they've told us they are working through their process.

Q: The two sanctuaries being considered are in Tennessee and California. Are elephant sanctuaries in the United States AZA accredited?

A: No. But I think the AZA needs to be careful about its questioning other standards. Because in our view, AZA standards are inadequate. What we've seen with two sanctuaries is that they far exceed AZA standards and far exceed all -- or almost all -- AZA institutions. So there may be a theoretical disagreement here, but I think on a practical level, AZA is not really in a position to be challenging this.

We are trying to get as much clarity as we can from both sanctuaries about specifics of their veterinary care. We know, for instance, that the sanctuary in California has the services of veterinarians from the University of California at Davis, one of the finest exotic-animal vet schools in the country. And they have very seasoned, experienced vets that work with them on a regular basis.

So I think it's unfortunate that the questions are directed in this way when really, AZA should focus on elevating its own guidelines, its own standards and its own commitment.

Q: Other animals have more space and stimulation in their natural habitats than they do at the Detroit Zoo, such as chimpanzees, giraffes. Why is it OK to keep them, but not the elephants?

A: The bottom line is, all animals need to have healthy physical, social and psychological environments, and that is different for different species. What's good for an elephant is not necessarily good for a mouse, or what is good for a frog is not necessarily good for a zebra.

From what we can tell, we see elephants constantly damaged -- physically and psychologically -- from captive environments. We do not see that in a zebra or in the giraffe or even in a chimpanzee, if they are kept in the best sort of captive environments that exist. You have to be a bit more deep than saying every animal needs the same things. They don't.

We do know we're able to see damage in some species, and we don't see it in others. Giraffes seem fine. Chimpanzees in our environment -- one of the biggest and best in the world -- seem fine. Is it the same as in the wild? No. Here, they have unlimited food. They have lots of social interactions here. On elephants we're missing on all counts: We're missing on the weather, we're missing on the social situation, we're missing on the physical environment. That doesn't exist with the other animals.

Q: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has applauded this move. They are considered extremists by many people. Is there a danger in being linked with them -- that people will consider you an extremist?

A: One of the unfortunate side effects is you get labeled, as a person or an institution. You get labeled as an angel, you get labeled as a crazy, you get dismissed, you get marginalized as extremist or flaky. And all of that is unfortunate because it misses the point.

The point is, we're experts on animals, and we have to always attempt to do what is right for the animals. We don't always get it right. The issue is not what people's opinion is about us, it's real discussion about the issues. And to the extent that PETA or anybody else has insight into what makes sense, we welcome that.

Q: Won't this devastate the zoo staff that works with the elephants? Won't it be like losing a pet dog? A several-ton pet dog?

A: I think that knowing -- or at least, believing -- you're doing what's right for something you care about is a terrific place to be. I think they and I all feel we are doing what is best for the animals. It does require being mature about close relationships, because obviously, these people love the animals.

Q: What does Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick think about this? He's your boss.

A: He's been awesome. For him, this also was a path that was sort of like, "Really? I had no idea the elephants weren't happy." He said, "Do what you think is best."

Q: The elephants are on the zoo water tower and letterhead. Are you going to remove them?

A: No plans. It's not like elephants don't exist anymore. Not all the animals in the animal kingdom are here, nor will they be.

Q: Final thoughts?

A: You know, one of my great joys as I walk around the park is visiting animals we've rescued, real live animals. Sometimes, when you work in conservation, you're saving species. There isn't a real individual story. Wanda and Winky are two elephants that represent a much bigger issue and a bigger story for zoos. I look at animals that we've rescued. I look at Siberian Sun, our race horse, and look at Barle (a polar bear rescued from a traveling Mexican circus). And I look at Wanda and Winky and realize they're going to end up like those animals. They're going to end up in a situation where they're not only loved as they are here, but they're going to have a much better physical, social and psychological environment.

The zoo's recent announcement that it won't keep its aging Asian elephants because it can't give them the space, companionship, and climate they need has caused more than a few ripples in Detroit - and the zoo community nationwide. After all, a zoo without elephants?

But in a world in which goldfish have their own vets, horses get spa treatments, and a number of communities have espoused pet "guardianship," the Detroit Zoo's decision is one more sign of humans' changing relationship with animals.

Zoos nowadays are as apt to evoke sympathy for the caged creatures as curiosity. People are both more aware of animals' needs - emotional and physical - and less willing to tolerate abuse. Between vocal animal rights campaigns and hit films like "Free Willy" and "Finding Nemo," a fundamental shift is taking place in public consciousness: Animals are being treated, essentially, more like humans. "It's like we're waking up from a deep cultural sleep," says Tom Regan, an animal rights ethicist and author of "Empty Cages." Animals are somebodies, not somethings. That's what I think we're waking up to."

In some ways, zoos have been responding to a new sensibility for years. Small cages have given way to "habitats." Social animals like apes are housed together. Conservation and education have gotten increased emphasis. More animals are trained with positive reinforcement rather than punishment, and many zoos keep intelligent animals engaged by using techniques such as scattering their food so they need to work to find it.

Art Carlson, a white-haired visitor at Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo, remembers the first time he came to the grounds in 1938. "They used to have the poor lions and tigers in cages," he says, watching the zoo's three elephants. "They'd pace back and forth. As a kid, I felt sorry for them. The animals never have enough space, but at least now they're not in a cage."

Even against that changing backdrop, Detroit's elephant decision was a zoolological zinger. Yet it won't be the first zoo to lose its largest pachyderms. Lulu and Tinkerbelle, San Francisco's resident giants, will also be heading to leafier pastures this summer - a decision sparked by public outrage over the death of two elephants this spring. Controversies have had similar results elsewhere.

But Detroit may be the first to get rid of such a popular animal for purely ethical reasons. "It was really a natural progression of our effort to create a new, expanded environment for elephants," says zoo director Ron Kagan. "And it was the realization that nothing we could do could mitigate the severity of the winters, or the reality that elephants live in large groups, and don't breed well in captivity no matter where they are. It became a realization that improving things for elephants really meant not having them."

Getting elephants out of zoos (and circuses, where they have a much harder life) has long been a target of animal-rights groups. The animals are particularly ill-suited for confinement, the groups say, because of their social and habitat needs. Lack of exercise and years of standing on hard surfaces lead to chronic illnesses, and the elephants are often split up from longtime companions.

But Mr. Kagan's suggestion that elephants, along with dolphins and whales, may not belong in captivity at all is at odds with most in the zoo community. Nor does he does shy from detailing how zoos, as much as they've improved, still fall short. "We have a long way to go to fully embraceanimal welfare," he says. "It shocks me that there are still zoos with animals literally behind bars: You're saying to the visitor that this animal is guilty of something, that it's dangerous." But it's his suggestion that zoos need to find a middle ground between animal rights and conservation - valuing individual creatures as well as entire populations and ecosystems - that sounds unusual, given the normally antagonistic relationship between the two viewpoints.

Today, many zoos feel under attack from animal-rights groups, some of which feel no animals belong in captivity. "What we need are people who have informed opinions. That's different from a purely emotional view of animals," says Michael Hutchins, director of conservation science for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association. "If these more extreme animal-rights views start to take hold in the mainstream, it's going to be more difficult to conserve wildlife."

He cites technologies used to protect wild populations - such as tagging methods for Beluga whales or radio backpacks enlisted to track endangered toads - that has been developed at zoos. He also notes that certain animal behavior - elephants' ultrasonic communication, for instance - has been discovered by studying captive animals. Then there's the educational value. "Zoos are one of the few places people can see living, breathing wild animals and come to love them," he says.

All of which are arguments dismissed by most animal-rights activists. Some see a long-term value in zoos as refuges for abandoned animals - a role Detroit, but few other zoos, already plays. But activists oppose many standard practices and often the whole philosophy of cages. Zoos are "part of the shadows of the 19th century," says Dr. Regan. "They don't belong in the 21st century. There are far superior ways to teach people about animals."

In the end, the evolution of zoos will most likely happen naturally - a gradual shift toward bigger spaces, fewer animals, and more climate-appropriate species.

Even though handlers believe she has been accepted by the others and someday could join them, they are troubled by the dominant behavior she's shown and worry that the 43-year-old could hurt her fellow pachyderms.

''That's what set us back a little,'' said Lisa New, the Knoxville Zoo's animal collections director. ''She showed us she wanted to be in charge. ... Ruby is like a little bulldozer.''

Animal rights advocates say the separation, which has gone on for nearly a year, has made Ruby lonely and unhappy.

They filed a lawsuit challenging Ruby's transfer last year to Knoxville from the Los Angeles Zoo, where she had lived alongside an Asian elephant named Gita for 16 years.

In April a Los Angeles judge ordered the Knoxville Zoo to report by October on how Ruby is faring so he can decide whether she stays in Knoxville, returns to California or relocates to a sanctuary.

Knoxville Zoo officials say they have seen no indications that Ruby is stressed or uncomfortable, but backers of the lawsuit want to see Ruby integrated with the other three female elephants or at least to see progress toward integration.

''We have a great interest in her happiness. We would love to think she could be integrated,'' said Gretchen Wyler, vice president of the Humane Society of the United States. ''That's all we wanted.''

Knoxville Zoo officials say that even after a year Ruby isn't ready to mingle with Edie, Jana and Mamie, the other female elephants.

Elephant manager Jim Naelitz said in court documents that handlers tried a few times to put Ruby in the yard with Jana, but that Ruby showed aggression.

''We are moving at Ruby's pace,'' Knoxville Zoo Executive Director Jim Vlna said.

The L.A. Zoo sought a new home for Ruby so it could focus exclusively on Asian elephants. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association suggested sending Ruby to Knoxville, which has only African elephants and recently renovated and expanded its elephant exhibit.

A former L.A. Zoo curator who visited Knoxville to observe Ruby doubts that there will be much progress.

Even though handlers believe she has been accepted by the others and someday could join them, they are troubled by the dominant behavior she's shown and worry that the 43-year-old could hurt her fellow pachyderms.

''That's what set us back a little,'' said Lisa New, the Knoxville Zoo's animal collections director. ''She showed us she wanted to be in charge. ... Ruby is like a little bulldozer.''

Animal rights advocates say the separation, which has gone on for nearly a year, has made Ruby lonely and unhappy.

They filed a lawsuit challenging Ruby's transfer last year to Knoxville from the Los Angeles Zoo, where she had lived alongside an Asian elephant named Gita for 16 years.

In April a Los Angeles judge ordered the Knoxville Zoo to report by October on how Ruby is faring so he can decide whether she stays in Knoxville, returns to California or relocates to a sanctuary.

Knoxville Zoo officials say they have seen no indications that Ruby is stressed or uncomfortable, but backers of the lawsuit want to see Ruby integrated with the other three female elephants or at least to see progress toward integration.

''We have a great interest in her happiness. We would love to think she could be integrated,'' said Gretchen Wyler, vice president of the Humane Society of the United States. ''That's all we wanted.''

Knoxville Zoo officials say that even after a year Ruby isn't ready to mingle with Edie, Jana and Mamie, the other female elephants.

Elephant manager Jim Naelitz said in court documents that handlers tried a few times to put Ruby in the yard with Jana, but that Ruby showed aggression.

''We are moving at Ruby's pace,'' Knoxville Zoo Executive Director Jim Vlna said.

The L.A. Zoo sought a new home for Ruby so it could focus exclusively on Asian elephants. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association suggested sending Ruby to Knoxville, which has only African elephants and recently renovated and expanded its elephant exhibit.

A former L.A. Zoo curator who visited Knoxville to observe Ruby doubts that there will be much progress.

The elephants -- destined for relocation since early May -- might not even end up in the same place. They could go to the Performing Animal Welfare Society sanctuary in the Calaveras County town of San Andreas or the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn. "It could take anywhere from three to four months," zoo Director Manuel Mollinedo said Wednesday, a few hours before announcing his decision at the monthly meeting of the Joint Zoo Committee, which oversees zoo operations.

Last week, the zoo received a letter from the powerful American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which is located in Silver Spring, Md., and represents 214 institutions in the United States, Canada, Bermuda and Hong Kong. In the letter, the AZA said four of its member zoos -- which the association did not name -- were interested in acquiring Lulu and Tinkerbelle. However, Mollinedo said, "Sanctuaries have additional space. But it's not just the space, it's how you manage the animals. If you just dump a bunch of food in front of them, they're not going to be utilizing the space. There are zoos that, if they had expressed an interest, I would have been more inclined to send them there."

He praised the elephant programs at the San Diego Wildlife Park and zoos in Seattle and Portland, Ore. Those places, however, were not named by the AZA as interested parties. After learning through the rumor mill which sites were interested, Mollinedo chose the sanctuary route instead -- which means the San Francisco Zoo will still be responsible for the two elephants. In the politics of zoo society -- easily as complicated as San Francisco's -- the zoo association is rarely challenged. "I have a lot of respect for the AZA. This could jeopardize our accreditation," said Mollinedo, who has never gone against the organization before. "I'm hoping it doesn't. This is extremely serious." Sydney Butler, executive director of the AZA, agreed. He said the San Francisco Zoo would have to go through a lengthy conflict resolution process with the association that could, if not resolved, "result in the loss of accreditation for the San Francisco Zoo and potentially an ethics charge."

Association membership opens doors to a lot of things, said zoo spokeswoman Nancy Chan. For example, it allows zoos to exchange animals easily, do field conservation projects, obtain federal funds, and conduct captive breeding programs. Without it, the San Francisco Zoo would be a lone wolf, "estranged from its professional community," Butler said. By opting for sanctuaries, Mollinedo is also, in effect, beating to the punch the Board of Supervisors, which is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a nonbinding resolution to move the two pachyderms to a refuge immediately. Earlier in the day, before learning of the zoo's decision, Butler had written to Matt Gonzalez, president of the Board of Supervisors, asking that the vote be delayed until Aug. 3.

"At the end of that time, everyone will be more informed," Butler wrote. However, Mollinedo said, "For us, there's a sense of urgency." He added that the welfare of both the elephants and the beleaguered keepers was at stake. Mollinedo, who resurrected the decrepit and decaying Los Angeles Zoo during a seven-year tenure, took over in San Francisco on Feb. 1 and soon found himself dealing with elephant issues. Calle, suffering from degenerative joint disease, was euthanized on March 7 at age 37. Maybelle, 43, expired suddenly of heart failure on April 22. In captivity, elephants -- highly social herd animals -- can survive into their early 50s. Outraged animal rights activists and concerned city officials got involved. There were protests, pickets, leafleting, arrests, city committees to navigate, the mechanics of the AZA's Elephant Species Survival Plan to explain. "This whole situation got so politicized. Everyone started digging in their heels," Mollinedo said. "The problem I'm faced with is I have a lone African elephant in one exhibit and a lone Asian in the other. ... And never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be in charge of a zoo with two elephant deaths so soon."

He's planning to send a veterinarian and keeper to the sanctuaries in California and Tennessee to take a look at husbandry techniques, veterinary care and funding.

The elephants -- destined for relocation since early May -- might not even end up in the same place. They could go to the Performing Animal Welfare Society sanctuary in the Calaveras County town of San Andreas or the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn. "It could take anywhere from three to four months," zoo Director Manuel Mollinedo said Wednesday, a few hours before announcing his decision at the monthly meeting of the Joint Zoo Committee, which oversees zoo operations. Last week, the zoo received a letter from the powerful American Zoo and Aquarium Association, which is located in Silver Spring, Md., and represents 214 institutions in the United States, Canada, Bermuda and Hong Kong.

In the letter, the AZA said four of its member zoos -- which the association did not name -- ere interested in acquiring Lulu and Tinkerbelle.

However, Mollinedo said, "Sanctuaries have additional space. But it's not just the space, it's how you manage the animals. If you just dump a bunch of food in front of them, they're not going to be utilizing the space. There are zoos that, if they had expressed an interest, I would have been more inclined to send them there." He praised the elephant programs at the San Diego Wildlife Park and zoos in Seattle and Portland, Ore. Those places, however, were not named by the AZA as interested parties. After learning through the rumor mill which sites were interested, Mollinedo chose the sanctuary route instead -- which means the San Francisco Zoo will still be responsible for the two elephants.

In the politics of zoo society -- easily as complicated as San Francisco's -- the zoo association is rarely challenged. "I have a lot of respect for the AZA. This could jeopardize our accreditation," said Mollinedo, who has never gone against the organization before. "I'm hoping it doesn't. This is extremely serious." Sydney Butler, executive director of the AZA, agreed. He said the San Francisco Zoo would have to go through a lengthy conflict resolution process with the association that could, if not resolved, "result in the loss of accreditation for the San Francisco Zoo and potentially an ethics charge."

Association membership opens doors to a lot of things, said zoo spokeswoman Nancy Chan. For example, it allows zoos to exchange animals easily, do field conservation projects, obtain federal funds, and conduct captive breeding programs. Without it, the San Francisco Zoo would be a lone wolf, "estranged from its professional community," Butler said. By opting for sanctuaries, Mollinedo is also, in effect, beating to the punch the Board of Supervisors, which is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a nonbinding resolution to move the two pachyderms to a refuge immediately. Earlier in the day, before learning of the zoo's decision, Butler had written to Matt Gonzalez, president of the Board of Supervisors, asking that the vote be delayed until Aug. 3. "At the end of that time, everyone will be more informed," Butler wrote.

However, Mollinedo said, "For us, there's a sense of urgency." He added that the welfare of both the elephants and the beleaguered keepers was at stake. Mollinedo, who resurrected the decrepit and decaying Los Angeles Zoo during a seven-year tenure, took over in San Francisco on Feb. 1 and soon found himself dealing with elephant issues. Calle, suffering from degenerative joint disease, was euthanized on March 7 at age 37. Maybelle, 43, expired suddenly of heart failure on April 22. In captivity, elephants -- highly social herd animals -- can survive into their early 50s. Outraged animal rights activists and concerned city officials got involved.

There were protests, pickets, leafleting, arrests, city committees to navigate, the mechanics of the AZA's Elephant Species Survival Plan to explain. "This whole situation got so politicized. Everyone started digging in their heels," Mollinedo said. "The problem I'm faced with is I have a lone African elephant in one exhibit and a lone Asian in the other. ... And never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be in charge of a zoo with two elephant deaths so soon." He's planning to send a veterinarian and keeper to the sanctuaries in California and Tennessee to take a look at husbandry techniques, veterinary care and funding.

Jack, who once traveled the country and to Japan with the circus, is the only bull in the United States that mates naturally. He's in his prime and could continue to breed for another 25 years.

Zoo officials hope Jack's return will result in two more calves within the next year. By then, it's likely another zoo will ask for his services.

"He is the most successful bull in the country," said Amos Morris, the Pittsburgh zoo's mammal curator.

The Pittsburgh zoo has owned Jack since 1994 and in 2001 lent him to Disney's Animal Kingdom in Orlando.

But before Jack left, he fathered a daughter with a cow named Moja and a son with Savannah; Victoria was born in September 1999 and Calee was born in September 2000.

Back at Disney's Animal Kingdom, Jack was naturally bred with two cows. One is pregnant and the other might be expecting.

Semen from Jack and another bull was used to successfully artificial inseminate another cow in Orlando. Officials will need to use genetic tests to determine if Jack is the father.

"The conception seems to be fairly easy," said Pittsburgh zoo elephant manager Willie Theison, who added that births can be difficult.

"(Biologists) haven't gotten it down to a science yet," he said.

Jack traveled back to Pittsburgh in a former furniture van and arrived at the zoo after it closed Thursday. Bull elephants are handled with a protected contact system, so keepers didn't go into the van or stall with the animal and Jack was chained during the move.

The herd at the zoo, which includes three cows and two calves, were kept away from Jack until he could settle in. He will be housed alone except during breeding time.

The Pittsburgh zoo will continue to collect the bull elephant's semen, which survives for about 48 hours and can't be frozen.

Jack's semen has been sent to zoos in Indiana, New York, Kansas and Tennessee, resulting in other pregnancies. Zoos that have successful births usually donate what they can to the Pittsburgh zoo's conservation fund.

Jack returned to an expanded elephant yard and a special area where his semen can be collected for use at other zoos.

But officials at the city-owned zoo say that Moki and Chana are staying put.

"We think our elephants are pretty content," said Carol Hauschild, development director of Friends of Lee Richardson Zoo. "We just want to make it better for them."

Members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals say the animals should be sent to a sanctuary in California or Tennessee, where they would have more room to roam and could herd with other elephants.

"This is a perfect time for (zoo officials) to retire the elephants and recognize they can't meet their needs," said Nicole Meyer, an elephant specialist for PETA, which has long advocated the removal of elephants from zoos.

The group launched a letter-writing campaign this month to persuade Garden City officials to give up the elephants.

Zoo officials have been considering expanding the stalls since last year to meet standards set by the American Zoo and Aquarium Assn., said Dan Baffa, zoo director.

On Thursday, the Friends of the Zoo's board of directors made the elephant stall expansion the top priority on the zoo's master plan. Blueprints must be completed and funds for the $200,000 project raised, but the group hopes to finish the work by May 2006, the deadline for compliance with the new standards.

Still, a PETA "action alert" begun on May 3 on the group's Web site continues to encourage people to write to zoo and city officials to support closing the elephant exhibit. About 20 opponents of the elephant stall plans have written city and zoo officials thus far, said City Manager Bob Halloran.

Moki and Chana, 22-year-old female African elephants, were part of a herd in Africa that was to be killed because of elephant overpopulation, Baffa said. The adults were killed and the babies brought to Florida, where the zoo bought them, he said.

The elephants have been at the zoo since 1986, living in a barn that contains one 450-square-foot stall and a 325-square-foot stall, which used to meet AZA standards. The association revised its stall requirements in 2001, saying all stalls must be 400 square feet.

Member zoos were required to submit plans to comply with the standards by May 1, which the Lee Richardson Zoo did.

Baffa said the general plan calls for gutting the barn where Moki and Chana are housed and creating three 600-square-foot stalls. The larger size would meet the new standard for elephants living with calves because the zoo tried, unsuccessfully, to artificially inseminate Chana last year.

Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Director Barbara Baker said the five elephants at the Highland Park facility's recently expanded elephant exhibit are just fine right where they are.

"They have a great life," Baker said.

The Detroit Free Press reported last week that the Detroit Zoo will become the first major animal facility in the nation to give away its elephants on ethical grounds -- citing concerns that the elephants' 1-acre enclosure is too small and the area's climate too cold.

The zoo's two Asian elephants will be sent to a refuge in Tennessee or California this summer or fall.

Debbie Lahey, director of captive animals and entertainment issues for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, applauded the Detroit Zoo.

"We're thrilled with the decision," she said. Lahey said eight zoos have closed their elephant exhibits in recent years -- either because they could not afford required upgrades to their facilities or because of controversy over the death or mistreatment of animals.

"It is a trend," she said, but the Detroit Zoo's step is a first. "This is the first time that a zoo has voluntarily closed its elephant exhibit purely for ethical reasons."

Lahey said elephants are not suited to cold northern climates and roam 30 miles a day in the wild -- something they can't do in the Pittsburgh Zoo's 2.5-acre enclosure.

Even if the entire zoo were turned over to the elephants, the animals would not have enough space, she said.

Lahey said the two wildlife refuges where the Detroit elephants could end up have more than 2,000 acres.

Baker doesn't buy the criticism. She said the Detroit decision might be right for their animals, which are older and not in a breeding program.

But, Baker said, Pittsburgh's five elephants, which came to the zoo in 1987 and 1994, lead a very different life from those of the other animals.

She said matriarch Tasha and cows Savannah and Moja -- all in their 20s -- and calves Victoria and Calee live in a herd structure, like they would in the wild and unlike the Detroit elephants.

Baker said the fact that they are breeding successfully -- Victoria and Calee were born in 1999 and 2000 -- is a good sign. She said elephants don't breed successfully if they are unhappy, and elephants in refuges are not allowed to breed.

"Everybody has their own philosophy about elephant-keeping," Baker said. "Personally, I don't believe it's about space. I believe it's about how you care for and manage your animals."

"We have one of the most successful breeding programs in the country," she added. "Space is not the only factor that makes a good program."

As for the cold weather, she said the elephants are kept inside during harsh weather but actually seem to enjoy the winter.

The female Asian elephants will be sent to one of two U.S. refuges this summer or early fall. The Detroit Zoo will become the nation's first major animal facility to give away its elephants solely on ethical grounds, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

"People's traditional expectation of zoos is that they see lions and tigers and elephants," zoo director Ron Kagan told the Detroit Free Press for a story published Thursday. "But it's also their expectation that an animal has a good life."

The Detroit Zoo is widely recognized for its superior animal care. But Kagan said life in captivity nevertheless has caused physical and psychological problems for Winky, 51, and Wanda, who is in her mid-40s.

In the wild, female Asian elephants typically roam 30 miles a day. They form solid social bonds with members of their herds and strongly desire physical and intellectual stimulation.

But Winky and Wanda have lived through bitter Michigan winters for 14 years and eight years, respectively. They also have experienced boredom and stress while living inside their one-acre enclosure -- 16 times what the American Zoo and Aquarium Association requires of its members.

Wanda takes anti-inflammatory medication for chronic arthritis in her front legs. Winky has foot problems that might be related to sleeping unnaturally in a standing position; elephants sleep on soft surfaces in the wild.

"Now we understand how much more is needed to be able to meet all the physical and psychological needs of elephants in captivity, especially in a cold climate," Kagan wrote in memorandum explaining the decision.

The memo said it would cost $30 million to $50 million and require up to 20 acres of land to provide an adequate environment for the elephants. The price was so high it was never considered.

Five U.S. zoos have closed elephant exhibits in recent years amid public pressure following animal deaths or alleged mistreatment. A small animal sanctuary in Georgia surrendered its elephants earlier this year, partly because of space and cost concerns.

But the Detroit Zoo "is the first to make a purely voluntary decision of this nature," said Wayne Pacelle, chief executive officer of the Humane Society of the United States.

"This is precedent-setting," Pacelle said. "It will reverberate throughout the zoo community and, by extension, be an indictment of what goes on in circuses where elephants are chained 22 hours a day."

Wanda and Winky might go to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, joining 11 elephants that roam 522 acres. The sanctuary plans to expand to 2,700 acres of fenced land by year's end. Or they might go to the Performing Animal Welfare Society preserve in California.

Kagan said he believes the zoo adequately addresses the needs of its other animals, although future research might prove otherwise.

When the two remaining elephants are packed off to sanctuaries or another zoo, it will be the first time since the San Francisco Zoo opened in 1929 that visitors will not be able to witness the comings and goings of the world's largest land mammals from Africa and Asia.

After facing heavy criticism from Bay Area animal rights advocates for years over the zoo's small and antiquated elephant enclosures, the issue came to a head when Maybelle, a 44-year-old African elephant, unexpectedly collapsed and died April 22.

Maybelle's death followed by less than seven weeks the demise of Calle, a 37-year-old Asian elephant who was put down by zoo officials because of her deteriorating health. Her conditions included degenerative joint disease, a history of tuberculosis and an old injury sustained in a highway crash in Mexico when she was a performer in a traveling circus.

Elephants generally live 50 to 60 years in the wild, experts say.

Calle spent a good part of her life at the Los Angeles Zoo, where she was once scheduled to be sent to a sanctuary in Tennessee because of her infirmities. But before the move could be completed, she was placed on loan to the San Francisco Zoo, where she was diagnosed with a human form of TB. Ultimately, she lived out her days in the often foggy and chilly zoo.

Zoo officials said Maybelle died of heart failure. They have not yet determined the underlying cause of her cardiovascular collapse, zoo spokeswoman Nancy Chan said.

According to zoo records, however, Maybelle had a long history of health problems, ranging from chronic colic and anemia to various foot and joint ailments.

The two surviving elephants — Tinkerbelle and Lulu, both 38 — also have a number of health problems, including colic and various foot, leg and hip ailments, zoo records show.

Since the losses of Calle and Maybelle, the zoo has been the target of protests by animal rights advocates.

Activists say few if any zoos in the U.S. provide the kind of enclosed space that is adequate for these giant creatures that sometimes roam 30 to 50 miles a day in the wild. The enforced sedentary life in zoos leads to chronic disease and painful physical deterioration that culminates in premature death, they say.

Because animals such as these cannot be returned to the wild, the only compassionate solution is to relocate them to sanctuaries, those animal rights advocates say.

The San Francisco Zoo has two enclosures, one about 17,000 square feet for its Asian elephants and another of about 10,000 square feet for its African species. Together, they comprise a little more than half an acre. Plans, since shelved, were in the works to expand both enclosures, Chan said.

By comparison, the L.A. Zoo has slightly more than two acres, about 100,000 square feet, for its elephants, while the Oakland Zoo plans to double the size of its 2 1/2-acre enclosure in June.

"The problem of lack of space for elephants in zoos is irreconcilable," wrote Elliot Katz, a Mill Valley, Calif., veterinarian and founder of In Defense of Animals, in an opinion piece for the San Francisco Chronicle published after Calle's death. "The space allocated to elephants at the San Francisco Zoo prevents normal exercise and forces them to stand on hard, dry compacted surfaces, causing the arthritis and foot disease that have plagued Calle, Tinkerbelle, Maybelle and Lulu."

Katz, who through In Defense of Animals has led a five-year lobbying effort to close the San Francisco elephant exhibit, said in a subsequent interview that zoo records show that all four pachyderms "have been on painkillers for most of their lives to mask their pain while the degeneration keeps getting worse and worse."

San Francisco Zoo Director Manuel Mollinedo disagreed. Elephants "can be in zoos if you have adequate exhibit space and you have very well-trained staff solely dedicated to elephants. Then you can have the kind of exhibit that we can all be proud of," he said.

After the deaths of Calle and Maybelle, however, the zoo's staunch opposition to closing the elephant exhibit appeared to fade in the face of additional political pressure from some city supervisors.

Leading the charge from City Hall was Supervisor Fiona Ma, chairwoman of a special committee auditing the zoo's performance.

"While the elephants are a popular attraction at the zoo, holding them under inadequate conditions sends the wrong message to the visiting public whom the zoo hopes to inspire to embrace conservation," Ma said in a March 29 letter to Mollinedo. The supervisor also wrote a resolution asking the San Francisco Zoological Society, which operates the zoo, to move the remaining elephants to a sanctuary.

Mollinedo told supervisors last week that, pending "guidance" from the American Zoo and Aquarium Assn., which accredits 215 U.S. zoos, Tinkerbelle and Lulu would be moved to a sanctuary or another zoo and the San Francisco exhibit would be closed.

Zoo supporters and critics squabbled for more than an hour over how long it would take to transfer the pachyderms. Mollinedo and other zoo officials said moving elephants "is very tricky" and could take up to six months.

If a sanctuary is chosen, there are two prime candidates. The closest is the Performing Animal Welfare Society's 2,300-acre sanctuary near San Andreas, the county seat of Calaveras County in the Sierra foothills. The other is the 2,700-acre Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn. Both facilities have fenced elephant enclosures ranging from 25 acres to more than 200 acres.

Both have offered to take San Francisco's remaining pachyderms at no cost. The more likely candidate, most observers agreed, would be the Calaveras facility, because it is closer and is already home to five elephants.

Pat Derby, co-founder of the Performing Animal Welfare Society, said the large amount of land available in sanctuaries leads to better health and improved muscle tone, even for elderly elephants.

"The African elephants are incredible moving machines," she said. "They come out of the barn, they go over the hill, then down to the stream and into the wallow and then back to the barn. I personally think that living in zoos represses elephants' natural behavior."

The sanctuary, about 140 miles east of the Bay Area, features two new heated barns, one each for the Asians and the Africans, she said. Each barn is 20,000 square feet, larger than either enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo.

Eventually, the Performing Animal Welfare Society plans to expand the sanctuary, adding enclosures for lions, tigers and bears, all "retired" from zoos and circuses, Derby said.

Carol Buckley, co-founder of the Tennessee sanctuary where a dozen pachyderms live, said the elephant problems at the San Francisco Zoo were hardly unique. "What we're seeing in zoos is the aging of this [elephant] population and the cumulative effects of their lives in captivity. My mission is to help the elephants and educate the public and facilitate moving them to sanctuaries."

Clearly, she says, elephants are a great draw for any zoo and managers are often loath to part with them.

But as modern research has revealed more about elephant behavior and needs, "I think you're going to find that even seven acres or 10 acres aren't enough for them.

Zoo director Manuel Mollinedo delivered the decision to a special Board ofSupervisors City Services Committee on Thursday, zoo spokeswoman NancyChan said."We announced that we would relocate both elephants, an Asian Elephantnamed Tinkerbell, who is 37-years-old, and Lulu, an African Elephant, who is 38-years-old," Chan said.

The pachyderms are of different species and live in separate facilities. When the zoo announced in March that it was considering euthanizing anAsian elephant, animal activists began to demand the relocation of thepachyderms to a sanctuary. The protests increased when an African elephantwas euthanized in April.

"I believe we did listen to the community input but we are looking at the best interest of the animals," Chan said. "Our facilities, we acknowledge,are outdated and we would like them to be able to live their lives in abetter environment."

Two elephants at the zoo have died in the past two months heightening concerns from animal activists and zoo officials about the well-being of the other elephants living on zoo grounds.

Both sides are in agreement that the elephants named Lulu and Tinkerbelle should be relocated to a larger outdoor facility where the animals will have more room to roam.

Newly hired Zoo Director Manuel Mollinedo announced the zoo's intention to move the elephants at today's meeting and said the elephants would probably only return to the zoo if a greatly expanded facility for them could be constructed.

Mollinedo said he would like to see the remaining elephants moved within the next six months, pending approval of a new home by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

According to Mollinedo, the association's approval is necessary in order for the zoo to remain accredited.

Activists, including members of In Defense of Animals and the city's Animal Control and Welfare Commission, took issue with the zoo's six-month time frame, and with the zoo's willingness to let the AZAA choose the elephants' new home.

Board President Matt Gonzalez, explaining the activists' point of view, said that there is "a sense of urgency" about the issue, because many feel that conditions at the zoo led to the other elephants' premature deaths and could lead to the same fate for the remaining two.

Maybelle, a 43-year-old African elephant in failing health, passed away at the zoo on April 22. On March 6, zoo staff euthanized Calle, a 37-year-old Asian elephant, who suffered from a degenerative joint disease and a possible relapse of tuberculosis, according to the zoo.

Mollinedo said a number of steps have to be taken to ensure the safety of the elephants and the trainers during the moving process, and that these steps take a certain amount of time, despite his wish to move forward with the process.

However, Elissa Eckman, a San Francisco Animal Control and Welfare Commissioner, said Lulu and Tinkerbelle could be moved to an acceptable California elephant sanctuary within 48 hours, and that the idea the process could take six months is "blarney."

Eckman and other activists including In Defense of Animals President Elliot Katz want to see the animals moved to a nearby sanctuary operated by the Performing Animal Welfare Society.

That sanctuary has 24-hour animal observation, and heated tubs for arthritic feet, according to Eckman.

Katz, also a veterinarian, said that former zoo Director David Anderson promised him several years ago that the elephants would be moved to the PAWS facility. After Calle's death, Katz said he "realized what a fool" he had been not to press for the move sooner.

He also said he believes the SF Zoological Society is reluctant to advocate elephants moving to sanctuaries because they don't want the public to perceive that animals deserve better conditions than zoos can offer.

The meeting became something of a zoo when activists implicated the zoo itself in the animals' deaths.

Mollinedo and Senior Zoo Veterinarian Freeland Dunker said that Calle had tuberculosis and foot problems before she arrived in San Francisco, and that the zoo offered her the best possible care up until the time of her death.

Katz, however, said that Calle did die because of the zoo facilities because the hard, impacted surface she was kept on exacerbated her existing problems, which led to further degeneration of her feet and leg bones.

The 50-year-old elephant, named Ginny, suffered from severe arthritis and infectious foot ailments over the past several years, zoo officials said in a prepared statement.

Zoo officials said the elephant underwent a wide range of treatments, including antibiotics, foot soaking and a custom-made boot but the treatments provided little or temporary improvement.

In 2000, the zoo's management said it would spend $1 million to build a new enclosure for Tina, who, at the urging of animal-welfare groups, was sent to an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee last year.

The enclosure was never built, but Dan Springman, owner of Springman Saturn in Langley raised the amount toward its construction and now he wants the money back so he can send it to Tina's new home.

"Why shouldn't we get it back?" Springman said this week. "It was designated for her [Tina]. How it was spent was irrelevant. It wasn't used for what it was intended."

Springman said he has hired a lawyer to pursue the matter, but so far has only received "a run-around" from the zoo.

Zoo general manager John Lee said the zoo's current management wasn't in place when the money was donated, so he doesn't know what happened to it.

He said, however, if the zoo determines the money is owed to Springman, it would return it.

"If the zoo is responsible, we have to pay that amount," he said.

Springman's demands come the same week it was revealed the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) had suspended the controversial zoo's accreditation because of concerns about its animal-care practices.

CAZA, the organization that sets animal-care standards for zoos across the country, has refused to allow the zoo to renew its licence until certain care problems are dealt with. CAZA president Bruce Dougan won't say what those problems are, but Lee said he believed the association's principal concern is the hippo enclosure, which is not fit to house hippos properly in winter weather.

Earlier this week, Lee promised the zoo would build a new hippo barn this year.

On the same day, the Surrey Teachers Association announced it was cancelling a teachers' field trip to the zoo on May 7 as a result of concerns it has about the zoo losing its accreditation.

Ruby, who once lived at the Los Angeles Zoo, was separated from her elephant friend Gita 11 months ago when she was moved to Knoxville.

A taxpayer lawsuit backed by the U.S. Humane Society seeks to return Ruby to Los Angeles, saying she's lonely in Knoxville and spends most of her time alone on a concrete floor instead of breeding with other elephants. Whether the lawsuit proceeds hinges on how well Ruby bonds with elephants at her new home.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's the first time in America that we've had a Superior Court judge bend over backwards to see if an elephant is happy," said Gretchen Wyler, vice president of the U.S. Humane Society's Hollywood office.

"Now, at least, if she is not integrated, or is injured in any way, this will go to trial."

The zoo has drawn criticism from animal rights groups, and now politicians, after two of their four elephants, Calle and Maybelle, died. Calle, a 37-year-old Asian Elephant, was euthanized because of physical ailments on March 7. Maybelle, a 43-year-oldAfrican elephant, died of apparent heart failure last week.

Ma introduced a resolution at Tuesday's Board of Supervisor's meeting calling on the zoo to transfer the two remaining elephants, Tinkerbelle and Lulu.

"It is in the best interest of the elephants to be relocated to a credible sanctuary where they will have the company of other elephants," Ma said.

Ma's resolution follows the Commission of Animal Control and Welfare unanimously recommending the elephants' transfer this month and Supervisor Matt Gonzalez calling for hearings on the issue next week.

Activists have seized on the deaths as evidence that the small captivity areas for elephants in zoos, specifically in San Francisco's smaller, outdated pens, cause mental and physical disorders for beasts used to walking up to 50 miles a day in the wild. They cite figures that elephants' average life spans in zoos are typically significantly less than the 60 to 70 years they reach in the wild. Zoo officials said that both Calle and Maybelle suffered from joint ailments.

The zoo's new Executive Director, Manuel Mollinedo, has expressed the desire to keep elephants at the zoo because of their educational value. Mollinedo said by pursuing plans to expand the pen area from its currently inadequate quarter-acre to a full acre, staff could successfully take care of elephants in the additional space.

Zoo spokeswoman Nancy Chan said they have already committed to transferring Tinkerbelle, Calle's former pen-mate, to an accredited zoo or a sanctuary. She said the zoo was also exploring the possibility of moving Lulu, and whether to keep its elephant program.

"We're disappointed that they decided to go this route [to the Board of Supervisors] when we already decided to transfer Tinkerbelle," Chan said, adding, "to have this type of thing happen is unfortunate ... S.F. is stepping over boundaries that they shouldn't."

It doesn't matter that his friend weighs between 5 and 6 tons. He isn't even intimidated by his friend's ability to drench him with as much as 5 gallons of water from a 400-pound snout. In fact, those are reasons the 9-year-old boy is drawn to the gray giant lumbering 50 feet away.

It helps that his new friend is behind two fenced-in safety barriers at the Riverbanks Zoo.

"I just like elephants," Nathan said on a recent trip to the zoo. "They're really big."

Pleasing children is just one of the reasons behind the Riverbanks Zoo's opening its half-acre elephant exhibit in January. Two years ago, the zoo closed its original exhibit to make way for a $19 million remodeling project, Zoo 2002. The renovations brought a new entrance plaza, lemur plaza, birdhouse, gorilla exhibit, a West Columbia entrance to the zoo's botanical garden, and the elephant exhibit.

While zoo visitors seemed thrilled with the impending improvements, they missed seeing their biggest friends, Riverbanks Zoo spokeswoman Sharon Sossamon said.

"People have been asking, 'Where are the elephants?'" Sossamon said. "They're pretty popular with most anybody."

But Sossamon said the wait has been worth it. The new exhibit is four times larger and features three female African elephants the zoo acquired from the Columbus Zoo in Ohio. A state-of-the-art maintenance facility has been added to monitor the elephants' health, and more effort has been made to re-create a natural habitat with fresh mud and an 8-foot-deep wading pool.

Elephants in the wild use mud and water to cool off and protect themselves from insects, said Ed Diebold, the zoo's director of animal collections. The zoo also has switched to "protected contact management," a method that allows keepers and trainers access to the elephants while minimizing danger.

In the past, the zoo used "free-contact management" in which keepers dominated the elephants by using an ankus, a wooden handle with a hook on the end, to strike the animal if it got out of hand. Diebold said eventually keepers learned this wasn't the best way to control their multiton guests.

"They're really dangerous animals," he said. "In the last 10 years, an average of one to two keepers a year were killed because of free-contact management."

Now, positive reinforcement techniques shape behavior and prevent danger. Trainers use a stick with a ball on the end to maneuver the elephants to specific targets, rewarding them with treats like apples and bamboo. The elephants then are trained to lift up their feet so keepers can check for calluses. They're also trained to walk into a restraining device to be weighed or given medical attention.

Because the elephants' health is a priority, Diebold said special attention is paid to their diets.

"In the wild, they'd eat 400 to 500 pounds of food a day and drink 30 to 40 gallons of water," he said. "Here, we give them a supplemental grain diet. They're really getting a much more balanced diet than they would in the wild."

The zoo tries to simulate how the elephants would eat in their original habitat by catering to a natural, internal feeding routine and working daily feedings into behavior shaping.

"We spread their diets out across the day," Diebold said. "And we make them work harder for their food, like they would in the wild."

It's all part of a plan to ensure the elephants are well adjusted and comfortable as their natural behaviors are demonstrated to the public, Riverbanks Zoo senior keeper and elephant manager John Davis said. The process has gone more smoothly than Davis expected.

"Elephants are really smart," Davis said. "And if you guide them in small steps along the way, they figure it out very quickly, much faster than I thought."

Working with the world's largest land mammal has other benefits, he said.

"They're not really sensitive or have a hidden agenda like most primates, who want to grab hold of you and do something ornery," Davis said.

One goal is for zoo patrons to see how elephants "dust," or throw dirt on themselves to protect their skin. The zoo also wants the elephants to demonstrate swimming behaviors and be relaxed enough to lie down and allow keepers to examine them when not in restraining chute.

Davis said elephants love the training process.

"They are really challenged by it; they love the interaction," he said. "And sometimes not all animals do. The elephants just really enjoy the mental stimulation."

Specific improvements like an in-house digital scale make Davis' job easier. In the past, keepers had to call state law enforcement and have officers bring a scale to the zoo.

But Davis said elephant training isn't without challenges.

"Whenever you work and train with any animal you have to have an extreme amount of patience," he said. "You have to take really small steps or the animal will get frustrated and not participate."

Eventually Davis hopes to breed the elephants through artificial insemination. While every element of the behavior shaping is working toward that objective, Davis doesn't expect it to become reality just yet.

Zoo officials said the facility was ordered shut late Saturday as a precaution while they await results of further testing.

A skin test for the disease on a 4-year-old gorilla this month proved inconclusive, but a test of his lungs showed bacteria that suggested TB. The gorilla appeared healthy, but veterinarians were medicating him as a precaution, officials said.

The ape is to undergo more tests Monday. Conclusive test results might not be known before late July.

Zoo officials said there is very little risk of exposure to anyone who visited the Ape House recently because TB is transmitted through close contact, such as when a person or animal coughs. The other gorillas and animals have tested negative for the illness.

The deaths of two dozen animals in the past several years brought the zoo under federal review this year. A government panel found deficiencies in care and management at the 114-year-old zoo, a part of the Smithsonian Institution, and members warned of threats to the animals' well-being.

"Plans for elephants at the zoo are being reassessed," said new zoo director Manuel Mollinedo.

The death of the 10,000-pound Maybelle comes less than seven weeks after the demise of Calle, an ailing Asian elephant whose planned euthanasia was hastened when companion Tinkerbelle attacked her.

Mollinedo said Maybelle was lying down on her chest in her outdoor exhibit, legs splayed, when her keeper showed up at 7 a.m. Since she was not able to get up, a crane was brought in to help her try to stand.

"She very rarely lies down," said head zoo veterinarian Freeland Dunker. "It was very unnatural for her to be in the sternal position."

He said he gave her a painkiller and called for more equipment and personnel. She continued to deteriorate, had trouble breathing and died around 10:30 a.m.

Dunker said the cause of death was unknown. Along with doctors from UC Davis, he conducted a necropsy Thursday night.

"It's such a shock," said Mollinedo, who described Maybelle as "very active" in recent weeks.

"We were expecting it in two to four years," Dunker said. "This was something that was going to happen, but we didn't expect it to be now."

The death leaves the zoo with only two elephants -- Tinkerbelle and Lulu, a 38-year-old African elephant. On Thursday, Supervisor Fiona Ma urged the zoo to move Lulu to a sanctuary.

Many animal rights activists have been increasingly critical of the notion of elephants in zoos, contending that they'd be better off in sanctuaries. Calle's death on March 7 produced protests and an insistence that the zoo relocate its three remaining elephants.

Although Mollinedo strongly defends the zoo's handling of Calle -- a special case, he said, given her long history of tuberculosis and damaging past as a circus animal -- he decided afterward to send Tinkerbelle elsewhere.

Her future, along with Lulu's and the larger fate of the elephant program at the zoo, will be determined in a month or two, Mollinedo said.

"The issue here is making sure elephants can roam around," said Mollinedo, who has been running the zoo since Feb. 1. "If you have properly designed exercise and a properly trained staff, they can have decent lives in captivity. There's a perception that sanctuaries are better. The credible ones are good, but not all of them are credible."

Mollinedo said he has been planning to expand the African elephants' 9, 000-square-foot yard, with its surface of compact sand, into a 40,000-square- foot enclosure by September.

Elliot Katz, president of In Defense of Animals, said he started urging the zoo to close its elephant exhibits five years ago.

"The pad in their foot is meant to be on grass or soil and not compressed on concrete or compacted sand," said Katz, a veterinarian. "They were gradually letting Maybelle's system fall apart, but now they're surprised when she falls over and dies."

Elephants in captivity live into their 40s, while their peers in the wild survive into their 60s, Mollinedo said. Maybelle was born in Africa on May 21, 1960, and worked in the entertainment industry for the first two years of her life until she moved to San Francisco.

She appeared in "Hatari," a 1962 John Wayne film, and was one of the five oldest African elephants in the United States. Lulu, her companion since 1965, was also born in the wild.

On Thursday afternoon, the home that Maybelle and Lulu had shared for almost 40 years was still -- just a few big rocks and a tire hanging from a tree, with the catlike wail of peacocks breaking the silence from time to time.

Lulu, who had been put inside the elephant barn after Maybelle was discovered down in the yard, occasionally peeked from behind a wall at her now- empty world.

Dunker said Lulu is in better health than was Maybelle, who suffered from arthritis in her front legs and had been diagnosed with anemia five years ago.

"... She just really declined very rapidly," said Manuel Mollinedo, executive director of the zoo. "Staff has taken it very, very hard -- some of our keepers have spent years working with her, with those elephants."

Zoo officials said that Maybelle had orthopedic problems and that her health had been steadily declining for the past six months. Her death comes one month after the zoo euthanized Calle, a 37-year-old Asian elephant, also due to deteriorating health.

Meanwhile, animal-rights activists have castigated the zoo for not taking proper care of the animals and demanded the transfer of The City's remaining two elephants to a more spacious sanctuary.

"It's not mysterious that [when] you [take] elephants who travel up to 50 miles a day in the wild and you put them in this kind of environment in the zoo that has inadequate space, inappropriate, damp weather [that] they're going to die early," said activist Deniz Bolbol.

Mollinedo admitted that the current space allocated to each elephant species -- around 9,000 square feet -- was probably inadequate, but he added that a proposed expansion project would allow for four times the space. He said he plans to honor his previous pledge to transfer Tinkerbelle to a sanctuary.

Maybelle, the 10,000-pound African elephant, was conscious when zoo staff found her lying in her outdoor enclosure, but after administering pain medication, she passed away, zoo officials said.

Before arriving to the San Francisco Zoo in 1962, she was one of the youthful elephant stars in the John Wayne film "Hatari." Zoo records show she was born in Africa in May, 1960.

Officials hope that a necropsy, performed Thursday, will determine the exact cause of death.

Maybelle's failing health had been compromised by orthopedic problems, a statement released by the zoo said.

In March, the Zoo had to euthanize Calle, a 37-year-old female Asian elephant. Calle became the focus of a clash between animal activists and zoo officials.

The action comes in the wake of the controversy surrounding the Zoo's euthanasia of a middle-aged Asian elephant named Calle in March. In passing the resolution, the Commission joins Supervisor Fiona Ma in urging the Zoo to close its elephant exhibits, which a 1999/2000 City audit characterized as "out of date" and "especially poor." On March 25, Ma, chair of the San Francisco Zoo Audit Select Committee, sent a letter to the Zoo calling for the release of Maybelle, Lulu and Tinkerbelle, the surviving elephants, to a sanctuary. Ma's position is also supported by Supervisors Ammiano and Gonzalez.

At the hearing, the Commission heard public testimony, including a statement from elephant expert Pat Derby, founder of the Performing Animal Welfare Society, one of two U.S. sanctuaries that have offered to immediately take the elephants at no cost to the City or Zoo. Derby’s Ark 2000 sanctuary offers a 100+ acre, naturalistic environment where quality of life can be restored to elephants ailing from decades in captivity.

Based on zoo-industry references and elephants' medical records, the Commission’s resolution states that, "poor conditions, including Zoo enclosures of less than 1⁄4 acre for African elephants and 1⁄2 acre for Asian elephants, have deprived elephants of adequate exercise and forced them to stand on hard compacted surfaces, causing serious degenerative joint and foot problems in all three surviving elephants."

It concludes: "The San Francisco Zoo does not have the space or the climate to provide an adequate or appropriate environment for elephants."

"They'll have two or three hundred acres," Murray said. "They'll get to walk that 18 to 20 miles that an elephant should walk. And it'll give them the greatest chance for that 70 year life span that an elephant should have."

That could be a lot of life left for Zula, 29, and Tanji, 31.

To get to the sanctuary, the two are training to ride in a trailer for the eight hour trip. The trailer usually carries one elephant. But because it was important that the girls travel together, they modified it. Now they'll only be separated by one set of bars.

When they separate from the zoo, they'll leave behind a community and keepers who will be sad to see them go.

"Elephants in captivity need more. It's really as simple as that," said Chehaw Director Glenn Dobrogosz. "And unless someone's willing to fork out millions upon millions of dollars to do it right, we shouldn't be in that business."

So the business at hand these days, is to get Zula and Tanji ready for the big trip. And they won't be going alone.

"They have me by the heart strings," Murray said. "They can get me do to whatever they want me to do. They have me well-trained."

Thursday, the board-appointed San Francisco Commission on Animal Control and Welfare unanimously passed a resolution calling for the supervisors to take immediate action to transfer the three elephants to a sanctuary.

Supervisors Fiona Ma, Tom Ammiano and Matt Gonzalez have already expressed support for the move. "I think elephants should be moved to more a humane location," said Ma, who plans to sit down with zoo officials this week. "It has been an issue since the 2000 audit [of the zoo] and we'd like to see resolution to the plan ... hopefully we can resolve this."

Animal activists have been campaigning for the elephants' removal, arguing that it is inhumane to keep animals who usually walk up to 50 miles a day in a quarter-acre space. In March, a 37-year-old Asian elephant named Calle, who suffered from tuberculosis and chronic joint ailments, was euthanized.

Zoo spokesperson Nancy Chan said that in addition to the supervisors, the agency must also answer to the United States Department of Agriculture and follow the mandates outlined in the American Zoo and Aquarium Associations' Species Survival Program in any animal transfer or risk losing its accreditation.

Zoo officials have already tentatively agreed to transfer one of the elephants, Tinkerbelle, to a sanctuary. The zoo's new executive director, Manuel Mollinedo, has also expressed a commitment to keeping elephants in San Francisco for the educational benefit they provide the public.

The Zoo will receive two of nine Thai elephants being imported into the region early next year.

Animal liberation groups say the animals are tortured in Thailand so they can be easily trained here.

Auckland Zoo Director Glenn Holland says it is true elephants have been mistreated in the past.

But he says the imported animals are born and raised in captivity and they live good lives.

The zoo is disappointed the animal liberation groups will not come see for themselves the way elephants are treated.

Janice Stark and Pam Clifford live only a few miles apart in Langley, and share the same passion over the well-being of former Aldergrove resident, Tina the elephant.

They care so much about the aging pachyderm that they have set up an Internet discussion board as a forum for other inquisitive elephant lovers.

Yet, neither Stark who is from Walnut Grove, nor Clifford who is from Aldergrove, have ever met.

Emails and telephone conversations - and a love for Tina - are what keep the two connected.

Stark and Clifford had the same idea of setting up a discussion board after Tina was moved from the Greater Vancouver Zoo in Aldergrove last summer to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. Both separately approached the sanctuary about the idea.

Each started their own discussions boards and soon realized they were both doing the same thing. Clifford closed her board down and the two amalgamated their efforts.

"Actually, it's been really interesting that this place in Tennessee can connect us," said Stark.

The discussion board, found at http://groups.msn.com/ElephantChat, has about 130 members and grows by about three to four people a day, Stark said.

About 60 per cent of the members are from the Lower Mainland, but others come from as far afield as Germany and England.

While the discussion board is linked to the Sanctuary's elephant camera website - www.tappedintoelephants.com - the forum is run independently of the Sanctuary. The "Elecam" shows live, streaming video of elephants at the Tennessee sanctuary, including Tina.

Members have posted upwards of 15,000 messages on the discussion board so far, and the tally also grows daily. Stark often spends up to four hours a day online, monitoring the posts and administrating the site.

"We didn't expect it to expand in this way," Clifford said.

The discussion board began as an outlet for Tina's fans, who were looking for more information on Tina's progress and the work the Sanctuary is doing.

But it has grown. Members share stories of other elephants who are still looking for a good home, and help each other raise awareness of abuses elephants and other animals are suffering and what action can be taken.

"In my mind, [the goal] is to spread the word about elephants in captivity and all animals in captivity," Clifford said.

Even though Tina is in a safe place and her health is improving, there's still work to be done, both women said. Tina's endowment fund at the Sanctuary, which has a goal of $185,000, currently sits at about $16,000.

The discussion forum has other links on how people can help, such as donating items for EBay auctions that raise money for the Sanctuary.

If people can't help by donating money, they can donate their voices, Clifford said. The elephant chat board has postings with information on letter writing campaigns and more.

"Do whatever your heart tells you to do," Clifford suggested.

Both women weren't active animal welfare advocates before they met Tina, but the elephant's plight struck a chord in both.

So what is it about the elephant that attracted their attention?

"What isn't it about Tina?" Clifford responded. "She's so sweet, she was so lonely."

For Stark, it was love at first sight when she visited Tina in Aldergrove.

Animal rights groups have joined forces to stage a demonstration in front of the zoo, arguing the animals have already been subjected to unnecessary cruelty and "broken in" with beatings and torture before arriving in Australia.

Raymond Shelley, the man who trained one of the zoo's current female Asian elephants, Burma, said the zoo shouldn't import more elephants.

Mr Shelley, who worked for Bullen Brothers from 1961 to 1964, helped keep and train Burma during the initial stages of her circus life.

He said he was shocked by the "unnecessary cruelty" of a sharp hook used on Burma's vulnerable spots to make her move in a particular direction.

"I have nothing against elephants being in a zoo, so long as we come to terms in a completely honest way that their needs are met - elephants need lots of space," Mr Shelley said.

"The entire space of Taronga Zoo itself is not large enough for two elephants."

Upper house MLC Lee Rhiannon - herself a former zookeeper at Taronga - said she would join protesters in calling on the zoo to drop the plan.

"To domesticate baby elephants in Thailand, they are tortured for days to crush their spirits and ensure they will obey human commands," Ms Rhiannon said.

The zoo has just announced plans to introduce a captive breeding program, importing one male and eight female elephants from Thailand into its new $40 million, 2000 square-metre rainforest enclosure.

The zoo has two elephants, Burma and a male called Heman. The Asiatic elephant is classed as endangered, with a surviving population of only 34,000 to 54,000, the zoo estimates, which is only a tenth of the size of the African elephant population.

Animal rights activists argue no Asian elephants have been bred successfully in captivity in Australia.

The gorilla bit a 26-year-old mother and her 3-year-old son several times and threw them against a wall, police and witnesses said. Two others were also injured during the gorilla's terrifying 40-minute romp through the forested jungles of the Wilds of Africa exhibit before police marksmen or zoo workers armed with tranquilizer guns could gain a clear shot, zoo officials said.

Erich Schlegel / DMN file

Jabari, seen here in 1995, escaped Thursday and was shot by police after injuring three people. "We had a huge gorilla running through" the zoo, said Deputy Police Chief Daniel Garcia. "It tried to charge two of our officers, so we had to shoot it. You can imagine the pandemonium we had out here when he got loose. "We felt terrible we had to put this animal down."

The zoo, at 650 South R.L. Thornton Freeway, near South Ewing Street, has been in financial straits and the nonprofit Dallas Zoological Society recently proposed a county takeover. Zoo officials said their funding troubles were not a factor in Thursday's events. But they do not know how Jabari escaped from the award-winning gorilla-conservation area surrounded by a 16-foot concave wall.

"He had to have scaled the wall," zoo director Rich Buickerood said. But "this habitat is among the best in the country. This blows our minds."

One woman said she sheltered a group of children against a wall after she watched the gorilla break out of his enclosure. "He was banging on the door and broke it down, then he jumped out," Diana Gonzalez told WFAA-TV (Channel 8). "He was growling and yelling." Ms. Gonzalez said she and several children were able to exit the building without injury, but they saw the gorilla jump on top of another woman.

Hundreds of zoo-goers fled the compound and others hid inside the zoo restaurant and the monorail surrounding the Wilds of Africa exhibit while authorities tried to subdue the animal. Jabari darted in and out of the thick bamboo and trees before he emerged on the Nature Trail about 5:30 p.m. and charged the two officers, police said.

"In a dense forested situation, any type of shooting is dangerous," said Mr. Buickerood. "Finding the animal was a problem, and immobilization weapons are powerful enough to kill a person. We worried about a missed shot." He said he did not know why employees, armed with pepper spray, did not use it on the gorilla.

About the gorillas

The Jake L. Hamon Gorilla Conservation Research Center is a nationally recognized exhibit at the Dallas Zoo. It is home to two groups of western lowland gorillas, each led by a silverback male. After Thursday's fatal shooting, six gorillas remain.

THE GORILLAS

Height: 5 feet, 6 inches upright; 4 feet, 6 inches in normal stance

Weight: 300 to 500 pounds

Arm span: 9 feet, 2 inches

Lifespan: 30 to 50 years

Origin: Six countries along the west coast of Africa

JABARI Age: 13

Birthplace: Metro Toronto Zoo

Dallas Zoo debut: January 1995

Personality: Zoo officials described him as in the prime of his life: mischievous and inquisitive with a love for climbing trees. He also enjoyed wrestling with other gorillas. Zoo officials stressed that all of the gorillas are wild animals, but the Dallas Zoo director did not recall any major problems with Jabari.

HIGHLIGHTS

1957: Jake L. Hamon donates the first pair of gorillas to the zoo.

December 1990: The current, two-acre exhibit, which allows gorillas to roam freely in a near-natural equatorial forest environment, has its grand opening. It is funded by $3.7 million in private donations and wins a design award from the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums.

October 1994: Gorilla Hercules arrives from the Baltimore/Pittsburgh Zoo.

Nov. 28, 1998: Zoo worker Jennifer McClurg is severely injured when Hercules escapes through an opened door and attacks her.

September 2000: The city of Dallas agrees to pay a $25,000 fine over allegations that it violated the federal Animal Welfare Act at the Dallas Zoo and Samuell Farm and for its failure to prevent the escape of Hercules in the 1998 incident.

Thursday: Several people suffer non-life-threatening injuries when Jabari escapes. Police shoot and kill the gorilla.

SOURCES: Dallas Morning News research Keisha Thomas, who was bitten on the leg, and her son Rivers Noah, are shaken but recovering, said Bernard Hanyard, Ms. Thomas' boyfriend.

He was at Parkland Memorial Hospital with them late Thursday while they were being treated. "He's a tough little guy," he said, referring to 3-year-old Rivers. "The gorilla bit him on the side, but he's going to be OK." Cheryl Reichert of Mesquite apparently shielded several children from the gorilla before it snatched her in the aviary exhibit, according to one of the children she was chaperoning.

Her husband, Dennis Reichert, said zoo officials called him at work to tell him about the attack on his wife and said his three young children were upset but safe. "At least it wasn't a lion," Mr. Reichert said while standing outside the zoo Thursday evening. Ms. Reichert was treated at Methodist Dallas Hospital.

Although authorities characterized all the physical injuries as "minor," many patrons said they felt terrorized by Jabari's escape. "It was petrifying. We were about a hundred feet away from the gorilla. He was moving in and out of the trees, we had nowhere to go," said Beatrice Vallejo, who was trapped with nine children enjoying a day off from school during spring break. Police said about 300 people were at the zoo when the gorilla escaped. Zoo officials sounded the code red alert signifying an escaped animal at 4:48 p.m.

Dozens of officers were ordered to the zoo, including tactical units. Zoo weapons teams ran for tranquilizer guns in two locked administrative offices while other employees evacuated screaming patrons from the grounds, zoo officials said. It wasn't the first time that an escaped gorilla had injured someone at the zoo.

A 25-year-old zookeeper was mauled by a gorilla at the Dallas Zoo in November 1998 after the door to the animal's cage was left open, zoo officials said at the time. Hercules, a 340-pound male silverback gorilla, was tranquilized with a dart gun after the woman escaped. The attack lasted more than a half-hour, leaving her with more than 30 puncture wounds. In that attack, zoo guests were not in jeopardy.

Zoo officials have for several years said their facility is underfinanced. The nonprofit Dallas Zoological Society is trying to persuade Dallas County commissioners to take over the 114-year-old zoo. The society has proposed that the county ask voters to approve a property tax of up to 3 cents per $100 valuation to finance the zoo's operations.

Under the proposal, the county would take over ownership of the zoo from the city, with a zoo board to govern operations. A county property tax, when combined with other revenue, could allow the zoo a $22 million operating budget and create $18 million a year to complete an ambitious, long-range master plan. Mr. Buickerood said last month that a shortage of money had led to a decline in the number of workers at the zoo and had prompted maintenance to be postponed.

A January audit by the city warned that a lack of employees "may lead to decreased productivity and increased employee turnover." "We're stagnating," he said then. "It's getting harder to maintain and operate on the money we've got." Mr. Reichert, whose wife, Cheryl, was attacked by the gorilla, said the family purchased a season pass to the zoo a few weeks ago and probably would not abandon it even after Thursday's events. "The zoo is a good thing. It's unfortunate what happened," he said.

But "she probably won't go by the gorillas again," he added, referring to his wife. Destiney Diaz, 8, was with Ms. Reichert when she was attacked, said she was never going back to the zoo again. "I was really scared," she said. Zoo officials said it was a sad day for them, not least because replacing the gorilla could be "impossible." "It's obviously a black eye, and what I fear is the impact it might have on attendance," said Richard Geiger, a member of the zoo board's executive committee. He said the Wilds of Africa rates among the top 10 nationwide in zoo exhibits. "It's a marvelous program, and we've got a wonderful habitat there." Dallas Morning News staff writer Michael Grabell and WFAA-TV contributed to this report.

Yes, Osh is spending his first days in California eating snacks and enjoying the Bay Area spring sun or resting in the shade.

Yes, he is better traveled than most of us. The 9-year-old elephant was conceived in captivity in India, raised in the United Kingdom and just spent part of last week traveling across the English Channel, through France and Belgium, to the Netherlands, where he was put up at the Animal Hotel at the airport.

That's right, an animal hotel.

He then flew first class in a 747 jet to Los Angeles, where he embarked on a road trip to Oakland. The journey took 54 hours.

Osh represents the next generation of captive breeding elephants in the United States, and the future of the Oakland Zoo's African elephant breeding program.

"It is not just a matter of bringing an elephant from England. It's much more important than that," zoo director Joel Parrott said Wednesday as he announced Osh's arrival. "The importance of Osh is something I cannot overstate."

Osh replaces the zoo's former African elephant bull, Smokey, who died of chronic wasting disease three years ago. He was considered one of the most important breeding bulls in the United States before his death.

African elephants are the more volatile of two common breeds of elephants, African and Asian. Few U.S. zoos house African elephants because of this, and even fewer want or have room for male African elephants, which are notoriously hard to control.

And compared to Asian elephants, African elephants are hard to breed in captivity even though some progress has been made in recent years.

When Smokey died after siring three baby elephants -- all of which died, the latest in 2001 after his mother Lisa attacked him -- the zoo's breeding program all but died with him. They looked everywhere for a bull replacement, contacting every zoo with a male African elephant in North America at least once and chatting with zoos in Russia and India. They found a match this year.

"Osh replaces a very dear friend of ours," Parrott said.

Osh is small and playful compared to the other elephants at the zoo, and had to leave his herd at Howlett's Wild Animal Park near Cantebury, Kent in the U.K.

"When they get to this age and this size, the older females give him a hard time," Dave Magner, head elephant keeper at Howlett's said.

As a preteen elephant, Osh still wanted to play with the younger calves in the 16-member herd at Howlett's. He's bigger than them and rough, prompting the mothers of the calves to ostracize and threaten him.

In the wild, younger male elephants travel in bachelor herds away from their mothers. Older males travel alone.

"This is a natural thing to happen. It is not a case of splitting him up from his herd just for the sake of it," Magner said. Howlett's donated the animal to the zoo.

Magner watched Osh's birth and has raised him for nine years. He said he is attached to the 5,675-pound creature and will stay in Oakland until Osh is comfortable with his new surroundings.

"This is a lovely place for him to come and he has three young females to get on with," Magner said.

The Oakland Zoo will continue to try to breed a new generation of captive African elephants once Osh hits puberty, in three to five years. He will mate with three elephants at the zoo -- Lisa, 27, M'Dundamella, 35, and Donna, 25. Elephants can live to be 70 years old.

The USDA requires Osh be in a 90-day quarantine before being put on display. Osh will be introduced to the other elephants after that period. Zoo officials are optimistic Osh will be accepted by the zoo's herd.

With the help of zoos in Melbourne and Auckland, Taronga is negotiating with the Thai Government to import one male and eight females, which it hopes will become the basis of a flourishing new herd.

"The Asian elephant is 10 times more endangered than the African elephant," said Taronga's general manager of life sciences, Will Meikle.

In Thailand, elephants are seen as beasts of burden and for many years were used in forestry to transport heavy timber logs.

About 2500 elephants are privately owned, many for the tourism industry, the Thai Government's elephant register states. Only about 2000 elephants remain in the wild.

Worldwide, a third of the 30,000 to 40,000 Asian elephants left are in captivity.

Taronga has one male and one female, but at the age of 52 the female is well beyond her prime. "It's important we get a young herd," said Mr Meikle.

Although breeding in captivity was difficult, Mr Meikle said "elephant IVF" was proving an increasingly reliable method.

To prepare for the elephants' arrival, Taronga is building a new 2000-square-metre rainforest enclosure that will house tapirs, silvery gibbons, small-clawed otters and fishing cats.

The zoos are building quarantine stations in Thailand and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, where the elephants will be stationed for six months before they arrive in Australia.

Mr Meikle said he hoped they would be here early next year.

Following any breeding successes, the new herd will be divided to maintain genetic diversity, with different groups sent to other zoos.

As part of the deal, Taronga will fund a conservation program in Thailand to build a barrier around the forest home of the largest remaining wild herd of elephants. There had been "conflict" between villagers and elephants for a decade, after villagers were unable to harvest their pineapple crop, Mr Meikle said, due to the elephants discovering a taste for the fruit.

Six elephants died at the 140-acre theme park between 1996 and 2002, including two euthanized for chronic arthritis and one for a crippling leg deformity. The other deaths were one from a viral infection, and a stillborn baby and its mother from birth-related complications.

Park officials say they exhausted all alternatives in each case but were unable to spare the nimals.

Over the same period, five elephants died at the Oakland Zoo -- two stillborns, one from a viral infection, an infant trampled by its mother and a bull from a mysterious illness.

The deaths at the two dissimilar zoos and other accredited institutions raises difficult questions about the general welfare of captive elephants in North America.

In the past six years, 55 elephants died at member institutions of the American Zoological and Aquarium Association. More than half, or 58 percent, did not have a listed cause of death.

Critics say captivity causes unnecessary pain and misery for the world's largest land animals.

Elephants are dying young, they say, and are often depressed, bored, cramped and lonely -- swaying neurotically because of their natural need to roam.Zoo leaders say new care standards and progressive management philosophies are leading to treatment that is better than ever.

Also, they argue, captive elephants play a key role in promoting public education as well as inciting U.S.-led advances in science, biology and veterinary medicine that also benefit wild animals.

The 208-member zoo association, the world's largest, has had discussions in recent years about whether to phase elephants out of its collections -- ending a 200-year history of public captivity.

"But we decided that we could not do as good a job with education, conservation or science if we did not have them in our collections," said Michael Hutchins, association director of conservation and science.

Instead, in March 2001 they rolled out strict policies of elephant care that each member institution is urged to follow.The standards, which are being phased in over several years, include everything from improving the size and design of barns and exhibits to ensuring access to fresh water.

The ethical wrangling occurs as the mammals fight for survival. Their numbers have steadily declined because of poaching and a ballooning human population in their native ranges.An estimated 400,000 to 500,000 African elephants are left in the wild and 35,000 to 45,000 of the Asian species remain.

Elephants are sensitive and highly intelligent creatures that travel in large herds, led by an older female, with a distinct social order that focuses on caring for their young."I think we have a lot of work to do in terms of doing a good job of keeping elephants in captivity," said Colleen Kinzley, the Oakland Zoo's elephant manager and animal curator.

"They don't live as long in captivity as they do in the wild," she said. "We clearly struggle with reproducing elephants and that affects our ability to provide them with a natural social group."

In Vallejo, the six deaths represent 11 percent of all the elephants that died in association-accredited zoos since 1996. Marine World is an accredited zoo as well as a theme park.

Animal rights activists, who sued the theme park last year to prevent it from acquiring a pair of baby Asian pachyderms from India, have called on the park to scuttle its elephant exhibit.

Park officials say the activists are stirring up "media campaigns" to smear their reputation, and say they have done nothing wrong.None of the deaths was avoidable, they say, including that of Tika, an African elephant who died at age 24 in November from an untreatable infection when a calf died in her womb.

"Not one of them was lost due to anything that any human had done or could have prevented," said park spokesman Jeff Jouett.

Misha, another park elephant, is pregnant and due to give birth this month.

Critics say Marine World is a noisy, stressful environment unfair to exotic animals like elephants. The park re-opened Saturday with its sixth roller coaster, Zonga.

"It really shouldn't be an AZA-accredited facility," said Pat Derby, a former Hollywood animal trainer who co-founded the Performing Animal Welfare Society in Galt, a sanctuary near Stockton."It's really an embarrassment to the AZA. (Marine World) is a roller coaster park, not aninstitution for higher learning."

Jouett said the park, which is closed 209 days a year, is not stressful and that the rides are designed far from the animal exhibits.

About 600 elephants are featured in U.S. zoos, theme parks, circuses and private preserves, including 13 in the Bay Area.

Oversight of the animal exhibition industry is limited.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture regulates the industry but has only 99 inspectors -- its largest team ever -- to monitor 2,549 animal exhibitors.

An arm of the department, the Animal and Plant Inspection Service, conducts thousands of outine inspections a year.But the service does not always pay annual visits to exhibitors, which are not required to notify the agency when an animal dies.

"They do have to note the death in their vet medical records, which we have access to upon inspection," said Jim Rogers, agency spokesman. "We can ask, 'Hey, we noticed Jo Jo is missing -- what's the story on that?'"

At Marine World, three park elephants were euthanized between 1996 and 1999. None of the cases included a specific cause of death in zoo association records.

Jouett, who did not know why a cause of death was omitted, said the records had been forwarded to the zoo association.

Each animal had been "humanely euthanized" at UC Davis, he said, to prevent further suffering.The three elephants were:

• Bandula, or "Bandi," euthanized in 1996 after suffering chronic arthritis and severe joint pain stemming from a front leg being shorter than the other, Jouett said. She was 27 or 30.

• Ginny, euthanized in 1998 after suffering from "chronic deteriorating arthritis," according to medical records. She was 58, the oldest zoo elephant in North America at the time.

• Judy, euthanized in 1999 because of deformities in her rear legs, which limited her ability to move. She was 33.

Asked whether captivity had spurred the arthritis and joint problems, David Blasko, Marine World's veteran director of animal operations, said no.The animals were hobbled by the problems for years, he said, and the pain worsened as they grew older.In November, the park surrendered its federal permits to import a pair of endangered young Asian elephants because it had not completed arrangements to transport the animals from India.

Animal rights groups say the park backed down because of their federal lawsuit, filed in October to block the move.

In the aftermath of Tika's death, In Defense of Animals, a plaintiff in the federal lawsuit, called on Marine World to scuttle its elephant exhibit.

Park employees were devastated by the loss; officials said they had no choice but to end Tika's suffering.

"We didn't want her to live and suffer until the bacterial infection actually killed her," said Jouett, who said the activist group lacked compassion.When Kala died, more criticism was heaped on Marine World.

Kala, a baby elephant on loan from a Missouri zoo, died of a herpes virus infection in November 2000 -- six months after arriving at Marine World.

Jane Garrison, an elephant specialist formerly with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, was particularly outraged. She had warned the park about taking the 2-year-old animal from its mother and into a stressful, unfamiliar environment.

Jouett said Kala died of the virus, not from stress over the transfer. He said Kala was happy with his new elephant family, especially Taj, the park's oldest pachyderm.The captive elephant controversy has swirled even as the zoo industry embraces change.

More than half of association members -- including Oakland, an early pioneer -- now use a anagement program called "protected contact," in which barriers are used to separate animals from their keepers.

By comparison, the traditional zoos allow free interaction and, some say, abuse.

Zoo leaders say they remain committed to their vision of creating a self-sustaining population of elephants in North America, which they see as critical for the species' survival.

A leading zoo director said the beasts are not self-sustaining here because of low birth rates, not high death rates.

"Most animals are not in a breeding situation," said Bob Wiese, director of animal operations at he Fort Worth Zoo.

Critics say they worry about all the sacrifices and years of poor care."We've had 200 years of elephants in captivity. In that time period, we haven't learned much," said Richard Farinato, director of the captive wildlife program for the U.S. Humane Society.

"If we haven't figured it out yet, what makes you think we ever will?"

Oakland zookeepers have wrestled with the issue after a string of elephant deaths.

In September 2001, Dohani, a 10-day-old calf who had bonded with his mother, was found dead in his stall. The baby had died of a single, crushing blow from its mother, Lisa.

Six months earlier, Smokey, a wildly successful breeding bull, died at age 29 of a mysterious illness.In trying to create a more natural setting, Oakland is tripling the size of its elephant exhibit, giving the animals more room to browse and socialize.

Derby, of the Performing Animal Welfare Society, said she is encouraged by zoos like Oakland.She said her expanded 100-acre elephant sanctuary in San Andreas is one of the two largest enclosures for the animals in the country.

The violations relate to required paperwork that the zoo failed to submit to the National Institutes of Health at a time when it was receiving NIH research funds. Institutions conducting NIH-funded animal studies must submit a document promising to comply with federal policy on animal care and treatment, such as using appropriate sedation and avoiding pain.

There is no evidence that animals involved in research were harmed or mistreated, according to officials at the NIH and the Smithsonian Institution, which oversees the zoo. The Smithsonian has complied with the animal welfare policy since 2000, the NIH said.

Even though some of the studies have since been completed, the discovery of the violations nearly seven years later could jeopardize future research, NIH officials said in interviews in the past week. About $880,000 in NIH grants for ongoing studies is pending final approval and could be at risk, an NIH spokesman said.

The NIH recently sent a letter to a top Smithsonian official notifying the institution that research could be in jeopardy if the Smithsonian did not provide animal welfare-related documents, officials said.

NIH officials said it is rare for research institutions to fail to submit the documents.

Linda St. Thomas, a Smithsonian spokeswoman, blamed poor record-keeping. She added: "This is a documentation issue. The animals are alive and well. This is ongoing reproductive research. . . . We're not abusing animals."

The problem was first spotted by a committee from the National Academy of Sciences that is conducting a year-long study of zoo operations. The academy released an interim report last month and noted in its findings the Smithsonian's failure to follow animal research protocol. It said the Smithsonian should seek outside training and help to comply with regulations.

"We were going in to find out if they were feeding the zebras enough, and this was something we had not anticipated," said Steve Zawistowski, a member of the 15-person panel investigating the zoo. "There's paperwork for a reason. It's there to ensure that the right things are being done."

From 1997 to 1999, the NIH funded about $800,000 in zoo research projects at a time when the Smithsonian had not submitted the required documentation on animal treatment, known as an Animal Welfare Assurance, according to NIH and Smithsonian officials.

All the research concerned aspects of animal reproduction, St. Thomas said. The National Zoo has focused on reproductive research to help preserve endangered species. Some studies, such as one involving preservation of sperm of the clouded leopard and other cats, have used up their NIH funds.

But two projects, one on zebra fish embryos and the other on ovarian cycles in cats, are continuing and counting on final approval of the estimated $880,000 in NIH grants, officials said.

Under federal rules, institutions applying for NIH-funded animal research are required to submit animal welfare assurances. The NIH approves assurances for up to five years, after which time institutions must submit a renewal. Institutions also must provide annual progress reports on animal welfare issues.

The Smithsonian was supposed to submit a five-year renewal in 1997, but never did, NIH officials said. Nor did it submit annual reports for 1998 and 1999.

In a March 4 letter to David Evans, the Smithsonian's undersecretary for science, the NIH asked the zoo and the Smithsonian to provide additional supporting documents by March 31 showing that the zoo was in compliance with animal welfare policy in connection with six previously funded grants, as well as annual progress reports dating to 2000. Failure to do so could put the zoo's animal welfare assurance -- and its ability to conduct research -- at risk, NIH officials said.

"We have a broad range of options," said Norka Ruiz Bravo, the NIH's deputy director in charge of the majority of NIH-funded research. "Shutting off the [animal welfare] assurance is one," she said. Selectively funding projects is another. The NIH's goal, she said, is to work with institutions "to try to get them up to speed."

The Smithsonian is gathering the requested documents and will provide them to the NIH, spokeswoman St. Thomas said.

Meanwhile, the NIH also is trying to determine how a serious error occurred on its end. When the Smithsonian failed to send in the animal welfare paperwork, no one at the NIH office in charge of the issue noticed that the Smithsonian's assurance had lapsed, officials said. No one updated the NIH database that lists all of the 1,000 U.S. institutions with approved assurances. As a result, when zoo researchers sought funding, NIH officials checked the database, saw the zoo listed as being in compliance and approved the requests.

"There's no question that we made a mistake," said Ruiz Bravo. The federal agency has begun an internal inquiry to find out whether similar mistakes have been made with other research institutions.

The protest was prompted by the death of Calle, a 37-year-old female Asian elephant who was euthanized at the zoo early Sunday morning.

Calle's downfall was caused mostly by a degenerative joint disease and a possible relapse of tuberculosis, zoo officials said.

The activists, however, say the conditions in which Calle lived contributed to her demise. "The key factor is the lack of space,'' said Suzanne Roy, spokeswoman for In Defense of Animals.

Roy said Calle and her companion of seven years, Tinkerbelle, were confined to a space that did not allow them to roam. In the wild, Roy said, elephants sometimes walk more than 100 miles in one day.

"When elephants are confined to small areas, they cannot get enough exercise, Roy said, adding that elephants in zoos step on the same dirt over and over, compacting it and making it a hard, unhealthy surface on which to stand.

San Francisco's climate, Roy said, is often colder than what the elephants are used to. "Especially where the zoo is,'' she said, calling the area "the fog zone.''

The activists would like to see all the zoo's elephants transferred to an elephant sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn. Roy says she has a letter from the sanctuary offering to pay the costs of the elephants' relocation.

Zoo spokeswoman Nancy Chan said Calle's death was not caused by her living conditions or the care she received at the zoo. She pointed out that Calle has only been in San Francisco since 1997, after transferring from the Los Angeles Zoo, where she had lived since 1994.

Prior to 1994, Chan said, "She was a performing animal for all of her life,'' a fact which Chan believes more likely contributed to Calle's health problems. San Francisco's climate, she added, is not a harsh one. "We have a very temperate climate.''

Calle was treated well while in San Francisco, Chan said.

Zoo visitors gathered, as usual, in front of the elephant exhibit to watch feeding time and to declare their appreciation for the pachyderms. And Tinkerbelle, Calle's 38-year-old female companion, romped in a pool, sprayed water from her trunk and tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to catch tomatoes lobbed by a zookeeper. Calle, a 37-year-old female Asian elephant who was barely able to stand, was put to death by zookeepers at about 5 a.m. Sunday, hours after Tinkerbelle suddenly pushed her, causing her to fall onto her belly and rear legs.

Zoo officials announced last week that they planned to euthanize Calle because of her irreversible leg problems, caused by degenerative joint disease and worsened by tuberculosis. But Tinkerbelle's attack worsened Calle's condition, prompting veterinarians to move up their timetable.

Calle, a former carnival performer, suffered her leg injury in a trailer accident in the early 1990s before coming to the San Francisco Zoo. In 1997, soon after arriving, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis, and she underwent 18 months of treatment to bring it under control.

Animal rights activists said Calle's death was proof that zoos -- and the San Francisco Zoo, in particular, because of its cool, foggy climate -- are no place for elephants.

"No elephant can survive in this zoo," said Deniz Bolbol, an activist zoo officials accused of riling the elephants -- and provoking the attack -- by sneaking into the zoo hospital with a television cameraman Friday. Zoo officials filed a police report on the incident Sunday, accusing Bolbol of trespassing. She denied the accusation, saying she had entered the zoo hospital only to get veterinary records she had been promised -- and to find out whether Calle had been scheduled to be euthanized. The activists argue that confining elephants in small areas at a zoo prohibit them from getting the exercise they need and cause foot and leg problems.

"It's essential for elephants to be able to move to have healthy joints, " said Elliot Katz, a veterinarian who is president of In Defense of Animals. The zoo, the activists said, should shut down its elephant exhibit and ship the pachyderms to sanctuaries -- in Galt (Sacramento County) or Tennessee -- where they would be allowed to roam free.

Zoo spokeswoman Nancy Chan said the activists' allegations were nothing more than a matter of opinion. The zoo will decide the futures of its elephants -- all of them in their late 30s or early 40s -- on a case by case basis. "We're looking at what's best for Tinkerbelle," said Chan. "We want to make sure she's not alone."

Visitors watching Tinkerbelle splash in her pool Monday said they hoped the elephants would stay at the zoo. "We'd stop coming to the zoo if there weren't elephants," said Vicki Ottoboni, of South San Francisco, whose 5-year-old son Joey is a big fan. "I like everything about them," said Joey, as a zookeeper sprayed Tinkerbelle down with a hose.

Kali, a 59 year old female Asian elephant was found in her indoor exhibit this morning by zoo staff. She was lying on the floor, alert to her surroundings, but struggling to get up due to a form of arthritis in her joints.

Hogle Zoo employees made the difficult decision to euthanize her after they determined she would be unable to get on her feet again.

Veterinary staff members conducted an animal autopsy on Kali. They discovered nothing out of the ordinary, but confirming pathology reports will take several weeks.

Kali was the third oldest living Asian elephant in the country. She was the zoo's only Asian elephant and was the oldest of all the elephants. The average life span for an Asian elephant is 50 to 60 years.

Generations of Utahns have grown up with Kali. When she first arrived at the zoo in July of 1954 she weighed 2,500 pounds. She was even popular enough to receive one vote for mayor of Salt Lake City in 1959.

"It's a real sad time for us here," said zoo veterinarian Jacqueline Jencek. "We have her showing deterioration, and we have a situation we can't fix."

Calle is suffering from degenerative joint disease, Jencek said, and is not able to stand without pain. She'll be put to death sometime this month.

Her current problems can be traced to her unfortunate past. A former traveling performing elephant, she was injured in a trailer accident in Mexico in the early 1990s that damaged her left rear leg. In 1997, she was diagnosed with tuberculosis, which was brought under control after 18 months but never completely goes away.

"The tuberculosis is compromising her to the point she's deteriorating faster," Jencek said. "She reinjured her leg in mid-October and stopped lying down in November. She's not the only elephant out there who's not lying down but -- by not taking weight off those feet 24 hours a day -- she's down to just three good legs."

Calle (pronounced KA-lee) has always been a crowd favorite, and spokeswoman Nancy Chan said she had encountered tears throughout the zoo on Thursday. Still, Calle's death will be anything but in vain.

"Calle has helped the elephant world tremendously in life and is going to help the elephant world remendously in death," said Jencek, who started to cry as she spoke.

In life, Calle's truculence led to her first contribution to science. Since she refused to take pills when she had TB -- a disease that's a big problem for elephants in captivity -- head vet Dr. Freeland Dunker devised a unique treatment: cocoa butter suppositories. It has caught on at other zoos, saving elephant lives everywhere.

In death, she'll be equally valuable. "It's not a routine necropsy," Jencek said. "It's a big endeavor. Calle's tissues are important to elephants worldwide. They're going to help many, many elephants have better diagnostics and better treatments."

The zoo is putting together a team, including veterinarians from the departments of pathology and exotic medicine at UC Davis, to conduct the necropsy. They'll be fitted with Darth Vader-like ask respirators as a safety measure against contracting TB.

There's also another way Calle will live on. Her vocalizations were recorded and used in "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which just won 11 Oscars.

"She should have been eligible for an Academy Award," Chan said.

Calle's early history is murky. Given her age and the lack of records, she was probably born somewhere in Southeast Asia, Chan said. A few years after her trailer accident, she left the carnival world behind, taking up residence at the Los Angeles Zoo in 1994.

Three years later -- after knocking down a keeper in Los Angeles and breaking his collarbone and three ribs -- she was sent to the San Francisco Zoo. The diagnosis of mycobacterial tuberculosis occurred soon after her arrival. She's settled down a lot since then.

"She has a very calm disposition and works collaboratively with her keepers," said Michele Rudovsky, associate curator of mammals. "Overall, she's a very good girl. She truly has been a joy in my life. Elephants are a lifetime commitment. They capture your heart."

She's a big girl, too, consuming three-quarters of a bale of hay each day, as well as 25 pounds of produce, grains, "elephant chow," bamboo, banana leaf and acacia.

"She's a food hound," Rudovsky said.

Her daily medication consists of anti-inflammatory pain killers and antibiotics -- including 35 ibuprofens a day, at 800 milligrams apiece, and 16 Tylenols, each 500 milligrams.

"She's very savvy about us putting medication into her food," Jencek said. "We've gone throughSnickers bars. Right now, the magic is fruit punch. We're going through gallons of it. The tip of her trunk is stained red."

She also gets injections in her rear end each morning. Calle has a sweet tooth, Jencek said, so she gives her peppermints and root-beer mints after the shots.

"It makes it a lot easier on both of us," Jencek said.

Monthly trunk washes are another part of Calle's life now. Water or saline solution is flushed into the trunk, using a 10-inch catheter, and a bag is placed at the end of the trunk. When Calle exhales, Jencek said, she's basically blowing her nose into a plastic bag. The contents are tested to see whether she's shedding TB organisms. Weekly blood tests are also being done.

By pachyderm standards, Calle is middle-aged. In captivity, Asian elephants can live into their late 40s or early 50s. Jencek said the zoo staff was devastated but unanimous in its decision to euthanize her.

"I adore Calle," she said. "But we want to do right by her and don't want her in discomfort."

Asked about the feasibility of sending Calle to a sanctuary, Jencek said, "The idea of putting her in a trailer and moving her is cruel and inhumane. She's not up for a trip anywhere."

When Calle is put down, her constant companion Tinkerbelle will be the only Asian elephant at the zoo. Jencek said it hadn't been decided whether a new pachyderm would be brought in or whether Tinkerbelle would be sent elsewhere.

According to The Washington Post inspectors from the Department of Agriculture found 16 metal bars in the Elephant House at the Washington National Zoo that were either bent or bowed. The report also said some of the bars had been detached from ceiling supports.

Investigators said without repairs, the elephants could get injured or get loose.

No, you wouldn't.

Then why would you willingly walk right through the wide metal bars of the fortress that restrains Maggie, the zoo's towering, 9,100-pound African elephant?

Especially knowing that, if she wanted to, it would probably take Maggie and her powerful, pillarlike legs less than a minute to stomp Steve into silence -- then, with one graceful sweep of her trunk, toss whatever was left of his quivering carcass back where it came from.

Yet there is a man in Anchorage who walks into Maggie's pen almost every day of the week without fear or favor, then sometimes turns his back. His name is Rob Smith. For the past eight years he has been Maggie's trainer, which is very likely the most dangerous job in Alaska.

Training elephants is risky anywhere. A 1997 study by the U.S. Department of Labor found that commercial fishermen were 20 times more likely to suffer a fatal accident on the job than the average worker -- and that elephant trainers were three times more likely to suffer a fatal accident on the job than commercial fishermen. That's because there are only a few hundred elephant trainers in the United States, but each year one or two get killed by their elephants and others are badly injured.

Working as a trainer in Anchorage, however, is especially risky, considering that the only elephant in town is Maggie.

It's not that Maggie is a bad elephant. Zoo officials speak of her as "high-spirited" and "sometimes temperamental." But a report that appeared about five years ago in the Anchorage Press was less sanguine. It noted that in her first 16 years in Anchorage, Maggie as a teenager had already caused "serious bodily harm" to 26 trainers and handlers. Then it quoted an anonymous Maggie observer -- a mother of three toddlers -- who was just then visiting the zoo.

"Maggie's mean," the mother said. "You know that purring sound she makes? That means she's agitated and ready to attack. You see her grabbing tires with her trunk and smashing them up against her paddock walls; they say she's playing, but that's how elephants kill their enemies." Zoo curator Patrick Lampi doesn't count himself as one of Maggie's enemies, if she has any. But in his short, anxious stint as one of the zoo's elephant handlers, he was swatted across the room by Maggie's trunk on one occasion and backed into a corner on another.

"There is no way you can imagine something that big coming at you mad," Lampi said recently. "She had me in the corner for a while because I pulled her off somebody else."

That's why Lampi was grateful to meet Smith in 1995. He had just been discharged from the local Army base and had responded to the zoo's help-wanted ad for an animal handler. He didn't have any experience, he said, but he was willing to learn. Lampi asked him if he'd be willing to assist the zoo's elephant trainer. Smith said yes.

"In all my years here," Lampi said, "Rob is the only person who came in and interviewed with me that I turned around and sent his application to the guy that was in charge of elephants at the time and said, 'This guy may work out.' "

Eight years later, Smith is still working out. He was quickly promoted to head elephant trainer after his predecessor left, and he has remained in the position ever since. And yet in all that time, Smith has never been injured -- "at least not seriously" -- by Maggie.

"Mag and Rob have a very special relationship," Lampi said. "You can just see that she's eager to do whatever pleases him."

Wanting to observe Maggie for a recent news story, I had also wanted to meet Smith, 40, and watch him in action. He was willing to oblige on one condition.

"It's hard to come on down here and do a story without going there and standing next to her," Smith said, meeting me near the zoo entrance. "You can look at her on the Internet all you want, but a 6-inch elephant ain't anything."

INTRODUCTION

Fifteen minutes later, I was inclined to agree.

"I don't expect any problems at all," Smith said after switching on the radio in his adjoining workshop and glancing into Maggie's elephant pen. "If there is a problem and she does get aggressive ... this is a safe place. Come back here."

Then he slipped between the thick vertical bars at the back of the elephant barn and told me it was all right to follow. Maggie walked up to face us.

Earlier, Alaska Zoo director "Tex" Edwards had said that Maggie sees her world in well-defined terms. There is a pecking order for Maggie, he said. No. 1 in the hierarchy is Smith. No one is more important than him. "No. 2 is Maggie. And No. 3 is ... everybody else."

Maggie extended her long trunk nearly to my nose to learn exactly where I belonged in her universe.

"She's going to want to smell your breath," Smith said. "So if you can just blow gently into the trunk there, she's curious about every aspect of you."

I did as I was advised. Maggie took it all in. Then she dropped the tip of her trunk to my ankles.

"OK, she wants to smell your shoes," Smith said. "She's just going to take a big breath. ... Nice smell, huh, Maggie? Nice smell."

Maggie moved one step closer. Her tusks were shorter than I expected. He'd cut them down Smith said, because Maggie was inadvertently tearing up the walls in her sleep.

Then Maggie swung her trunk in a way that Smith found significant.

"She's just being silly," he said. "She tends to try to get away with stuff when people are down here. She'll do things she knows she's not supposed to do."

She lumbered toward the center of the room, and Smith followed, tapping gently on her legs with a stick.

"Feel free to come right out here," he said. "I'm not going to let anything happen, I promise. If you were to be in here alone, she would ... push. Not physically. She would get in your space and make you -- well, it's very intimidating."

I stepped out to the center of the barn. Maggie began to purr.

MOODS

There were a lot of questions I wanted to ask Smith. One was, what did that purring sound mean?

"If you know someone who sticks their tongue out while they're working or they hum while they're working? That's her subconscious thing," he said. "Almost every elephant has a different little noise like that. She's just sucking air with her mouth. That's all."

Was there a way to tell whether Maggie was happy?

"Sure, just like you can tell if your dog in the house is happy or your cat at home is happy," Smith said. "They have their own moods and their own habits, and once you get to know it, you realize when she's mad or happy or upset."

What does she do?

"It depends on the situation. The same action can mean two different things on different days. She may throw rocks at people one day because she's upset. The very next day it may be a total amusement thing to her. She's just messing around and being happy and throwing rocks at people."

If he hasn't been injured, has he ever been hurt by Maggie?

"Not to any great degree, no. Nothing broken or abraded -- just my pride. It can be ... exciting at times, I'll put it that way."

A Web site opposed to the use of elephants in circuses has reported that, during the 1990s, 18 eople were killed and 89 others seriously injured by captive elephants. Did that sound realistic?

Trainers do get hurt, Smith said.

"Last year I think there were five people killed (in Europe and the United States)," he said. "Two in France, one in Holland, one in England and one in the United States."

Ever since Maggie's former stablemate, Annabelle, died of a foot infection seven years ago, Maggie has been alone at the zoo. Would she be happier in the company of other elephants?

"I don't know," Smith said. "That's a hard question to answer. She may very well be happier with an elephant, and she may not be. I know of an elephant in Los Angeles that's killed two pen mates. So they keep her alone."

How did he feel about the letters to the editor that have appeared in the Daily News recentl arguing in favor of transferring Maggie to a zoo with more elephants or an elephant sanctuary?

"It's hard for me when someone writes a letter to send the elephant away," Smith said. "Where are you going to put her? What's best for her? I don't know. I don't know if anybody can answer that question. ... Maggie might find elephants she can get along with. She might not."

An animal rights activist who videotaped Maggie in her barn says the tape shows her using her trunk to pick at her chest in a manner indicative of an elephant in distress.

"I bet I know what she was doing," Smith said. "Get over here, Maggie. Get over, get over. ... See right there? Those are her breasts. ... Come on, get your foot up. C'mon, get it way up. ... See her nipples right here? Sometimes -- and we think it has to do with (menstrual) cycling -- sometimes she'll put her trunk between her front legs and pull her teats. Sometimes she tends to o that when she's really agitated. She did that when Annabelle was here too. ... I think it runs with her cycling. ... But we don't fully understand the cycle yet. And that's just a theory I've heard.

"As far as people videotaping Maggie and saying they're stressed or whatever, I have people come in here and Maggie will be standing against the wall having a nap. And they'll say, 'Oh, she looks so extremely upset, so sad.' So I'll say, 'What's a happy elephant look like? She's sleeping right now. I don't know what you want out of her. She's asleep.'

AMUSEMENTS

A day in the life of Maggie differs from season to season. In the heart of winter, Smith said, she stays inside a lot. But with the arrival of warmer temperatures -- as soon as the thermometer ises above 40 -- she gets to play in the snow of her quarter-acre paddock. Then in summer, he takes her for long walks.

"I came here in 1995," Smith said as Maggie stepped across the snow on a recent balmy day. "Maggie came here in 1983. Maggie hadn't -- as far as I know -- been out of that yard. So we started going for a walk.

"Apparently we have elephant-eating monsters out there because she was pretty scared to go at first, because that was her secure place."

Elephants can posthole through snow without difficulty -- just like Hannibal and his elephants crossing the Alps, Smith said. Their feet spread wide as they step on the snow, then telescope narrow as they pull them back up, an adaptation that also allows elephants to navigate through mud without getting stuck.

Sometimes horseback riders venture to edge of the zoo bordering the elephant paddock, and Maggie lets out an ear-shattering trumpet.

"She tends to roar or trumpet only when she's terribly excited," Smith said. "Or when she's really trying to scare the snot out of somebody. A lot of people ride up to the back gate in the summertime on their horses and she takes a great deal of pleasure in sending the horses away riderless. ...

"If you've ever been close to an elephant when they're roaring, it's truly, truly, truly a tremendous thing. They will shake the building."

Now Smith wonders how much longer that roar will last in Anchorage. Will the zoo officials decid to find Maggie another home? Will they spend hundreds of thousand of dollars to import more elephants for company and build a big arena? Or will everything stay the same?

One day, the "Free Maggie" movement will probably go away. The only question is whether Maggie will too, possibly to a better life.

A plea to find a new home for the 22-year-old African elephant, a star attraction at the Alaska Zoo in South Anchorage for more than two decades, went public recently as several letter-to-the-editor writers debated whether Maggie is lonely, cold and cramped in her winter compound or actually quite happy.

The controversy has spread beyond Alaska, with animal rights groups as far off as England posting photographs of Maggie on their Web sites and urging her transfer. Since her stable mate Annabelle died seven years ago, she has lived without the company of another elephant, contrary to national zoo standards.

Alaska Zoo officials have been weighing the pluses of keeping Maggie against the minuses of spending the money required to improve her care and quarters, or even add to her number.

Caught in the middle is Maggie, the 9,100-pound pachyderm with a gift for throwing stones.

"These days, she spends nearly all her time indoors with inadequate stimulation and minimal light,"Michael Gollob wrote to the Daily News. "It's widely known that female elephants are extremely social and form deep bonds with other elephants. Maggie has no one to communicate with."

Dorothea Lovejoy disagreed. Twenty-one years ago, she helped pay for Maggie's journey from the East Coast to Anchorage so that Annabelle could have some company. And now Lovejoy thinks Maggie is happy where she is, having adopted people for companionship instead of animals.

"Have you ever watched her run to greet her zookeeper?" Lovejoy wrote in her own letter, "or delight in a new snowfall, or pick up a stone to throw at you?"

But a home that's closer in character to her own grassy savannah birthplace in southern Africa would be preferable, wrote Judy Stohl, who suggested Maggie be placed in one of the new state-of-the-art elephant sanctuaries where Asian and African elephants run free over hundreds of acres.

"What a wonderful community endeavor it would be to support Maggie's relocation to one of these facilities," Stohl said. "We could then enjoy Maggie's new life through the Web sites they each have -- a life that will likely last much longer in retired freedom. Please, Alaska Zoo, retire Maggie!"

No, keep her here, countered Marvin Lee, arguing that the whole purpose for having a zoo is to educate people and broaden their experience. And the only chance some young Alaskans have had to see a real, live elephant has been in Anchorage.

Wrote Lee, "The children of Alaska love Maggie."

They definitely do, zoo director "Tex" Edwards said last week. But Edwards faces a dilemma.

The zoo's core purpose, as agreed upon by its board of directors a year ago, is "connecting people with animals," which Maggie does quite well. But its longer-lived mission statement, approved by the board in 1991, specifically directs the zoo to "exhibit wildlife of the arctic and subarctic climates," and there Maggie is at least one hemisphere out of bounds.

"The first and fundamental question is: Should there be an elephant in the Alaska Zoo?" Edwards said. "The dichotomy is ... Maggie does not fit our mission. She is not an Arctic or a subarctic animal. But more than most other animals, she hits the core purpose just head on -- in connecting people to animals."

But what's best for Maggie?

To find their own answer, about a year ago members of the zoo board of directors and staff began meeting with elephant experts and zoo officials across North America. Overall, Edwards said, the experts were less concerned with the fact that a zoo in Alaska had an elephant as they were with Maggie's quality of life while she's here.

The size of her indoor enclosure and outdoor paddock were found to be more than adequate. But the advisers recommended that the zoo replace the concrete surface of Maggie's present indoor compound with a softer surface, like poured rubber.

"One thing we've heard is that a hard, cold concrete floor, over time, will contribute to arthritis and lack of flexibility," Edwards said.

The experts also recommended that Maggie get more exercise. Her handlers generally keep her inside as long as the temperature remains below 40 degrees.

A solution might be to build a new elephant arena -- a heated building with a dirt floor about 50 feet wide by 100 feet long -- which Edwards said would cost $200,000 to $250,000.

Finally, the experts recommended that Maggie be allowed to socialize more, preferably with other elephants. If the zoo board members decide she needs company, they'll need to either import more elephants or find a good home for Maggie Outside.

But turning the little Alaska Zoo into a state-of-the-art facility to house and socialize elephants could cost an enormous amount of money.

"I don't see that as being financially viable," Alaska Zoo curator Pat Lampi said. "As curator I have to take care of all the animals here in the zoo, and I can't see spending so much money" on just one species.

One of the Outside experts suggested that Maggie might be able to satisfy her social needs simply by interacting more with people. Edwards described it as "a minority opinion."

Existing zoo accreditation standards set by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association specify that a female elephant needs other female elephants for company. AZA's 2004 guide recommends "no less than three."

The Alaska Zoo is not accredited by the AZA, and Maggie is one reason.

"To my knowledge, she's the only solitary female African elephant in a zoo (in the United States) right now," said Mary Robinson, a former Anchorage resident who has been leading an Outside campaign to send Maggie to a sanctuary in the Lower 48.

Living in Anchorage for more than 30 years, Robinson got to know both Annabelle and Maggie during trips to the zoo. But then she began organizing and leading horseback safaris through Africa and saw firsthand what a huge discrepancy there was between the lives of isolated zoo elephants and elephants in the wild.

"I know people up there love her," Robinson said recently from her home in southern Oregon. "I know her keeper sounds like he's very fond of her, and I'm sure that she's fond of her keeper. But people cannot replace the company of another elephant. There is just no comparison."

A couple of years after Annabelle died, Robinson spoke to zoo officials about Maggie's predicament. The people at the zoo listened attentively, she said, but nothing changed. Now, five years later, she decided to take Maggie's case to the Internet by contacting animal rights groups, like the Captive Animals' Protection Society in England and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals in Virginia. She's enlisted a letter of support from the Humane Society of the United States.

She hopes the zoo takes steps soon to relocate Maggie, if not to a park dedicated to elephants then perhaps to one of the larger zoos that allow elephants to roam. She favors The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn., with its 2,700 acres, two veterinarians and separate herds of African and Asian elephants.

But if the zoo doesn't act, then Robinson plans to spread the word among more animal groups and begin circulating petitions in Alaska.

Alderman Chris Weary introduced the ordinance with assistance from the Animal Protection Institute (API), a national animal advocacy non-profit organization with 80,000 members, including 1500 in Wisconsin. The action was prompted by the incident last April, when Jasper, a "pet" monkey, at a bar with his possessor, escaped through a back door and was running at large until recaptured 3 days later.

By their very nature, exotic animals pose public safety risks and should not be kept as pets. In October, two high profile tiger attacks occurred in the same weekend. Most notably was Roy Horn, of the performing duo Siegfried and Roy, who was mauled by one of his tigers before an audience of 1,500 at the Las Vegas Mirage Hotel. Also, a man was attacked by his pet tiger that he kept captive in a New York City apartment. In December, a 10 year-old boy from North Carolina was fatally mauled by his aunt's 400-pound "pet" tiger.

The recent outbreak of the monkeypox virus in Wisconsin and its link to the exotic animal trade highlights the lack of federal, state, and local laws regarding keeping exotic species as pets. In addition, the outbreak demonstrates that it is extremely difficult to predict what other communicable diseases are out there waiting to jump from animals to humans. Passage of the ordinance could prevent another outbreak of contagious zoonotic diseases in Northeast Wisconsin.

At the time, Theison was working at an Oregon safari park, and one of his charges was an elephant that had killed before. He took a break, started evaluating his options. He had experience with other animals. He’d gravitated to elephants because, he says, “you get the personal, hands-on contact,” and each animal has a distinctive personality. He’d grown to love his hulking charges. But was it worth risking his life?

Then the Pittsburgh Zoo called. Theison had worked there before, and was amenable to coming back as elephant manager—if he could bring along some friends. That October, in a package deal, Theison and three of Campbell’s orphaned elephants took up residence in Highland Park. Their arrival marked the beginning of what would become, by some measures, the most successful African-elephant program in America.

Eight years later, on Nov. 18, 2002, Theison was on loan to a German zoo when he got word of another tragedy: Moja, one of the trio of elephants Theison had brought with him to Pittsburgh, had killed keeper Mike Gatti, 46. This time, Theison didn’t reconsider his life’s work. He rushed back to Pittsburgh to calm nervous staff and the elephants, investigate Gatti’s death and get the program back on track.

Today he’s back in action behind the elephant barn’s protective barrier, maneuvering carefully mong five animals weighing a combined 13 tons. Why risk becoming the victim of another flip of the switch? Because to Theison and the zoo’s leadership, understanding elephants, their social structure and their role in the African ecology is a matter of life and death.

Wild relations The kids go nuts as the metal gate rolls open and surly Tasha strolls into the front room of the elephant barn. Behind the barrier with Tasha, Theison talks to her, tosses her chunks of carrot, pops one in his own mouth. Tasha lies down on her side, and Theison turns on the red hose. A series of commands and a steady supply of carrot chunks have the 8,700-pound Tasha rolling over and offering the bottoms of her feet. Then she throws her legs into the air and hurtles into a standing position. “Good girl!” Theison says.“Sometimes I think you guys need a bath like this,” one mother tells the kids.

Next come Nan and her 3-year-old son, Calee. “The baby!” the kids squeal. Nan stands against the bars for her bath, while Calee prances about, checking Theison’s pockets for treats. His birth on Sept. 19, 2000, was the second at the zoo in just over a year, making Pittsburgh America’s undisputed capital of elephant breeding. Before his half-sister Victoria’s birth here in 1999, no elephant had been born in captivity in the United States and survived for more than a year since 1985.

Raising elephants isn’t easy, or cheap. Adults eat 150 pounds of food a day. Zoo staffers haul out 15 to 20 wheelbarrows of dung and hay every morning and keep cleaning the barn all day. The elephants must be exercised, bathed and cared for medically. “An elephant [barn] door can be several thousand dollars,” says Amos Morris, the zoo’s curator of mammals. Nonetheless, Morris says, the zoo has decided to make elephants a major focus—both because of its breeding successes and because they’re a “keystone species,” one that shapes and is shaped by its natural ecosystem, and thus can be studied as a valuable barometer of that ecosystem’s health.

When Theison started in the early 1980s, working with elephants was more stick than carrot—literally. “Your tools of the trade were a big, wooden ax handle and a metal hook,” says Theison, 46. If the elephant got out of line, he says, the keeper would grab the handle and threaten the animal. “I did it once,” Theison says, as he sits in his office in the elephant barn, keeping an eye on two TVs split into eight screens that he uses to monitor his charges. “And I came out thinking, this is a 10,000-pound bull and this is a little stick.… And I just had this epiphany: ‘That can’t be right. That can’t be the way.’”

It is wonderful that the Anchorage community rallies for Maggie and loves to visit her, but it is also vital that our community recognize Maggie's social, psychological and physical needs. The zoo has said Maggie has a reputation for being difficult, but wouldn't you be difficult too if you lost your only companion to a premature, preventable death and stared at the same four walls for months on end in this cold climate?

While it is nice to embrace Maggie as a member of our community, isn't it only right to also recognize that Maggie was wild-caught and needs more than we can provide? Please join me and kindly ask the Alaska Zoo to retire Maggie to an elephant sanctuary where she can spend her remaining years with her own kind. After giving so much, I for one believe she deserves this much.

Thursday, the board-appointed San Francisco Commission on Animal Control and Welfare unanimously passed a resolution calling for the supervisors to take immediate action to transfer the three elephants to a sanctuary.

Supervisors Fiona Ma, Tom Ammiano and Matt Gonzalez have already expressed support for the move. "I think elephants should be moved to more a humane location," said Ma, who plans to sit down with zoo officials this week. "It has been an issue since the 2000 audit [of the zoo] and we'd like to see resolution to the plan ... hopefully we can resolve this."

Animal activists have been campaigning for the elephants' removal, arguing that it is inhumane to keep animals who usually walk up to 50 miles a day in a quarter-acre space. In March, a 37-year-old Asian elephant named Calle, who suffered from tuberculosis and chronic joint ailments, was euthanized.

Zoo spokesperson Nancy Chan said that in addition to the supervisors, the agency must also answer to the United States Department of Agriculture and follow the mandates outlined in the American Zoo and Aquarium Associations' Species Survival Program in any animal transfer or risk losing its accreditation.

Zoo officials have already tentatively agreed to transfer one of the elephants, Tinkerbelle, to a sanctuary. The zoo's new executive director, Manuel Mollinedo, has also expressed a commitment to keeping elephants in San Francisco for the educational benefit they provide the public.

In a 63-page rebuttal sent to a National Academy of Sciences panel investigating animal deaths, Director Lucy H. Spelman challenged the assertions of Donald K. Nichols, the associate pathologist who resigned in November and then gave the academy a packet of materials accusing the zoo of poor veterinary care, mismanagement and attempting to hide its mistakes.

"Our goal as veterinarians has always been - and will continue to be - to provide the best possible medical care for our animals. Our intent has never been to hide information or cover up mistakes," Spelman said in a cover letter to the academy. "Instead of raising his concerns while he worked for the National Zoo - and while some of these animals were alive - he raised them after the fact in an inflammatory way."

While presenting a detailed response to Nichols' allegations of veterinary mistakes in 21 animal deaths, the zoo acknowledged a range of staff errors in caring for 15 animals that died. The mistakes included failure to keep complete and accurate veterinary records; failure to examine some animals in a timely manner, failure to perform tests that would have more accurately diagnosed some ailments and failure to closely monitor the care of some animals. But overall, the zoo defended its veterinarians, who Spelman said share her "intensity and a passion for animals." The response came as the panel is wrapping up an interim report in its year-long study of the zoo, which was commissioned by Congress last year after the accidental poisoning of two red pandas. Panel members have interviewed Spelman and other zoo employees, and their final report is due this summer.

Although Nichols said Thursday he had not thoroughly reviewed the zoo's submission, he gave no indication of retreating from his position. "In a very quick perusal of just a couple of cases, I have already spotted several inaccuracies and untruths in what Spelman has submitted," he said. For example, Nichols said, he tried to talk to Spelman earlier about his concerns about the death of a bobcat that was euthanized in November 2002 but was rebuffed.

For most cases cited by Nichols, the zoo said it had a record-keeping problem, not an animal care problem. It dismissed his allegations that the zoo had changed veterinary records in three cases to hide mistakes. The zoo said the changes occurred in two cases because the veterinarian was correcting mistakes or providing further details, and, in one case, because the zoo's computer system crashed and an entry was lost.

In only one case did the zoo acknowledge that a veterinary error caused the death of an animal: a Celebes macaque. The monkey, Sybil, died after surgery in 1998 to remove an abdominal tumor. A pathology report said that the surgery, performed by Spelman, perforated one urinary duct and cut through the other, causing urine to accumulate in the abdominal cavity instead of the bladder. The animal was euthanized.

"The damage to the ureters was unintentional; it was a serious surgical mistake," the zoo said in its submission to the science panel. In his 48-page letter to the panel, Nichols wrote that the mistakes he cited "clearly establish a pattern of longstanding and on-going incompetence, malfeasance and/or malpractice of veterinary medicine" by Spelman and Suzan Murray, the zoo's current head veterinarian. Spelman, who was head veterinarian before being named director in 2000, has said that Nichols' perspective was one of "hindsight," offered after the animals died. Clinical veterinarians, she said in an e-mail last month to Friends of the National Zoo members, "often try to solve difficult medical problems without all the information. This is neither neglect, nor error. Medicine is a puzzle."

The zoo's response to the science panel did not specifically address questions raised in a Washington Post series last month that found that neglect, misdiagnosis or other mistakes had marked the deaths of 23 animals in the past six years. The series found that records were changed or were incomplete in files on eight animal deaths.

Questions about animal care at the zoo began drawing national attention a year ago this month when the red pandas died after eating rat poison that had been buried in their yard because of a chronic problem with rodents. The episode led to concerns about other animal deaths in recent years. Congress told the Smithsonian Institution, which operates the zoo, to pay for the $450,000 science academy study.

The zoo told the science panel that in the past six months it has brought in new curatorial leadership, expanded the veterinary staff, improved nutritional oversight, tightened record-keeping and updated its written and daily operating procedures, all in an effort to improve care and management.

In its response, the zoo went point by point to address many of the allegations by Nichols, especially in several cases in which he accused veterinarians of not keeping complete notes or of not doing thorough physical examinations of animals.

For example, Nichols said the zoo did an MRI head scan on an ailing lion, but he cited veterinary records in claiming that the staff failed to examine the rest of its body. The zoo in its response said that the animal, Thandi, was physically examined and that its abdomen was X-rayed but that the results of those procedures were not noted in the veterinary records because no abnormalities were found. The lion was euthanized in 2000, and a pathology report said her abdomen was filled with numerous tumors.

The zoo said it performed thorough exams and a range of tests on other animals but, for various reasons, did not always indicate what was done in veterinary records, a practice it has since corrected.

J. Andrew Teare, an official with the Jacksonville zoo who has aided the science panel as a records-keeping expert, said standard practice for most veterinarians is to "write down what you did," including what was and was not found. Some problems were attributed to a shortage of veterinarians, which the National Zoo said caused it to fall behind on plans to do annual animal examinations from the spring of 1999 to the fall of 2002. The zoo said its veterinary team is now fully staffed.

Explaining why it failed to record any veterinary notes for the day an elephant, Nancy, was euthanized, the zoo said fewer notes are made about animals on the day they are euthanized "due to higher priority given to living animals." The zoo acknowledged that it had been lax in filling out required euthanasia forms, which are supposed to be signed by the curator, veterinarian and director. It attributed this to personnel changes and confusion over who was responsible for initiating the forms. The zoo also blamed its recently retired registrar, Judith Block, for not checking to make sure the forms were properly completed.

Block declined to comment. Among National Zoo employees and other zoo registrars, she has a reputation as a meticulous record-keeper who is a stickler for insisting that paperwork be kept in order. "She would be the kind of person to say, 'It is not here. Where is it?' " said Jean Miller, a Block protege at the Buffalo Zoo who is a board member of the Zoo Registrar Association. The zoo's response in some of the animal cases was at odds with accounts provided by current and former curators and other zoo employees. It also contradicted some statements made earlier by Spelman and Murray.

Spelman has denied responsibility in the case of a young zebra, Buumba, that died in 2000 of starvation and hypothermia. The zoo's response to the science panel said that her order cutting the zebra diet in half was intended as a temporary change to treat possible colic. Veterinarians came back "intermittently" to check on the zebras, according to the response, but these visits were not recorded in the veterinary records.

The zebra was not moved to the hospital when it became too weak to stand, the zoo said, because it would have further stressed the animal and because transporting it was hampered by snow and ice on the roads. The zoo also said a form confirming Spelman's diet order has not been found and "presumably" was not filled out.

"That's a baldfaced fabrication," said Stuart Wells, the former zebra curator, in an interview this week. Wells said the form was signed by Spelman, the nutritionist and himself. "I wouldn't have reduced the diet without a signed form - and it was a diet reduction for all three zebras."

He said Spelman contended that the zebras were too fat. Wells said no veterinarian came to see the zebras for nearly three months after the diet order, even though he kept reporting that Buumba was sick. When Buumba went down, he said, Spelman sedated him for an examination and could have moved him to the hospital because zoo roadways are always cleared during snowy weather.

The zoo's response also does not resolve questions surrounding her care of an orangutan, Pensi, that was euthanized in 2000. Curator Lisa Stevens and other witnesses have maintained that Spelman did an ultrasound examination and said she saw an abnormality in the liver, leading the staff to conclude its cancer had spread. A necropsy showed that all vital organs were "clean" and that the orangutan's diarrhea had been caused by salmonella, a treatable condition for which the zoo had not tested.

Kathi Murray, who has worked with 29-year old Zula and 31-year old Tange for 15 years, is relocating with them as an elephant keeper at the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn.

"In one sense it'll be hard to leave family and friends, but it would be harder if it wasn't the right thing for the girls," Murray said. "I wish all elephants could go live at the sanctuary."

The Elephant Sanctuary is the only natural habitat refuge in the United States capable of safely housing elephants, Murray said.

Elephants come to the facility from zoos, circuses and private donors, and only positive reinforcement training is used with the animals, Murray said.

Currently there are eight Asian elephants at the reserve.

Zula and Tange will be the first African elephants to live in the new $1 million heated barn built at the facility, and soon will be joined by Flora, another African elephant that is boarded at the Miami Metro Zoo.

The three elephants will live separately from the Asian species and will initially have about 250 acres to roam. An expansion is underway that will give the animals up to 2,700 acres.

Murray said the animals are still in the process of being trained to step onto a transport trailer that will carry them to Tennessee.

The trailer is parked in the animals' exhibit yard and there are daily exercises with the animal keepers.

The animals should be ready to travel next week, Murray said.Barbara Anderson has worked with the elephants for seven years and said that sending Zula and Tange to the refuge is best for the animals' health and survival.

"Elephants have an extremely poor track record," Anderson said. "They shouldn't be kept in captivity. (Park Director Glenn Dobrogosz) recognizes that and that's why they're sending them to the sanctuary."

Dobrogosz said that the financial and ethical aspects of moving the elephants to a natural habitat made the relocation a sound decision.

"We would have to invest $1 million to maintain that exhibit, and I don't feel its an adequate exhibit for an elephant," Dobrogosz said. "Its a concern that people will be upset about, but (we) have to do the right thing for the animals."

The budget money freed up by the elephants' departure allows for about 220 new animals, Dobrogosz said.

With a cold front coming in, the staff moved the female newborn into a heated barn.

"We never want to take a baby away from the mother," Flanagan said. "But this time we had no choice."

Doctors conducted a series of diagnostic tests and gave the newborn intensive care, trying to build up its strength by administering fluids and other nourishment. But the calf died Monday night.

The staff allowed Methai to come in and see the body, sniff it and touch it. They wanted to make sure she knew why it was taken away.

"Elephants are very intelligent," Flanagan said. "We wanted her to know that baby was not coming back to her, because she was dead."

Methai has been holding up well, Flanagan said, and is already back on public display. On Wednesday afternoon, she strode across her exhibit area, swaying back and forth and wrapping her trunk around the bolts in the pen, as if to untie them. She has been receiving extra feed lately.

The calf was the fifth for Methai, who has been in the zoo's possession for more than 20 years. According to Flanagan, she never had any birthing problems in the past. One of her offspring is housed at the Houston Zoo, and the rest reside in zoos around the world.

The Asian elephant is an endangered species whose natural habitat, which is spread across Southeast Asia, Western India and Sri Lanka, is threatened by human development and agriculture. Roughly 38,000 to 50,000 remain in the wild, and another 13,000 have been domesticated, zoo spokesman Brian Hill said. About 300 live in North American zoos.

Elephant breeding is a hit-or-miss endeavor. Of the five Asian elephant calves born in North American zoos since 2001, only two have survived, according to the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

"It's rare that an elephant is born, actually," Flanagan said. "About 50 percent of elephants die within their first year."

According to Hill, elephants can breed up until they reach 40 years of age and usually have a calf every four to five years.

About 10 years had passed since Methai last gave birth, and her latest pregnancy occurred naturally.

To prepare for the birth, the zoo brought in world-renowned elephant husbandry specialist Dennis Schmitt and invested $50,000 to improve the elephant exhibit and holding areas for the newborn. Zoo employees and volunteers kept watch 24 hours a day in the weeks leading up to the birth.

A cause of death for Methai's calf has not yet been determined. The Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab at Texas A&M University performed a necropsy but found out very little. Tissue samples were preserved and are being analyzed.

"We're pursuing everything," Flanagan said. "It could be genetics, it could be bad luck. We don't know yet."

The staff has taken the loss hard.

Captured as a 1-year-old in India, Calle, an Asian elephant, spent more than three decades of her life in carnivals, circuses and zoos. In the wild, Calle, at 37, would have been in the prime of her life, a mother with perhaps two decades or more of life ahead of her. At the zoo, Calle was so riddled with degenerative joint disease and foot problems that she had difficulty even walking. For years, the zoo dosed her with painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. Treatments to remove dead and infected flesh from her feet, a result of chronic abscesses, left her virtually toeless. The infection had recently invaded her leg bone. On March 7, the zoo was forced to euthanize Calle.

The zoo has blamed Calle's joint and foot problems on the time she spent in the circus. But the zoo's surviving Asian elephant, Tinkerbelle, and two African elephants, Maybelle and Lulu, all suffer from joint and foot problems similar to those that afflicted Calle. These elephants have spent their entire lives in San Francisco, after being captured as babies from the wild in the 1960s. They, too, have been on a steady diet of painkillers and anti- inflammatory drugs. These drugs mask signs of disease, leaving the public unaware of the elephants' declining health.

Nearly four decades ago, when wild elephants were brought to San Francisco, the harmful effects of zoo confinement were not yet documented. Now we know better: The problem of lack of space for elephants in zoos is irreconcilable. The space allocated to elephants at the San Francisco Zoo prevents normal exercise and forces them to stand on hard, dry, compacted surfaces, causing the arthritis and foot disease that have plagued Calle, Tinkerbelle, Maybelle and Lulu.

Zoo-industry experts admit as much. According to elephant consultant Alan Roocroft, who has worked with captive elephants for more than 30 years: "Long periods of inactivity can and will be detrimental to the health and longevity of an elephant. To an animal that is programmed to move 18 out of 24 hours, inactivity has a high price. ... Normally, the nail-and-foot tissue of an elephant is worn down during the long hours of walking over different substrates. Flexibility to wrist, knees and their joints is increased and maintained by the continuous movement of their daily activities."

Wild elephant experts concur. Daphne Sheldrick, a veterinarian and 1992 winner of the United Nations Environment Program Global 500 who has worked with elephants for 50 years in Africa, otes: "No captive situation, however attractive it may appear to a human, can possibly be adequate for the needs of an elephant in terms of space." She writes that one 10-year-old bull walked 84 miles in 14 hours, turned around and walked another 100 miles in search of a friend, and that elephants can traverse an area of 8,000 square miles in a matter of days.

At the San Francisco Zoo, the elephants live their entire lives in a space of less than half an acre. By contrast, elephant sanctuaries offer large, naturalistic environments for elephants that provide the freedom of movement on varied substrates that is vital to heal the types of foot and joint problems from which the zoo's surviving elephants suffer. Two U.S. elephant sanctuaries have offered to take the elephants immediately, at no cost to the zoo. Since we cannot return the elephants to the wild, the sanctuaries are the best we can offer. If Tinkerbelle, Lulu and Maybelle remain in San Francisco, they will suffer the same fate as Calle. The zoo may claim that keeping these elephants is important to conservation. This is a smokescreen. The reality is that the San Francisco Zoo simply does not have the space required to provide quality of life and proper care for the three surviving elephants. What kind of message is the zoo sending to the public by continuing to hold ailing elephants, whose only chance of recovery is to be transferred to sanctuaries with the space and expertise to heal their painful degenerative conditions?

Surely a city that is known for taking humanitarian stands can do right by these elephants. By transferring the surviving elephants to sanctuaries, San Francisco can once again demonstrate its leadership and humanity. The lesson of Calle's life and death must not be forgotten.

A little before 5:30 one August morning two years ago at the Oakland Zoo, a pregnant 24-year-old African elephant named Lisa heaved to her feet and released an enormous amount of water onto the straw-covered floor. An elephant birth in captivity is unusual and highly anticipated: of 17 African elephants born in North America since 1995, only 6 survive. So when the 327-pound baby arrived three and a half hours after Lisa's water broke, Oakland Zoo workers were ready.

"From the very first moment that Lisa had the calf with her, we could not have hoped for it to have gone better," reports Colleen Kinzley, the Oakland Zoo's elephant manager. Lisa appeared to adapt to motherhood. Then, on the 11th day, keepers found Dohani, her calf, dead on the floor of the elephant room with a puncture wound to his chest.

This tragedy highlights the challenge of breeding elephants in captivity. Was Dohani's loss just an accident, perhaps the result of an inexperienced 9,000-pound mother misjudging her strength while nudging her calf? Or had something spooked Lisa and caused her to impale Dohani? Could the zookeepers have prevented Dohani's death, perhaps by teaching Lisa a broader array of parenting skills?

Such questions have broad importance because of predictions that North America's captive elephant population simply can't sustain itself. North American zookeepers hope to breed elephants not only to curb the need for further imports but also to develop new reproductive techniques that can be applied to wild herds. But captive breeding is fraught with physical obstacles and philosophical quandaries. Zoos cannot easily replicate life in the wild.