Three elephants from the Toronto Zoo are on their way to a California wildlife sanctuary after they departed the city late Thursday night.
After delays earlier in the day, the convoy that is transporting the animals embarked on its 50-hour drive at about 10:30 p.m., marking the end of a years-long saga that divided members of city council and left zoo handlers bitterly disappointed.
The African elephants – Iringa, Thika and Toka – are being transferred to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary near Sacramento after city council agreed to move them in a vote cloaked in controversy two years ago.
The journey is expected to last up to five days.
Since council approved the move, supporters and opponents have traded accusations, with the dispute continuing on moving day as Zoocheck, an animal welfare group that is representing PAWS, accused zoo handlers of purposely delaying the departure time. Zoo staff denied the claim.
In an interview with CP24, Zoocheck spokeswoman Julie Woodyer claimed two senior staff members at the zoo loaded the animals onto the trucks too early. She accused them of "scuttling" the transfer because they felt the elephants would suffer on such a long journey.
However, zoo spokeswoman Jennifer Tracey insisted that there were no delay tactics and that the elephants would leave Thursday as planned.
"The (Canadian Food Inspection Agency) had some additional concerns," Tracey said as she explained the delay before the convoy departed. "The transport is progressing and we expect elephants will be on the move within the next few hours."
It took several hours to prepare the elephants, which were loaded into separate crates, loaded onto two trucks and checked over by veterinarians.
Officials with Zoocheck said the transfer will be safe and humane, with multiple veterinarians and handlers travelling with the convoy. The elephants are supposed to remain in their cages for the duration of the trip.
Bob Barker, an animal rights activist and retired host of "The Price is Right," lobbied for the relocation and is contributing $700,000 to cover travel costs.
The elephants' relocation has been a hotly-contested issue at the zoo and city hall, with years of pressure from animal rights activists and political back-and-forth among council members and the Toronto Zoo board.
Emotional zoo workers who are opposed to the move held a candlelight vigil at the facility’s gates Wednesday night. The employees have said they are worried about the elephants' health and safety during the move and at the sanctuary.
Political stalling
Christine McKenzie, president of CUPE Local 1600, which represents zookeepers, said the move could have been avoided.
“I think that if council had been willing to commit the funds to updating their exhibit that (the elephants) would have been better spending the rest of their lives here,” McKenzie told CP24 reporter Cam Woolley outside the zoo Thursday. “These (handlers) love them and it's a good place for them, so we’re very sad to see them go.”
Despite opposition from some councillors and zoo management and staff, city council voted in October 2011 to move the aging elephants after activists raised concerns about the well-being of Iringa, Thika and Toka. A second vote a year later reaffirmed the decision.
Plans for the move stalled as officials argued over where to send the pachyderms and how to transport them, and whether the PAWS sanctuary was a suitable option. There was a proposal to transport the animals by plane, but officials later opted to move them by truck. At one point, the Department of National Defence was involved in talks to fly the elephants to California.
It also took some time to pick suitable crates, secure permits and health records, and prepare the elephants to make the long journey.
Support for elephants on road trip
McKenzie said Thursday morning zoo employees were doing everything they could to make the departure as normal and stress-free as possible for animals that are known to be very sensitive and capable of sensing human emotions.
“They're probably going to sense that something different is happening and once they get in their crates it's going to be an entirely new experience for them,” she said.
Two zookeepers are accompanying the elephants on the entire 4,200-kilometre journey to the sanctuary.
Initially, the union said California-based Active Environments, the company that is in charge of the move, told the handlers that they would not be able to accompany or monitor the animals on the U.S. portion of the trip unless they sign a non-disclosure agreement.
Later, the union confirmed two handlers will be accompanying the animals without having to sign a confidentiality agreement, but they will not be allowed to document anything.
Groups who lobbied for the move said Toronto's climate is too cold for elephants and the existing enclosure's concrete floor is harmful to their bodies.
Activists argued the elephants' quality of life would improve and they would be much more comfortable at a sanctuary in a southern U.S. state, where they could live out their days in a warmer climate and a larger, natural space.
As the debate dragged on, zoo officials said the elephants could face potential health risks at PAWS, including tuberculosis (TB), and questioned the measures the sanctuary employed to contain the infectious disease after one case was confirmed.
Zoocheck assured Toronto officials that PAWS has safeguards in place to protect its animals and it accused the zoo of using the TB case as a scare tactic in a bid to block the move. PAWS also denied a claim that it prevented Toronto officials from inspecting some of its barns during a two-day visit.
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