Lucy to stay put

September 18, 2009

Katherine O'Neil, Globe and Mail

Edmonton turns down Bob Barker's offer of free trip to sanctuary for ailing elephant Retired game-show host Bob Barker came to Edmonton yesterday with a deal he thought city officials couldn't refuse: an all-expenses-paid trip for the zoo's lone elephant to be moved to a California wildlife sanctuary.

But the answer was no - Lucy, the city-owned zoo's star attraction, is staying put despite a growing campaign around the world to relocate the ailing pachyderm to a warmer climate. The relocation, which could have cost up to $200,000 (U.S.), would have been paid by Mr. Barker and various animal-rights groups.

Linda Cochrane, a city administrator, told reporters that Lucy, a 34-year-old Asian elephant who has resided at the zoo for more than three decades, is simply too ill to travel and a move could be life-threatening.

"We want to do what's in the best interest for her," Ms. Cochrane said after emerging from a closed-door meeting with Mr. Barker. "We are not about to be browbeaten by one sanctuary and a body of people who say she has to move. We are the stewards of this animal."

However, she added that once Lucy recovers, the zoo will explore all options, including relocation or recruiting a companion elephant. Lucy suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and respiratory problems.

Mr. Barker vowed to keep up the fight to have Lucy moved. "Before I go to my maker, I would like to see Lucy in the sanctuary," Mr. Barker, a long-time animal-rights activist, said.

While the 85-year-old former host of The Price is Right admits he doesn't know much about elephants - "I gave away refrigerators for a living," Mr. Barker joked - he's convinced Lucy would be better off living in a sanctuary with other elephants.

Mr. Barker is upset the zoo won't let his group, which includes Zoocheck Canada, independently assess Lucy's current state of health.

He urged the public to write to the zoo and urge them to "free Lucy." The facility, located in Edmonton's river valley, has already received lots of e-mails and letters from people concerned about the elephant's welfare. Most have been from the United States and Europe.

Mr. Barker is also hopeful a brewing legal battle might help speed Lucy's release.

Clayton Ruby, one of Canada's highest-profile criminal defence lawyers, who has represented the wrongfully imprisoned, has been retained by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to plot legal strategy to get Lucy relocated.

He said in an interview the animal's situation is "shameful and an embarrassment."

Mr. Ruby said it's too soon to say whether he will turn to the courts, but notes that elephants are herd animals and that even the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the organization that oversees accredited zoos in this country, says pachyderms, especially females, should not be left alone. Mr. Ruby has long had an interest in animal-rights issues and has represented protesters who were charged with violating the terms of their observer permits during the East Coast seal hunt.

PETA spokeswoman Lisa Wathne said her organization turned to Mr. Ruby because he is one of the top-notch lawyers in the country and has a great deal of empathy for animals.

"The zoo and city council are not acting in the best interests of Lucy," Ms. Wathne said.

In the meantime, Toronto-based Zoocheck Canada has also pledged to continue its "Free Lucy" fight, which includes a billboard campaign in Edmonton.

"We aren't going to stop," said Zoocheck's campaigns director, Julie Woodyer. "We will continue to escalate it until proper expertise is brought in to get Lucy's health brought up to a state where she can be moved."

Ms. Woodyer praised Mr. Barker for getting involved and using his celebrity to bring Lucy's "plight" to the "attention of the country."

Earlier this year, a group of Canadian authors, including Margaret Atwood and Michael Ondaatje, wrote to Edmonton City Council asking them to move Lucy. Actor William Shatner has also written city hall with a similar pitch.