No Justice for Ailing Elephant—Yet
There’s no justice for Lucy—yet. Despite what PETA and Zoocheck Canada described to an appellate court as blatant violations of Alberta’s Animal Protection Act by the Edmonton Valley Zoo, the court today refused to give Lucy her day in court. But in a groundbreaking dissenting opinion that takes up 45 pages of the 56-page ruling, Chief Justice Catherine Fraser found that PETA and Zoocheck showed “a prima facie case of the City’s unlawful conduct vis-à-vis Lucy,” and they deserve their day in court.
Lucy has lived for years in what Chief Justice Fraser calls “solitary isolation” at the zoo. She is suffering from severe psychological distress as well as upper-respiratory problems, arthritis, obesity, and chronic foot ailments.
Undeterred by today’s decision, PETA and Zoocheck will continue to fight for Lucy and are weighing all of our options in light of today’s ruling. You can help by sending a polite e-mail to Edmonton City Council asking them to free Lucy before Canada’s long winter sets in, during which time she will be relegated to a cramped, dismal barn.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
