William Shatner Urges Release of Ailing Elephant
What has actor, singer, and author William Shatner (Canada’s triple threat) been up to since nabbing the Emmy for Boston Legal?
The “Priceline Negotiator” recently made a plea for the release of the Edmonton Zoo’s lonely, ailing elephant, Lucy.
In a letter to Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel, Mr. Shatner wrote, “I humbly ask you to allow Lucy to retire to better circumstances than at the Edmonton Zoo … she’s old, feeble, and many of us know how that feels.”
He joins pachyderm protectors around the world in rallying for Lucy’s release.
Two years ago, elephant expert Winnie Kiiru named the Edmonton Zoo the worst zoo in Canada for elephants and called for the closure of the exhibit. Edmonton’s frigid winter weather and the zoo’s policy of locking Lucy in the barn when the zoo is closed mean that she spends the majority of her time indoors. The short amount of time that Lucy is allowed outdoors is spent in a barren, dusty enclosure. Being forced to endure the cold and the forced immobility is fueling her arthritis and causing chronic foot and respiratory problems.
Please add your pleas to Mr. Shatner’s by writing to Mayor Mandel. Urge him to release Lucy to a sanctuary that can offer her hundreds of acres of diverse terrain, ponds for bathing, a more suitable climate, and the company of other elephants.
Written by Karin Bennett
