OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV)-Move over Dumbo, six elephants are set to fly into Omaha today.
A 7-47 freight plane with elephants from swaziland left Africa and traveled from more than 23 hours to Dallas. From there, the plane dropped off five pachyderms and made its way to Wichita for crews to take six to the zoo there, and then come to Omaha.
A police escort took the five elephants through Dallas to the zoo.
The last time the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo had elephants was in 2011.
What will happen once they land? These animals aren't walking out of an airplane tail to trunk. In September, Zoo Director Dennis Pate told us they've planned for quite a long time about getting elephants.
"When they land here, they'll off-load them onto the ground, and then onto a forklift and then be placed on a truck. It it's cool out, we'll put tarps over the truck or get an enclosed truck. You know it's just a short drive from Eppley. So they'll go - they come here. If it's too cool out, one of the advantages of this building is we can drive a truck into that building. We have 17-foot-wide doors, which you'll see. So even in the winter we can drive, bring all six crates in, put them in, and using a crane lift the doors off. These are big heavy steel crates, lift the doors off so we can get them in quickly if its cool out and get them warmed up."
While its warm today in Omaha, how does that compare to where they came from? At last check it was 70 degrees in Swaziland, Africa.
Not everyone is welcoming the elephants with open arms. Some animal rights groups say that since the animals have been sedated for such a long journey regulators need to do their part. A coalition of animal protection organizations, including Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), PETA, Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) and captive wildlife attorney Deborah Robinson, is demanding an inspection by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) of all 17 elephants upon arrival.
Here's the letter that Coalition sent:
Dear Dr. Gibbens:
On behalf of the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) and its hundreds of thousands of members and supporters, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and its more than 3 million members and supporters, Performing Animal Welfare Society(PAWS) and its tens of thousands of supporters, and captive wildlife attorney Deborah Robinson, Esq., we are requesting that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
conduct an immediate inspection of the seventeen wild-captured African elephants upon
their arrival in Dallas at the Fort Worth Alliance Airport tomorrow, March 11, 2016.
According to recent news reports, the plane containing the seventeen elephants obtained
by Dallas Zoo Management from Big Game Park in Swaziland is now airborne despite a
thirty-six (36)- hour delay in departure from the time that the elephants were reportedly
sedated for transport. The flight time to Dallas is expected to be about twenty-two (22)
hours, and the plane is expected to land first in Dallas around 2:00 a.m. central time, after
which elephants bound for the Dallas Zoo will be off-loaded and remaining elephants will
be flown to their final destinations at the Henry Doorly Zoo (47-C-0003) in Omaha and
the Sedgwick County Zoo (48-C-0005) in Wichita. Given that several of these elephants
are juveniles or sub-juveniles, and that all of these animals have been sedated, confined
individually to crates, and subjected to a journey that will ultimately be several days long
in duration, it is critical that the USDA stands ready to inspect and monitor the arrival of
these elephants to better ensure compliance with the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA),
including-but not limited to-the following regulations:
· 9 C.F.R. § 2.131 b)(1), providing that "[h]andling of all animals shall be done
as expeditiously and carefully as possible in a manner that does not cause
trauma, overheating, excessive cooling, behavioral stress, physical harm, or
unnecessary discomfort";
· 9 C.F.R. § 2.131(e): "When climatic conditions present a threat to an animal's
health or well-being, appropriate measures must be taken to alleviate the
impact of those conditions. An animal may never be subjected to any
combination of temperature, humidity, and time that is detrimental to the
animal's health or well-being, taking into consideration such factors as the
animal's age, species, breed, overall health status, and acclimation";
· 9 C.F.R. § 3.139, which requires, inter alia, that "a sufficient quantity of food
and water shall accompany the live animal to provide food and water for such
animals for a period of at least 24 hours," and "[n]o carrier or intermediate
handler shall accept any live animals for transportation in commerce unless
written instructions concerning the food and water requirements of such animal while being
so transported is affixed to the outside of its primary enclosure."
· 9 C.F.R. § 3.142, which mandates that "[c]arriers and intermediate handlers shall move live
animals from the animal holding area of the terminal facility to the primary conveyance and
from the primary conveyance to the animal holding area of the terminal facility as
expeditiously as possible," "[w]hen sunlight is likely to cause overheating or discomfort,
sufficient shade shall be provided to protect the live animals from the direct rays of the sun
and such live animals shall not be subjected to surrounding air temperatures which exceed
29.5°C. (85°F.), and which shall be measured and read in the manner prescribed in § 3.141 of
this part, for a period of more than 45 minutes," "[c]are shall be exercised to avoid handling
of the primary enclosure in such a manner that may cause physical or emotional trauma to the
live animal contained therein."
· 9 C.F.R. § 3.141, providing that in terminal facilities, "no live animal shall be subjected to
surrounding air temperatures which exceed 23.9°C. (75°F.) for more than 4 hours at any
time."
· 9 C.F.R. § 2.40 relating to adequate programs of veterinary care, including "[a]dequate
guidance to personnel involved in the care and use of animals regarding handling,
immobilization, anesthesia, analgesia, tranquilization, and euthanasia."
Please ensure that the USDA inspects all of the elephants upon their arrival in Dallas, and that inspectors
re-inspect the twelve elephants who are being distributed to the Henry Doorly Zoo and Sedgwick County
Zoo upon their arrival at their final destinations in Nebraska and Kansas, respectively. Please ensure that
the transport of these animals within the U.S. is closely monitored by the USDA and that licensees are
cited for any and all AWA non-compliances.
Very truly yours,
Carney Anne Nasser, Esq.
Senior Counsel for Wildlife & Regulatory Affairs
Animal Legal Defense Fund
Rachel Mathews, Esq.
Counsel | Captive Animal Law Enforcement
PETA Foundation
Catherine Doyle, MS
Director of Science, Research and Advocacy
Performing Animal Welfare Society
Deborah Robinson, Esq.
Captive Elephant Specialist/The Big Rumble
