Gita The Elephant Is Dead At 48
She lived at the L.A. Zoo. She died Saturday. A necropsy (i.e., an animal autopsy) will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
Posted by Walter Moore @ 6/10/2006 11:16:00 PM
Saturday, June 10, 2006
She lived at the L.A. Zoo. She died Saturday. A necropsy (i.e., an animal autopsy) will be conducted to determine the cause of death.
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18 Comments:
Oh no. Now we're going to have to have tons of blasting emails filled with bullshit from the ADLLA, (who is really only Pam and Jerry) blaming this all on Boks and the mayor's office.
Most of us feel really bad about Gita. Please allow us our grief you horrible and despicable couple. You're both really just big mouths who say hateful and mean things.
I hated Pam as a child actress, and when I googled her, I remembred why.
The problem with the LA Zoo is that it's run by a guy - John Lewis - who's more interested in covering his ass with his American Zoo Association buddies (he used to run the AZA and can't stand to have its hegemony challenged) than he is in taking care of the zoo animals.
So when the elephant advocates (who most definitely do NOT includ Ferdin and Vlasak, who don't give a shit about elephants precisely because they're not under the control of Animal Services) complain about how the Zoo treats the animals, Lewis gets his back up and says, "I know more about this than you do." That enlightened attitude has cost the Zoo two elephants in the last 18 months (Tara died in December 2004). Good work John. Way to set your priorities.
For a while it looked like Villaraigosa was on to this ruse and was going to do something about it as Mayor, but then Tom LaBonge and his gaggle of doctrinaire, society maven traditionalists got to him, whining about how elephants belonged in zoos so kids could see them up close and personal (while the elephants stand around bored and unhappy, their health in jeopardy, teaching the kids no useful lesson).
So the Mayor declined to oppose the over-priced, half-assed new exhibit proposed by Lewis and condemned L.A.'s elephants to Gita and Tara's fate. Hopefully he'll realize that there is a more appropriate response to this tragedy than just to be pissed at anyone who criticizes his ill-considered flip-flop on the elephant issue.
Before you conclude that the Mayor was somehow "turned," bear in mind that he was already in office for years before becoming mayor. The action he took during that time to ensure the humane treatment of animals -- none -- should tell you something about the sincerity of his promises.
In short, don't blame LaBonge for the Mayor's actions; blame the Mayor.
Anon 6:50 A.M. Is right on the money.
John Lewis is more concerned about the politics than the animals.
Labonge is a stupid cheerleader.
But, it is in his district and the Council defers to him on these issues.
You all know by now that 10 Councilmembers can overrule the Mayor on any issue.
Antonio has not wanted to keep the elephants in the zoo, rather he has favored the sactuary, but Labonge keeps blocking him.
If they wait long enough, Labonge will term out and the elephants can go to the sanctuary and live in peace and happiness.
By the way, the new proposed exhibit will take four years and cost over $40,000,000 for what started out as four elephants and is now down to two. Keep Lewis there and we can get it down to none.
It is ridiculous, inasmuch as elephants in the wild walk tens of miles every day on soft earth, and in the zoo they stand on asphalt or concrete or hard earth all day long. They die from the maladies to their legs that occur from this horrible fate.
Maybe Labonge should stand on the concrete all day, every day and be separated from everyone else. The kids can come and look at him, too.
Lewis can go in the next cage.
When I watched the taped city council meeting on keeping the elephants at the LA Zoo instead of sending them to a sanctuary there was a guy who spoke out and said the only reason LaBonge wanted the elephants to stay in LA Zoo was because he got tons of donations from its board members. Don't know if that's true but I'm putting it out there. Also, another guy said that poor Gita had the infection on her foot because elephants are meant to stand so long on cement and that's the way it is at the LA Zoo. Standing for hours on cement was more harmful to her injury. City Council members should have sent those elephants to the sanctuary where they would have had way more space and a feeling of freedom. Kids don't give a shit about seeing elephants at the zoo and city council members especially Hahn kept saying that. They should take Billy and the other elephant out of there immediately.
Let's send Labonge to the sanctuary.
Then, the elephants can follow.
Don't believe this crap about Gita being "older"; she was 48. Elephants live to 60 or 70, just like humans. That is, if Lewis doesn't get his hands on them.
If the zoo had more veterinarians on staff, Gita would probably be alive today. Staffing has been a problem for the last two years, and John Lewis should accept responsibility for the ineffeciencies in his department. LaBonge has been Mr. Lewis' protector in chief over this staffing mess. The mayor should accept responsibility too. The fact that there are only two full time veterinarians at the L.A. Zoo is the real story here folks. That guy who spoke at the press conference was a part time vet.
The Mayor's investigations into this matter should begin with John Lewis. His people should talk to the Veterinarians and their representatives. It would be interesting to know how Mr. Lewis has redirected funds that were never spent on budgeted Veterinarians positions.
I think it's high time the councilmembers stop that insane practice of referring to the other councilmembers precisely because of LaBonge and his alleged campaign contributions, friendship with Lewis or whatever else his misguided reason is.
The kids who spoke against keeping the elephants at the zoo and instead thought they should go to the sanctuary were way more convincing with a more thought out plan than LaBonge. Kids don't care if they don't see elephants at the zoo. That is the worst reason ever to keep them. Even if it were true, kids would like to eat M&M's all day instead of meat, fruit and vegetables too, but that doesn't mean they know what's best for them.
Clearly that day in City Hall, logic wasn't prevailing. But who knows what was.
I don't think Villaraigosa cares if anyone thinks he flip flops on the elephants. He's got much bigger things in the city to run and this is a minor annoyance to him.
He needs to concentrate on running the city. If he spent more time running the city than TRYING to run the school system (when our city is in such bad shape), he would be a most awesome mayor.
As idiotic as Vlasak and Ferdin are, one sort of wonders if they were on the issue of the zoo (if it were under Animal Services as 6:50 says) maybe they could try to destroy John Lewis' life the way they do every person who comes to head the DAS. Or maybe not because I think they've come to the end of their rein of terrorism since their arrests and convictions. They've become caricatures.
Lewis needs to go back to a political job; we need a veterinarian to be the head of the LA Zoo. You know, someone who cares for the animals, not what the politicians say or do.
We should rethink the $40 Million for the elephant display and instead, send them to a sanctuary and spend the money on more policemen and firemen.
Labonge, you doofus, are you listening?
Get a life. It's an elephant.
To 1:53:
I couldn't agree more. You're absolutely correct, right down to the LaBonge doofus comment.
To 3:45:
If you don't care about the elephant, that is entirely up to you.
But you damn sure should care about the spending of the City's money. You should care about the wasting of a 40 million dollar elephant exhibit at the zoo when ..mark my words... the state will soon pass legislation that will bar us from keeping that many elephants on such small acreage and that money will have been wasted.
So obviously those of us who are posting on this subject have lives. Carefully thought out ideas for our city and ways to save money are part of those lives.
Go do your tv guide crossword puzzle now.
Why does anyone ever read the mainstream media?
Blogs are the place to be...
Let's take John Lewis down. He's killed enough elephants for L.A. Time to move on...
What is going on? Everyone is just looking for someone to blame everything on. Please, so many things happen everyday, and will keep happening everyday of our lives! When something goes wrong we should find solutions, work together, brainstorm. All of this blame, it gets so old.
We did have a solution and that was the elephants should have been sent to the sanctuary. And where is Betty White? Her and a dozen of old timers flooded city hall telling council members the elephants were just fine at the LA Zoo. When you hear council members use the excuse that kids want to see elephants you gotta laugh. The CLA reported that money had to be used to make up to get this exhibit finished and the loan would be for 20 yrs. Why isn't there outrage about that?
Senility, thy name is Betty White.
Now they are rushing the necropsy and threatening to cremate Gita.
Kind of like surgeons who bury their mistakes, huh?
Imagine yourself, a 130-150 pound (on average) human being, standing up barefoot, for, let's say, 3 days straight, in one room of your home. You don't get to sit or lay down at all. How would you and your feet and legs feel? Now imagine a 3-4 ton elephant standing on 1/2 acre, enclosed in a cage, on dirt or concrete, 24/7, 365 days a year, for 40 years? Elephants need to forage, not only to keep them active physically, but to keep their minds busy, to keep blood circulating in their legs and feet. They need to forage for food on land that is exactly like their own native African or Asian habitat. This exercise MASSAGES their feet, as they get to walk over uneven terrain strewn with tree limbs and shrubs. This MASSAGES their feet and exercises them, physically and mentally. If zoo managers could change their thinking, if they could look at the most advanced "enclosures" i.e. refuges, sanctuaries, reserves, and model their elephant "exhibits" after these modern facilities, THEN we would not see these horrble and agonizingly painful foot infections that beset Gita and the others. Elephants are highly intelligent, sensitive and SOCIAL creatures. Years ago, people were
ignorant when it came to elephants. Now there is way too much information (internet, books, television, documentaries) for us to turn away from the reality that elephants deserve caring humans who are evolved. In 2 years I've learned more about elephants from the above sources than I've ever known before. If I, an average citizen, can learn all this, why don't the so called "experts" know these facts too?
If we can build golf courses, we can certainly find a way to build elephant reserves much more condusive to the health and well being of
elephants in captivity. Only then will children be able to appreciate the beauty of these magnificent and underestimated creatures, who are nothing more than tortured prisoners of inept, ignorant, disgusting humans. Afraid of losing money by giving all this land to elephants? Put a merry go round or a ferris wheel in the zoo. Kids will pay for rides and that money will pay for the land over and over again. There is just no more room for excuse. It is a fact that we must EVOLVE if we are going
to keep elephants alive. PERIOD.
Imagine yourself, a 130-150 pound (on average) human being, standing up barefoot, for, let's say, 3 days straight, in one room of your home. You don't get to sit or lay down at all. How would you and your feet and legs feel? Now imagine a 3-4 ton elephant standing on 1/2 acre, enclosed in a cage, on dirt or concrete, 24/7, 365 days a year, for 40 years? Elephants need to forage, not only to keep them active physically, but to keep their minds busy, to keep blood circulating in their legs and feet. They need to forage for food on land that is exactly like their own native African or Asian habitat. This exercise MASSAGES their feet, as they get to walk over uneven terrain strewn with tree limbs and shrubs. This MASSAGES their feet and exercises them, physically and mentally. If zoo managers could change their thinking, if they could look at the most advanced "enclosures" i.e. refuges, sanctuaries, reserves, and model their elephant "exhibits" after these modern facilities, THEN we would not see these horrble and agonizingly painful foot infections that beset Gita and the others. Elephants are highly intelligent, sensitive and SOCIAL creatures. Years ago, people were
ignorant when it came to elephants. Now there is way too much information (internet, books, television, documentaries) for us to turn away from the reality that elephants deserve caring humans who are evolved. In 2 years I've learned more about elephants from the above sources than I've ever known before. If I, an average citizen, can learn all this, why don't the so called "experts" know these facts too?
If we can build golf courses, we can certainly find a way to build elephant reserves much more condusive to the health and well being of
elephants in captivity. Only then will children be able to appreciate the beauty of these magnificent and underestimated creatures, who are nothing more than tortured prisoners of inept, ignorant, disgusting humans. Afraid of losing money by giving all this land to elephants? Put a merry go round or a ferris wheel in the zoo. Kids will pay for rides and that money will pay for the land over and over again. There is just no more room for excuse. It is a fact that we must EVOLVE if we are going
to keep elephants alive. PERIOD.
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