EDMONTON – Animal rights groups say their long fight to move Lucy to an elephant sanctuary in California is far from over.
Lawyers for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and Zoocheck Canada are appealing a decision made by a judge who threw out the case between animal rights groups and the city back in Aug. 20.
The Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta dismissed the case on the basis that "it constituted an abuse of the court's process."
Lisa Wathne, a spokeswoman for PETA, says the judge made an error by not hearing the entire case made by the group's lawyers - a reason why they will be appealing the decision in an Alberta Court of Appeal courtroom Feb. 11, 2011.
"We will not stop until Lucy is moved to a sanctuary or she dies," said Wathne, who adds the group will continue its battle even if it loses its appeal.
"She is suffering and we will continue to do everything we can to get her out of there."
Wathne says the group's lawyer will also file a request to the province's privacy commissioner to get access to video footage owned by the city that examines Lucy's trunk, which may show the severity of the animal's respiratory problems.
The city has so far refused to release the footage, said Wathne.
However, moving the elephant would be detrimental to its health, says Edmonton Valley Zoo spokesman Robert Moyles.
"Any of her ongoing health issues are manageable and Lucy is content and well adjusted but the most significant problems is here breathing," said Moyles.
"When she gets stressed, her breathing gets worse and moving an aging elephant is an extremely stressful thing to do."
Moyles says the animal is going through an ongoing medical treatment plan that will help Lucy shed a "few hundred" pounds. PETA says the animal is also suffering from obesity and arthritis.
Last year, animal activist and former Price is Right host Bob Barker visited the city in an effort to get the aging elephant moved.
Actor William Shatner has also been involved in the high-profile case - pleading in a letter to the mayor to let the elephant retire away from the Valley Zoo.
Former Oiler tough-guy George Laraque has also offered his support in the fight by the animal rights groups.
The 36-year-old Asian elephant arrived at the Edmonton Valley Zoo in 1977 when she was two years old. She has had the same zookeepers for over 20 years.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php
Five Filters featured site: So, Why is Wikileaks a Good Thing Again?.
No comments:
Post a Comment