Cher Fighting To Free Elephant From Edmonton Zoo
In addition to being an Oscar-winning actress, music icon and international superstar, Cher is also co-founder of Free the Wild, an organization devoted to freeing animals held in captivity in zoos and repatriating them in their natural habitats.
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In that role, notes the organization's website, the "Moonstruck" star wrote a letter to Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson and Gary Dewar, director of the Edmonton Valley Zoo, calling for the release of an elephant named Lucy after 45 years of captivity.
In Cher's letter, the organization offers to send an independent elephant expert vet to examine Lucy in order to "determine the genuine status of her health."
RELATED: Cher And Lily Tomlin Urge Los Angeles Zoo To Release Billy The Elephant: ‘He Is In Pain’
Cher's letter follows a previous letter, sent in February, to Free the Wild co-founder Gina Nelthorpe Cowne, from Dr. Rick Quinn, a veterinarian and director of the Jane Goodall Institute.
In Quinn's letter, Lucy is described as "an Asian elephant who has lived in the sub-artic conditions of Canada for over 40 years. She has never been with another Asian elephant and her only companion was taken away in 2006. Edmonton Valley Zoo’s limited operating times means even the company of humans is few and far between.”
Lucy is also suffering significant health issues due to captivity. "She is 1,000 lbs overweight and suffers from significant arthritis and foot disease. She has difficulty bearing weight on her back legs and, due to an inappropriate diet, suffers dental issues and painful colic issues which have caused her to collapse – seen lying down, slapping her stomach with her trunk. With no place to swim, no mud in which to wallow or trees to scratch against, Free The Wild aims to work with Edmonton Valley Zoo to find an amicable solution in securing her release. Despite being 45 years old, Lucy has another 15-20 years left of her life,” the letter continues.
RELATED: Cher Greets The ‘World’s Loneliest Elephant’ Upon Its Arrival In Cambodia
Cher has used her celebrity in recent years to to assist in freeing elephants from zoos.
In November 2020, Cher travelled to Cambodia to watch as Kavaan — dubbed by the media as "the world's loneliest elephant — was released into an elephant sanctuary after being freed from a Pakistani zoo after more than three decades of captivity.
In that role, notes the organization's website, the "Moonstruck" star wrote a letter to Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson and Gary Dewar, director of the Edmonton Valley Zoo, calling for the release of an elephant named Lucy after 45 years of captivity.
In Cher's letter, the organization offers to send an independent elephant expert vet to examine Lucy in order to "determine the genuine status of her health."
RELATED: Cher And Lily Tomlin Urge Los Angeles Zoo To Release Billy The Elephant: ‘He Is In Pain’
Cher's letter follows a previous letter, sent in February, to Free the Wild co-founder Gina Nelthorpe Cowne, from Dr. Rick Quinn, a veterinarian and director of the Jane Goodall Institute.
In Quinn's letter, Lucy is described as "an Asian elephant who has lived in the sub-artic conditions of Canada for over 40 years. She has never been with another Asian elephant and her only companion was taken away in 2006. Edmonton Valley Zoo’s limited operating times means even the company of humans is few and far between.”
Lucy is also suffering significant health issues due to captivity. "She is 1,000 lbs overweight and suffers from significant arthritis and foot disease. She has difficulty bearing weight on her back legs and, due to an inappropriate diet, suffers dental issues and painful colic issues which have caused her to collapse – seen lying down, slapping her stomach with her trunk. With no place to swim, no mud in which to wallow or trees to scratch against, Free The Wild aims to work with Edmonton Valley Zoo to find an amicable solution in securing her release. Despite being 45 years old, Lucy has another 15-20 years left of her life,” the letter continues.
RELATED: Cher Greets The ‘World’s Loneliest Elephant’ Upon Its Arrival In Cambodia
Cher has used her celebrity in recent years to to assist in freeing elephants from zoos.
In November 2020, Cher travelled to Cambodia to watch as Kavaan — dubbed by the media as "the world's loneliest elephant — was released into an elephant sanctuary after being freed from a Pakistani zoo after more than three decades of captivity.
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