Dear John, For 57 years Emily has been denied the life she was meant to live. A wild-born Asian elephant, she was stolen from her family as a baby and has spent over five decades confined at the Buttonwood Park Zoo—isolated, deprived, and forced to endure harsh winters in a barren enclosure that fails to meet even her most basic needs.
Emily’s suffering is undeniable. She sways and rocks in distress, a heartbreaking sign of deep psychological trauma. She suffers from painful captivity-related ailments like osteoarthritis and foot disease. Emily had a companion at the zoo named Ruth, but their relationship was fraught with conflict. Aggressive behavior is not uncommon among captive elephants who are forced into unnatural social groupings in confined spaces. In 2024, Ruth was euthanized, leaving Emily completely alone.
This is not how an elephant should live.
The Buttonwood Park Zoo has the chance to do the right thing: release Emily to an accredited sanctuary where she can roam freely, form social bonds on her own terms, and finally experience peace. |
