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Please sign this petition [[link removed]] if you want the Pittsburgh Zoo to free five African elephants from captivity and release them to an accredited elephant sanctuary!
Dear John,
Natasha—also known as Tasha—has spent nearly half a century in captivity . Born in the wild in South Africa around 1976, she was taken from her family as a young calf and shipped to the United States. Her freedom ended before she even had a chance to grow into it.
Since 1982, Tasha has been confined at the Pittsburgh Zoo, where her world has been reduced to concrete and steel fencing. While the zoo claims to offer “naturalistic” conditions, Tasha is provided less than an acre of outdoor space , and in the cold winter months, she is often shut inside a barren, industrial barn with unforgiving concrete flooring.
Read her full story here [[link removed]]
Her capture from the wild did not protect her species or “benefit conservation” as the zoo claims. Prolonged captivity in small and unnatural spaces is simply prolonged suffering .
Elephants like Tasha are intelligent, social, and sensitive beings —they require expansive space, stable companionship, and stimulation to thrive.
Tasha, who has endured decades of deprivation, has been seen engaging in stereotypic behaviors —a sign of psychological distress found only in captive elephants. She frequently lifts her feet, likely due to joint pain caused by years of standing on hard surfaces.
The Pittsburgh Zoo has a long, troubling history with elephant care. It used dogs to control elephants. It continued to employ bullhooks and outdated handling techniques after most other zoos stopped. It has landed multiple times on the list of the “10 Worst Zoos for Elephants in North America.”
Tasha has paid the price for these failings. She’s not an exhibit. She’s not a commodity. She’s an autonomous being who deserves a life of dignity and peace.
After 45 years in captivity, it’s time to give her the freedom she always deserved. Will you help us advocate for Natasha?
Take action for Natasha [[link removed]]
Thank you for speaking up for Tasha—and for all elephants still waiting for their freedom.
Did you know?
Sharing captive elephant stories is an important first step to freeing them and securing their right to liberty. Visit the Nonhuman Rights Project’s Free to Be Elephants website [[link removed]] to read about the elephants who remain imprisoned in zoos across the US and help us expose the reality of elephant captivity and bring it to an end.
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The NhRP is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation (Tax ID #: 04-3289466). It is solely through your donations that we can continue to work for the recognition and protection of fundamental rights for nonhuman animals.
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