Dear John,

Our elephant client Minnie has been alone now for over a year, having lost the companionship of Beulah, who died while the Commerford Zoo was forcing her to labor at a fair, and Karen, whose death on their property the Commerford Zoo did not publicly acknowledge for months.

Imprisonment and exploitation are all Minnie has known since she was torn from her elephant family in the wild decades ago. This year her situation became even more dire, with the Commerford Zoo acknowledging in July that they can no longer afford to meet her basic needs as they made plans to open their farm to the public to offer, among other things, elephant rides. Rather than send Minnie to one of two elephant sanctuaries who have offered to provide her with lifelong care at no cost to them, the Commerford Zoo continues to try to exploit Minnie for money as the relevant authorities in Connecticut look the other way.

Sadly, and in stark contrast to Happy’s elephant rights case in New York, the Connecticut courts remain unwilling to engage in any way with the substantive issues of Minnie’s case. The NhRP continues to fight for her beyond the courtroom to give Minnie a chance at a free life. 

Your year-end gift of $35, $50, or $100 today means we can persist with our grassroots advocacy campaign and intensify pressure on those in Connecticut who have the power to call for an investigation and facilitate Minnie’s release from her captors.

Minnie has the chance to avoid Beulah and Karen’s fates, and Beulah and Karen’s stories must not be forgotten. Together in their honor, we can fight for Minnie to live out the rest of her life with autonomy, dignity, and peace.

Please see all the ways you can help free Minnie here and give your year-end gift today to help in our fight for rights of nonhuman beings like Minnie, no matter the obstacles ahead.

With gratitude,
Mickey Suzuki
Development Director, the NhRP