Dear John,

Minnie, the sole surviving elephant imprisoned at the Commerford Zoo, has been alone now for almost two years, having lost the companionship of her fellow prisoners Beulah and Karen, who became ill and died after a lifetime of forced labor in circuses and fairs. Minnie still has a chance to regain her freedom and dignity in a sanctuary, where she has a place waiting for her at no cost to the Commerford Zoo.

Today I reach out to ask if you can please help us free Minnie by giving your first gift to the NhRP. Your gift means we can persist with our grassroots advocacy campaign and intensify pressure on the USDA, the relevant governing bodies, and elected officials in Connecticut so they’ll have no choice but to call for a long overdue investigation and Minnie’s release to a sanctuary.

The details in the Commerford Zoo records we obtained via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and shared last week are sadly just a small part of a larger picture. As you know as an NhRP supporter, animal welfare laws are unacceptably ineffective and inefficient, with entities like the USDA consistently protecting the interests of the people who imprison and exploit animals over the imprisoned animals themselves. This is exactly why we fight in and beyond the courtroom for elephants’ right to liberty. Simply put, Minnie deserves freedom and to avoid Beulah and Karen’s fate.

We must continue to tell Beulah and Karen’s stories, including how animal welfare laws fail to protect elephants, and fight for Minnie to live out the rest of her life in a sanctuary where she can live freely with other elephants, with no more bullhooks or circus tents in sight.

Thank you for giving your first gift today to help in our fight to free Minnie and other captive elephants, no matter the obstacles ahead.

Mickey Suzuki
Development Director, the NhRP