[[link removed]]

Dear John,

We at the Nonhuman Rights Project are appalled to have learned that at the time of Beulah’s death at the Big E fair in September she had a painful infection of the uterus called Pyometra, as confirmed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). We don’t yet know what if any treatment Beulah received for this infection or if the proprietors of the Commerford Zoo even understood she was sick. We don’t yet know if this infection caused her death, and we don't yet know the cause of Karen’s death in March (we expect to learn more from the USDA soon).

What we do know:

*
The
Commerford
Zoo
either
failed
to
realize
Beulah
was
sick
and
thus
failed
to
treat
her
infection;
or
they
knew
she
was
sick
and
forced
her
to
perform
anyway.
*
An
infection
of
the
uterus
is
painful
in
any
species,
and
elephants
are
especially
good
at
hiding
pain.
By
the
time
Beulah
was
seen
lying
listlessly
on
her
side
in
a
patch
of
grass
in
a
parking
lot
at
the
Big
E,
her
distress
evident
to
any
observer,
the
infection
had
likely
been
present
for
some
time.
She
undoubtedly
suffered
greatly
in
the
days
before
she
died,
even
more
so
than
on
every
other
day
of
her
life.
*
It’s
possible
to
successfully
treat
Pyometra
if
it’s
caught
in
its
early
stages—as
it
likely
would
have
been
had
Beulah
been
a
resident
of
an
accredited
sanctuary
like
the
Performing
Animal
Welfare
Society
or
The
Elephant
Sanctuary
in
Tennessee.
Both
sanctuaries
have
the
resources
and
expertise
to
provide
exemplary
veterinary
care
to
elephants
(including
routine
blood
work
and
the
ultrasounds
necessary
for
diagnosis)
and
view
the
elephants’
physical
and
emotional
wellbeing
as
priority
number
one,
every
moment
of
every
day.

The Commerford Zoo’s unrelenting prioritization of their own financial interests over Beulah’s wellbeing is unconscionable. Their actions make clear they cared about Beulah’s capacity to give rides to groups of children and adults and stand for hours at a time while people touched her and posed for photos, not what Beulah herself needed.

So many entities and people failed Beulah. The USDA failed her by not investigating the welfare complaints made by fairgoers who were rightfully alarmed by Beulah’s physical appearance in the days before her death. The Big E, under the leadership of CEO Gene Cassidy, failed her by allowing a clearly suffering elephant to be exhibited and dismissing fairgoers’ concerns (while also telling the media no one had expressed any concerns). The State of Connecticut failed her by allowing the Commerford Zoo to operate completely unchecked in the state despite it having been cited over 50 times for failing to meet the minimum standards of the Animal Welfare Act.

The Commerford Zoo denied Beulah and Karen the opportunity to heal and thrive in a sanctuary. They continue to deny Minnie [[link removed]] , the sole surviving Commerford elephant, the same opportunity. We won’t let those who failed Beulah fail Minnie as well. While we advocate in the courts for her right to liberty and release to a sanctuary, we’ll continue to push state and federal agencies to no longer shirk their responsibilities and to finally investigate the mounting welfare concerns for Minnie. We’ll continue to fight until Minnie is safe in a sanctuary where she can live freely and with peace and dignity.

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Courtney Fern
Director of Government Relations, the NhRP

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The Nonhuman Rights Project
5195 NW 112th Terrace
Coral Springs, FL 33076
United States
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