Statement on the Death of our Elephant Client Karen

We have just received confirmation via the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and Western Mass News that our elephant client Karen has indeed died, as we suspected. It is abhorrent that the Commerford Zoo denied Beulah and Karen the opportunity to find peace and dignity in a sanctuary, choosing instead to exploit them and force them to work under threat of physical violence until the very end of their deeply impoverished lives. We are disgusted by officials’ failure to protect Beulah and Karen from known violators of animal welfare standards, which only underscores elephants’ urgent need for fundamental legal rights. We will work diligently to obtain our surviving client Minnie’s freedom and ensure that she does not die alone in the Commerfords’ care.

Learn more about Beulah, Karen, and Minnie’s lives here.