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Court Cases, Grassroots Advocacy

Why We’re Fighting to #FreeHappy from the Bronx Zoo

By Courtney Fern on October 26, 2021
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Yesterday NhRP Development Director Mickey Suzuki visited the Bronx Zoo to see Happy before the monorail closes for the winter, leaving Happy confined most of the time to what the New York Post has described as “a large holding facility lined with elephant cages.”⁣

As Mickey says in the video, photos of Happy cannot convey the magnitude of everything that is wrong with the tiny enclosure in which she is imprisoned. The outdoor yard is incredibly barren and small; most of it is taken up by a pond Happy does not appear to use and surrounded by trees she cannot touch. ⁣

Instead of the sounds and movements of other elephants in her herd—elephants living freely in their natural habitats can hear each other’s vocalizations and even sense their footsteps from miles away—Happy is subjected to a continual barrage of sirens and passing cars from the adjacent freeway, the monorail grinding down the tracks, the tour guide’s voice crackling out from the speakers. She is alone.⁣
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This is not a life that Happy, or any elephant, should be forced to live. We’re fighting to #FreeHappy because she deserves to live with peace and dignity in a sanctuary where she can regain her autonomy and interact with other elephants if she chooses.⁣
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In the coming days we’ll share more photos from Mickey’s visit. Right now, you can help by sending a DM or posting a comment on the Bronx Zoo’s social media pages asking them to free Happy to an elephant sanctuary.⁣
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To learn more about how elephants listen with their ears and feet, visit this page. For a detailed timeline of Happy’s case, court filings, and decisions, visit this page. Find all the latest on the fight for Happy’s freedom and ways to take action on our new Free Happy campaign page.

Courtney Fern is the NhRP’s Director of Government Relations and Campaigns.

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