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Hollywood TV and film star Pamela Anderson has asked President Benigno S. Aquino III on a “date” to discuss Manila Zoo elephant’s transfer to a sanctuary. |
The actress recently sent a letter asking the Philippine leader for a date where they would discuss the immediate transfer of the Manila Zoo’s lone elephant, “Mali” to a pachyderm sanctuary in Thailand where it would be provided with better care.
“Thank you for taking a strong, serious stance on her behalf by issuing a directive to consider moving her to a sanctuary. In a world filled with political self-interest, your character and integrity are inspiring,” Anderson wrote.
“Gandhi once famously said, ‘The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.’ I know that the Philippines is a great nation. Should you find yourself in Los Angeles, I’d love to take you to dinner and talk more about how we can help Mali,” she added.
Aquino had earlier issued a directive to consider Mali, 39, for relocation to a sanctuary amid calls from the animal rights group, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to consider the elephant’s condition.
PETA said Mali has been confined at the Manila Zoo for the past 39 years. It was still a nursing baby when it was taken from her home in Sri Lanka.
The group noted that wild elephants, like Mali, needs to engage in activities for up to 20 hours every day, moving about and socialising with other elephants. However, Manila Zoo measures only 55,000 square metres, and Mali’s enclosure is just a small piece of the area.
PETA said that in the sanctuary, Mali would have hectares of land on which to roam, rivers and ponds to bathe in, the crucial company of other elephants, and veterinary care for the potentially fatal foot problems caused by her decades-long captivity.
Elephant experts are calling for her transfer to a sanctuary where she can live out her days in good health and dignity as well as in the crucial company of other elephants. They further noted that elephants can live to be older than 70 when in the correct environment.
In June 2012, veterinarian Henry Richardson said Mali suffers from potentially fatal foot problems. He had called for Mali’s transfer to a sanctuary.
Earlier, thousands of students from schools in Metro Manila made cards and wrote letters in support of PETA Asia’s campaign for the transfer of Mali.
“There’s one thing that children, politicians, celebrities, animal welfare groups, and elephant experts have all agreed on: Mali needs — and deserves — to be transferred to a proper sanctuary,” says PETA Asia Campaigns Manager Rochelle Regodon.