Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Zoo won't release elephant birth video

|
|
 
  
Published: Aug. 26, 2009 at 7:21 PM

SALT LAKE CITY, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- Animal rights activists have urged a Salt Lake City zoo to release a video of an elephant giving birth, suggesting it shows cruel treatment.

The video shows the elephant, Christy, chained by her front legs with two trainers standing nearby at the Hogle Zoo, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.

Suzanne Roy, program director for In Defense of Animals, called chaining the elephant "cruel" and "barbaric."

"If they think it's an acceptable practice, they should release the video and let people judge for themselves," Roy said.

Holly Braithwaite, a zoo spokeswoman, said the video would be misconstrued on its own without a veterinarian explaining what was going on.

"The birth footage is internal video used for scientific review purposes," she said. "It's not something we chose to publicly release."

The board of directors of the Hogle Zoo viewed the video Monday.

Zoos have different policies on releasing such footage. Video of an elephant delivering a calf, unchained and surrounded by other members of her herd, at the Oregon Zoo has been viewed more than 20,000 times on YouTube.

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
The Tibetan Moniam Festival in China Super Bowl XLVI ticker tape victory parade Proposition 8 ruled unconstitutional in California
AARP Movies for Grownups Award Gala The Most Desirable Women of 2012 Snowy Owls make appearance in Washington
Additional Top News Stories
1 of 15
Rose McGowan at The Heart Truth's Red Dress Fall 2012 Collections at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week In New York
View Caption
fark
Subby, for one, welcomes our new Pennsylvania Purple Squirrel overlords (with purple-pic)
The toughest place to be a train driver
"Can a man be 'slut-shamed?'" Well...yeah
Problem: You have a city full of people who have no ability whatsoever to parallel park. Solution:...
38KKK air bags keep woman safe in car crash
NJ DOT committee presents recommendations on ways to reduce train-related deaths. #1: Stop getting...