Why keeping 2 elephants at Phila. Zoo makes sense

The Philadelphia Zoo should keep two of its elephants, even if they are bored, even if they cannot roam the savannas, woodlands and forests of Africa or Asia, even if captivity means a shortened life.

It's worth the trade-off if Kallie, Bette or Petal stay to fire the imagination of children and educate young and old about wildlife and the importance of conservation.

Zoo officials are closing one of the most popular attractions: the elephant exhibit. The space for these behemoths is too small - most zoos' space for elephants is too small, according to animal-rights activists.

The lone Asian elephant among her three zoo-mates, Dulary, is set to go to the Elephant Sanctuary in rural Tennessee.

The three others were supposed to move to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, a reasonable day trip. But recently that zoo decided it didn't have enough money to expand its own elephant habitat.

So Philadelphia is looking for another home for Kallie, Bette and Petal. Bette is the baby of the four at 23 years old. Petal is the 50-year-old grande dame. But they are home right now - and two ought to stay.

A movement is afoot (a big foot in the case of these largest of land mammals) to liberate elephants and other animals from the confines of zoos. Studies have shown that elephants in zoos suffer behavioral and digestive ailments. They have foot and joint problems from being fenced in and walking on the concrete floor of their indoor shelter.

No news flash there - an elephant living in Philadelphia is in an unnatural environment. (Hey, Bette, would you like that tree branch wit?) Good zoos are trying to create healthier conditions for animals, but they never will be able to replicate the wild. They shouldn't have to.

Adventurers who want to see animals in the wild and have the money or credit limit to do so, can travel to see beasts in their authentic environments. The rest of us get our most vivid lessons on wildlife and worldwide conservation at zoos. The same is true for kids in the countries where animals roam free.

I still remember seeing a group of delighted children visiting a zoo in West Africa. That's when I learned that ooh and ahh exist in lots of languages. That's when I learned that even having animals in your own backyard doesn't mean urban kids will see them.

Children seem to be born with a fascination of animals. They cuddle them as toys. Hollywood loves them for kid flicks. Fables told through the generations use animals to pass on culture and teach morals.

But like the knee-high admirers, including my 6-year-old, who crowded around the Philly elephant yard recently, many kids don't just marvel at seeing Dumbo in the flesh. They begin learning about the animals' home environment, and the natural and man-made dangers that threaten them in the wild.

Jack Hanna is the director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo in Ohio and TV host of numerous animal shows. He said zoos needed to make commitments to give elephants the best possible treatment. But that doesn't mean sending them all to refuges or never putting them in zoos in the first place.

"Sure, it's fine to see an elephant in the wild. However, to be able to see an elephant in a zoological park is instrumental to the conservation message," Hanna said.

Extend the logic that elephants are better off in the wild, and all the animals would be transferred to rural Tennessee. Zoos would be history.

Peter G. Gould, chairman of the Philadelphia Zoo's board of directors, and Vikram Dewan, president and chief executive officer, ought to reopen discussions about raising money to expand the elephant yard and the entire park. Our 42-acre zoo is as packed as an inner-ring suburb. What happened to the idea of creating a satellite site?

In the meantime, put some fancy turf in the indoor pens. If artificial surfaces can be created for a herd of football players, one can be made to better cushion pachyderms. Relocate a second elephant to give the remaining pair more space.

Zoo honchos should not instantly and only look for new digs for Kallie, Bette and Petal now that Baltimore can't take them. They ought to figure out how to keep two of the Philly Three at the nation's first zoo.

is a member of The Inquirer Editorial Board.