LEGAL ACTION FILED IN INDIA TO BLOCK SIX FLAGS ELEPHANT IMPORT

[Guest guest]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 22, 2002

Contacts: Suzanne Roy, 415/898-2720

Dr. Elliot Katz, 415/388-9641 x 25

 

LEGAL ACTION FILED IN INDIA TO BLOCK SIX FLAGS ELEPHANT IMPORT:

Groups Aim to Stop Transport of Baby Pachyderms to Marine World Amusement

Park

 

New Dehli, India . . . The Bay Area-based advocacy organization In Defense

of Animals (IDA) has teamed up with the India Project for Animals and Nature

(IPAN) to file for an injunction in India to block the export of two baby

Asian elephants to the Six Flags Marine World amusement park in Vallejo, CA.

 

The legal action, which is scheduled for a High Court hearing in New Delhi

on August 27, aims to prevent India from granting the permits necessary to

ship the endangered elephants from Calcutta to the Northern California

roller coaster theme park.

 

In March, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service blocked the import, finding

that it would violate the Endangered Species Act. The agency is currently

reviewing Marine World's petition for reconsideration of that decision.

Marine World claims a conservation purpose for the import and has processed

the request through a recently-created foundation that alleges a

non-commercial purpose.

 

³It¹s outlandish for Marine World to claim that it will save wild elephants

by airlifting two of them halfway across the world and dropping them into

the middle of a busy amusement park,² said IDA president Elliot Katz, DVM.

³We are hopeful that the Indian government will reject Marine World's

spurious claim that this is a not-for-profit venture, when the elephants

will be on display for thousands of Six Flags¹ paying customers to view

every day.²

 

According to IPAN, which operates an animal refuge, with veterinary and

conservation programs in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India, in the

heart of the 260-square mile Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, the Indian

government recently withdrew the permits necessary to export the elephants,

and is currently reconsidering the matter.

 

³The export of these baby elephants from their homeland to a U.S. amusement

park would make a mockery of international protections for endangered

species, and we are hopeful that the Indian Courts will reject it as such,²

said IPAN's director, Deanna Krantz. ³All our efforts must be focused on

stopping the unabated killing of the few remaining elephants in the wild,

the ever increasing loss of their habitat, and the unconscionable suffering

of those in captivity. "

 

IDA (http://www.idausa.org) is an international animal rescue and advocacy

organization based in Mill Valley, CA. IPAN

(http://www.gcci.org/ipan/ipan_intro.html) is based in Washington DC and in

The Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, South India.

 

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