AP Reports Lily Tomlin on Jenny, I'm not letting this go. 10/17/08

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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6064976.html

Lily Tomlin wants Dallas elephant relocated

 

By LINDA STEWART BALL Associated Press Writer

© 2008 The Associated Press

Oct. 17, 2008, 6:15PM

 

 

DALLAS —

Comedian and animal rights advocate Lily Tomlin said Jenny the elephant

has worked 22 years for the Dallas Zoo and it's time for the aging

pachyderm to retire to a spacious Tennessee refuge.

Tomlin,

who has seen video footage of Jenny appearing in distress, visited the

Dallas Zoo for the first time Friday to view the elephant in her

habitat.

"It's heartbreaking," Tomlin said. "If you know anything about elephants ... you would just ache for her.

"It's just a simple fact that the area is too small. We'd like her to go the sanctuary now."

The

actress has been in Dallas most of the week, working with Concerned

Citizens for Jenny. The group wants the zoo's lone 32-year-old elephant

sent to the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn., where Jenny can

roam on hundreds of acres and socialize with other elephants.

At issue is the lack of space and the animal's loneliness, concerns zoo officials say they are in the process of addressing.

For

22 years, Jenny has lived at the Dallas Zoo, on about a quarter of an

acre. Her pal, Keke, the zoo's other African elephant, died in May.

Tomlin

and Margaret Morin, a nurse who founded Concerned Citizens for Jenny

and accompanied Tomlin on her zoo visit Friday, said that after

reviewing Jenny's medical records they're convinced that the

10,000-pound elephant has had a traumatic life and is still not doing

well.

They saw the elephant's broken tusk Friday and said it

was the result of self-mutilation. Both added that Jenny is depressed,

and is often drugged to keep her under control.

But Jenny

looked anything but downtrodden Friday as she played with her handlers,

raised her feet for inspection and sprayed water into the air.

Morin

said that usually the elephant has abscesses on her feet and exhibits a

swaying motion, which she said is a sign of extreme stress.

The

zoo countered that elephants are known to sway whether in the wild or

in captivity and that Jenny received treatment that healed her foot

problems long ago.

Tomlin said she was surprised but pleased

to see a shade screen over Jenny's outdoor area, a full watering hole

and balls and treats — items that were not visible in the videos,

though zoo officials said those weren't new.

Zoo officials

say moving Jenny to an unfamiliar place with a different routine and

new handlers would be more stressful than keeping her where she is.

"We're

the best facility for her," said Gregg Hudson, the Dallas zoo's

director. "We understand her and we've got a system set up that she's

very comfortable with and there's really no reason to disrupt that."

Zoo

officials have expedited plans for a larger elephant habitat that would

give Jenny at least four acres to wander on. It is expected to open in

spring 2010. They said they hope to add another elephant in the next 30

to 60 days.

But Tomlin and Morin want Jenny immediately

moved to the 2,700-acre refuge in Tennessee, which is known as a haven

for troubled elephants. They said the zoo should not exhibit any

elephants until the expansion is complete.

The elephant

controversy began earlier this year when Dallas Zoo officials announced

plans to ship Jenny to a wildlife park in Mexico so she wouldn't be

lonley after her companion died. But they reconsidered after protests.

Critics of the Mexico move favored the Tennessee refuge.

Although

the Tennessee site is not a member of the Association of Zoos and

Aquariums, the sanctuary is approved by the U.S. Department of

Agriculture. It is the nation's largest natural-habitat refuge. At the

elephant sanctuary, Jenny would share a 300-acre enclosure with three

other African elephants.

By meeting with Dallas city

officials, making public service announcements about Jenny and doing a

benefit concert at a comedy club to raise awareness Thursday night,

Tomlin is hoping to persuade zoo supporters to her line of thinking.

She said she hopes "they'll see the right thing to do and they'll do it."

Tomlin, a longtime animal advocate who has also been active with the Los Angeles zoo, said "I'm not going to let this go."