Our Response to Dr. Nathan’s Letter to The Oregonian
Dr. Sen Nathan, from Sabah Wildlife Department, published an article on The Oregonian opposing our request to retire Chendra to a sanctuary. Here is our rebuttal.
When we rescued Chendra on the east coast of Sabah, Malaysia in 1994, it was touch and go for the first few months. The young Borneo elephant was malnourished, young, injured and alone. She could only see out of one eye due to a gunshot wound. Somehow, she had been separated from her family during a confrontation with people. Release wasn't an option. She was not yet 3 years old and quickly became habituated to humans. Without a family to protect and guide her, she wouldn't have made it far. At that time, the Sabah Wildlife Department lacked facilities to care for baby elephants. We knew she'd need a home and a new family, and we found it at the Oregon Zoo.
While we are glad that Chendra was rescued, we question the decision to send her over 8,000 miles to a location that is not native to Borneo elephants, and with environmental conditions that are far-removed from the tropical weather she is used to.
Recently, I have seen what appears to be a well-meaning but misguided attempt by a few U.S. groups to pressure the Oregon Zoo to "release" Chendra and send her to a sanctuary. My first thought was that these groups demonstrate a profound lack of cultural understanding in believing any decision about Chendra's welfare could be made without consulting us, as she is still held in the trust of the government of Sabah.
While the author is quick to claim ownership of Chendra now as we discuss her freedom, we wonder what his Department has done as an owner thus far when — under the zoo’s care — she started suffering from foot disease, obesity, a tuberculosis infection, a miscarriage, and when five elephants died in the past five years. Additionally, we request the author to not throw around a loaded phrase such as “cultural understanding” so irresponsibly, and we further clarify that there is no room for cultural misunderstanding with Portland taxpayers choosing how we spend our tax dollars so they are not used to subsidize animal exploitation. We would also like to remind the author that her transfer agreement states she is loaned to the zoo for the purpose of breeding. By the zoo’s own admission, Chendra is too old to breed as another pregnancy would be too risky, nullifying her reason for the loan. With her transfer agreement now rendered moot, it is puzzling why her supposed ownership is used by the author as a way to deny her freedom.
But beyond that, I found it deeply troubling that anyone would want to separate Chendra from her family. In 2014, I visited the Oregon Zoo and personally saw how happy and content she was. Chendra has lived in Portland for nearly two decades, developing strong bonds with the elephants there. She plays an important role in the herd as an auntie and has helped raise two calves. Although the traumatic experiences of her youth are still with her, she is in excellent health, walks about 11 miles per day and receives care from top-notch keepers and veterinary staff.
It is troubling that the author has jumped to conclude everything must be okay with Chendra based on one visit to the zoo six years ago. It also shows the author’s biases when he, an educated wildlife expert, believes she is in “excellent health” when her veterinary report says she suffers from chronic anemia and foot fractures which make her vulnerable to infection and impair her mobility. His brushing off of her tuberculosis infection and miscarriage is also very unfortunate. Here is the list of conditions she is suffering from, observed just recently (click image to enlarge). This is the reason we are claiming she should get the comforts of a sanctuary.
I don't know what the groups calling for Chendra's "freedom" are hoping to accomplish, but their campaigns are not helping her or Borneo elephants. We are facing an extinction crisis in Borneo, with fewer than 2,000 elephants remaining. Now more than ever, we must create global connections to raise awareness about the situation facing wildlife. Chendra is not just a beloved part of the Portland community -- she is a reminder of what we stand to lose if we don't take real conservation action. Chendra created a partnership and friendship between Sabah and the Oregon Zoo that has lasted nearly 20 years. Right now, the zoo is funding salaries for two elephant rangers currently attached to the Wildlife Rescue Unit, and it also supports the work of our foremost Borneo elephant scientist, Dr. Farina Othman. But the commitment goes beyond the financial. Their expertise -- gained from 60 years of caring for elephants at the zoo -- is improving elephant welfare, mitigating human-elephant conflict and advancing the way we care for elephants here in Sabah at a most critical time.
FOZE sees Chendra not as one among several thousand elephants, but as a sentient individual who has gone through a lot of suffering and deserves an improved quality of life where she will not be exploited for entertainment. We agree with the author that real wildlife conservation is needed and human elephant conflict should be addressed immediately. Sadly, zoos exploit this desire of the public by passing off entertainment as conservation. Breeding elephants to be locked in small enclosures their whole life is not conservation. The Oregon Zoo and Sabah wildlife unit have partnered for over two decades, but they have no concrete evidence to show for any reduction in human elephant conflict all these years. Paying the salary of rangers and a wildlife scientist does not come anywhere close to the real need for conservation action. And it certainly does not justify blocking the move of a suffering, sentient being when a sanctuary is willing to improve her quality of life at no cost to you.
Westerners often ask me what they can do to save elephants. There is no simple answer. But educating yourself about how your choices affect wildlife and supporting organizations that make a real difference are two good places to start.
We are in complete agreement with the author that we must raise global awareness about the situation facing wildlife. However, our position is that zoos are not organizations that contribute to elephant conservation. As entertainment venues, they undercut education on real conservation. This is also confirmed by a study done by the zoo organization, WAZA, where the below table shows no substantial improvement in conservation attitudes among zoo visitors.
