Seventeen years.
As of this year, that's how long the Bronx Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society have forced an elephant they call Happy to live alone in their tiny exhibit following the deaths of Happy's companions–her fellow prisoners–Grumpy and Sammie.
Despite all evidence, the zoo and WCS claim that Happy simply doesn't get along with other elephants–that her solitary confinement is a problem with Happy beyond their control, not a problem they caused and have the power to fix.
And Happy isn't the only elephant held alone in the exhibit. A second elephant, Patty, has been in solitary confinement for four years and counting following the death of her companion Maxine.
Elephants are highly social beings who form lifelong bonds that help them in times of stress. Research shows that elephants in solitary confinement suffer similarly to human prisoners in solitary confinement.
As we wrote recently in the New York Daily News, Happy's court case has ended but the Bronx Zoo and WCS don't need a court order to do the right thing, which is to #FreeHappy and #FreePatty to sanctuaries and permanently close the elephant exhibit, as other zoos have done.
Now and throughout 2023, there's an important way you can help make this happen.
