Have you met Mali?
MANILA, Philippines - These days, she lives in a cramped and concrete enclosure alone. She has been there since she was three years old, having been torn apart from her family in Sri Lanka in 1974. Her living conditions have caused her to exhibit signs of psychological stress and depression, but nothing is being done to help save her.
The fact that she’s an Asian elephant has caused her suffering to be largely ignored, and even though she has had to endure the less than favorable living conditions at the Manila Zoo for over 30 years, her plight has only been recognized by very few people.
There have been plans to bring more elephants to the zoo, and while this may increase Manila Zoo’s profits, it will be at the expense of its most famous resident. If Mali had lived in the wild, she would have been free to roam up to 80 kilometers a day. In fact, Asian elephants have home ranges between 25,000 to 60,000 hectares. In contrast, the entire Manila Zoo only measures 5.5 hectares.
“There can be no doubt that Mali’s undersized living space and isolation has had, and will continue to have, a severe negative impact on her physical and psychological health,” said Carol Buckley, who has over 35 years of professional experience taking care of Asian Elephants at The Elephant Sanctuary — the largest rehabilitation and living center that caters to former zoo and circus elephants. “More often than not, captive elephants are afflicted with painful and crippling illnesses that are directly related to lack of space and lead to drastically shortened life spans. It is likely that Mali is or will ultimately be afflicted with muscular-skeletal ailments, arthritis, and/or foot and joint diseases.”
The gravity of Mali’s predicament has already reached the attention of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), and a campaign has already been created for the improvement of Manila Zoo’s facilities. They have a petition called Stop More Animals From Suffering at the Manila Zoo, and everyone is invited to take part in helping protect the animals there.
Learn more about how elephants and humans can co-exist under better conditions by watching Animal Planet’s new show Elephants Uncovered.
The show takes viewers into the world of the elephant to witness their social behavior, their significance to society, how they live, and the threats they face including habitat destruction and poaching. From Kenya’s African elephants to their Asian cousins in Northern Thailand to the Pygmy elephants of Borneo, find out about these magnificent animals in Elephants Uncovered, with a line-up of four special programs until July 27. The show airs every Wednesday at 9 p.m. and with encores every Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
