The Bronx Zoo Is Finally Considering Sanctuary for Patty
For more than five decades, Patty the elephant has been confined to a small enclosure at the Bronx Zoo after being taken from the wild in India as a young calf.
Photo: Amy Jones / Species Unite
She has endured the loss of her only baby, the deaths of her companions, and years of isolation in captivity. Now, for the first time, there is real reason to hope that Patty's story could have a different ending.
This week, the Bronx Zoo announced that it is considering transferring 57-year-old Patty to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, where she could finally spend the rest of her life with the space, companionship, and autonomy every elephant deserves.
The announcement comes just weeks after the death of Happy, the Bronx Zoo's other longtime elephant, who tragically never got the chance to experience freedom. Patty is now the zoo's last remaining elephant, and public pressure to do right by her continues to grow.
According to Craig Piper, interim executive vice president for the Wildlife Conservation Society's Zoos & Aquariums and director of the Bronx Zoo, officials recently visited the 3,000-acre Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee to tour the facility and meet with staff while evaluating whether relocation would be the best option for Patty. It is the strongest indication yet that the zoo is seriously considering giving her the life she has been denied for more than 50 years.
We know that elephants can heal, even after decades in captivity. Time and again, elephants who have been released to accredited sanctuaries have formed new friendships, explored vast natural landscapes, and begun to recover from years of trauma and isolation. Patty deserves that same chance.
We are now just a few thousand signatures away from reaching 50,000 voices calling on the Bronx Zoo to send Patty to sanctuary. This is the moment to keep the pressure on.
Thank you for standing with Patty. If you haven't already, please sign and share this petition. Together, we can help ensure the Bronx Zoo follows through and gives Patty the freedom she has waited a lifetime to experience.