The nice thing about postcards is they tell a story. Looking for cards to use in this blog, I found many I have bought from various trips to the Toronto Zoo. Innovative when it opened in 1975 some of the concepts are common now. The Elephant compound was always popular but the elephants were aging and one bull had some behaviours. Bob Barker the television personality visited the Zoo finding the elephants should have a better home. Controversial with debate and varying opinions, he wanted to move the elephants to the PAWS Wildlife Sanctuary near Savremento, California. It was suggested so the elephants could live in a warmer climate. Toronto Council voted in 2011 against the Zoo Board and agreed the elephants could move. It took negotiations and planning so finally in October 2013 aboard trucks and after a 50 hour trek across 9 states with helps, veternarians and zoo staff- Toka, Thika and Iringa arrived in California. A CBC-Fifth State documentary in the Fall of 2013 showed the trek and the arrival. So was the move a good one? Would the elephants adjust to thier new digs? I would miss them at the Zoo as I have several pictures from the many visits there. Elephants in captivity have a life and no need to worry about poachers killing them for their ivory. So the Toronto Zoo elephants did have a life. What about elephant behaviour? The argument is this-elephants like to live with other elephants. Elephants like and need to roam. The sanctuary in California allows it. There are other zoos that have asked to let their elephants go to California but the requests has been denied. I love elephants and have read and watche many shows on them. They are social, matriarchal and mourn their dead. Anyone who has been to Africa seeing them on the reserves there as there is a risk to live anywhere else due to the poaching say they do not want to visit a Zoo. However zoos are not the enemey. Zoos do save rare species of animals allowing for breeding. People are the enemy. So to my Toronto Zoo elephants, here's hoping you will live a better life with other elephants. In the meantime-I have my postcards and pictures.
If you want a postcard featured here, email me at
abdm@rogers.com, and I will send you my address so you can send me a postcard.
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