In case you missed it, the saga of Woodland Park Zoo‘s elephants continues as the Elephant Justice Project has filed a lawsuit challenging whether the zoo actually owns Chai and Bamboo and can therefore legally make the decision to move them to the Oklahoma City Zoo instead of sending them to a sanctuary.
The zoo had planned to move the elephants in the next couple of weeks, but that is now on hold pending a hearing on the motion in King County Superior Court.
The EJP held a press conference yesterday before the city council meeting. From the EJP press release:
Knoll Lowney, an attorney for EJP, summarizes: “The lawsuit is powerful in its simplicity. The Legislature passed a law in 2000 that allowed the City to contract with the Zoo Society to operate and manage the zoo, but the City had no legal authority to give away all of the animals and equipment. Our state Constitution prohibits such gifts. The 2002 agreement giving Chai and Bamboo to the Zoo Society is illegal and unconstitutional, so the Zoo Society has no authority to decide their fate.”
You can read the full Seattle Times article here.
