3/31/26 Alice the elephant escaped
- Mar 31
- 2 min read
Yesterday morning CWI filed an emergency complaint with the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service notifying them about the escape of Alice the elephant and serious ongoing issues at the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo.
On the morning of March 29, 2026, 52-year-old Alice was able to damage and escape her enclosure. She was ultimately found by staff on a public walkway after having consumed a variety of plants and trees.
An escape of this nature endangers the elephant, the public, and staff. Sadly, it follows a pattern of behavior previously noted by APHIS at Albuquerque BioPark Zoo over many years and in the last year in particular:
4/15/25: cited for the use of expired medication, an escaped male mole rat, and perimeter fencing in poor repair.
7/8/25: cited for a failure to respond to a mechanical failure that endangered the lives of numerous penguins, as well as multiple issues with the chimpanzee indoor holding area.
12/16/25: cited for ongoing inadequate water quality testing in the polar bear enclosure.
It is clear that the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo is failing in its duty to keep animals safe and properly cared for in clean and appropriately tended habitats, which violates numerous AWA regulations.
The Zoo is part of the larger Albuquerque BioPark and is run by the City of Albuquerque.
The city must take immediate action to remedy the serious failures that led to elephant Alice escaping her enclosure and walking freely throughout the zoo.
Even with improvements, elephants DO NOT belong in zoos. Join us in asking Tim Keller, the mayor of Albuquerque, to send the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo's elephants to sanctuary and to end the elephant program once and for all.
