7/9/26 Tell the Bronx Zoo: Retire Patty to Sanctuary
3 days ago
1 min read
Following the death of Happy, Patty is now the only elephant left at the Bronx Zoo. She is 57 years old and has spent more than five decades in captivity at the zoo.
CompassionWorks International is urging the Bronx Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society to retire Patty to sanctuary if she can be safely moved.
Recent reporting suggests that Bronx Zoo staff have visited The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee to evaluate whether relocation could be appropriate. This is an important development — and the zoo must not allow delay or institutional hesitation to become a reason for leaving Patty alone indefinitely.
Patty should not be left alone
Elephants are deeply social, intelligent animals. In the wild, female elephants form complex relationships and live within social networks. A zoo enclosure can never provide the space, freedom, or social life that elephants need.
The Bronx Zoo knows that elephants should not be kept alone. Craig Piper, the zoo’s director, has also served in AZA accreditation leadership, and AZA’s own elephant standards recognize that elephants should be housed in social groups. Yet Patty is now alone.
Happy never had the chance to experience the greater freedom, space, and companionship that sanctuary life can offer elderly elephants. The Bronx Zoo must not let Patty’s story end the same way.
Take action for Patty
Please urge the Bronx Zoo to work urgently and transparently with sanctuary experts to retire Patty to an appropriate sanctuary if she can be safely transported.
