Should other Canadian zoos close their elephant exhibits?

Toronto city council voted late Tuesday to send the three elephants currently at the Toronto Zoo to a sanctuary in California.

Toronto city council voted Tuesday to send Thika, along with two other elephants in the city zoo, to a sanctuary in California. (Canadian Press)The zoo's staff recommended in May phasing out its elephant program and transferring the three remaining animals -- Toka, Thinga and Iringa -- to another facility. 

Seven Canadian zoos in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta have elephant programs, according to ElephantsInCanada.com.

Animal activists, including retired game show host Bob Barker, say that Canada's climate is too cold for animals native to Africa and South Asia.
 
The Toronto Zoo's management board has also said elephant facilities are too small, where the animals live in tight indoor quarters measuring 37 square metres for eight months of the year.

Elephants need a minimum of about 30 hectares of land to walk each day in order to prevent potentially painful foot infections that can spread throughout the body, says Keith Lindsay, a researcher with the Amboseli Elephant Research Project.

Should other Canadian zoos close their elephant exhibits? Do you enjoy seeing elephants in zoos? Do you think the exhibits have value? Let us know what you think.



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