PETA: Mali death caused by 'indifference and greed'

Animal welfare group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) on Wednesday claimed that Manila Zoo resident elephant Mali died because of “indifference and greed”.

In a statement, PETA said that Manila Zoo and the City of Manila ignored their warnings and calls for Mali’s release, denying the Asian elephant “any chance of happiness.”

“The Manila Zoo and the city of Manila sentenced Mali to decades of solitary confinement—torture for female elephants, who in nature spend their lives among their mothers and sisters, protecting one another and raising each other’s calves,” PETA said.

“Mali died the same way she had lived for nearly 50 years—alone in a barren concrete pen. Despite PETA’s repeated warnings, zoo and city officials ignored Mali’s clearly painful foot problems, the leading cause of death in captive elephants—and if they caused her death, too, every person who denied her veterinary care and blocked her transfer to a sanctuary should be held accountable,” the group added.

PETA animal rescue manager Jana Sevilla said it was in 2010 when they requested for Mali to be transferred to an animal sanctuary in Thailand.

"Ang rekomendasyon namin noon ay ilipat siya sa isang sanctuary sa northern Thailand dahil itong sanctuary na ito sanay sila tumanggap ng mga elepante na nakulong nang matagal sa zoo.Itong move na ito na paglipat kay Mali di naman basta basta gagawin meron din tayo mga kausap na eksperto sa mga bagay na ganito pero di man lang nila binigyan si Mali ng pagkakataon," Sevilla told 24 Oras.

(Our recommendation was for Mali to be transferred to an animal sanctuary in northern Thailand which has experience in hosting elephants from zoos. The move for Mali would have been studied by experts but they did not give her a chance.)

Manila mayor Honey Lacuna countered that such a move was not possible given Mali's prolonged "captive state".

"Matagal na po siyang nasa captive state hindi na po niya kakayaning mailabas pa po kasi napunta siya sa atin 11 months old pa lang po siya and she's already 43," Lacuna said.

(Due to her prolonged captive state, Mali is incapable of surviving in the wild since she was already with us since she was 11 months and she's already 43.)

"Hindi din po natin alam kung binalik siya kung ano po madadatnan niya doon at kung makaka adapt pa siya sa environment kasi dito na siya lumaki sa atin so di na talaga na consider yon," she added.

(If she was returned to the wild we don't know if she is capable of adapting since she has been here ever since. That is why we did not consider it.)

Manila city and zoo officials are currently looking into the possibility of preserving Mali's remains which would be displayed in the zoo.

Lacuna said she will also reach out to Sri Lankan government to remind it of its promise to donate another elephant for the zoo.

PETA's Sevilla countered. "Bakit pa tayo magdadala para ganun din ang mangyari sa kanya katulad ng nangyari kay Mali, ilang years, ilang decades of loneliness, of solitary confinement na nakatayo sa semento na walang kahit anong interactions with other elephants na pinakamahalaga para sa mga elepante."

(Why would we do that to another elephant who would end up like Mali -- decades of loneliness and solitary confinement with just standing on concrete without any interactions with other elephants which is very important to them.)

The City Government of Manila  said that Mali’s necropsy results indicated her cause of death as congestive heart failure and cancer.

“Nakita namin iyon aorta, iyong tubo palabas ng kaniyang puso, ito po ay may makapal na taba na nakabara. Maari iyon po ang naging cause ng pagkamatay niya iyong congestive heart failure,” said Manila Zoo veterinarian Dr. Heinrich Patrick "Chip" Domingo in a press conference.

(We discovered a thick amount of fat blocking the aorta. This could have been one of the causes of death, congestive heart failure.)

“Nahihirapan na po iyong puso niya i-pump iyong enough blood sa katawan dahil sa dami ng organs na affected po sa kaniya,” Domingo surmised.

(Her heart had difficulty pumping enough blood throughout the body so her organs were affected.) 

GMA News Online reached out to Manila officials for comment but they have yet to respond to PETA's statement. —RF, GMA Integrated News