World-famous elephant reformer calls for Mali's transfer to Thai sanctuary

Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick joined the ranks of elephant experts and celebrities calling out for the transfer of Mali, a 39 year-old elephant in the Philippines, to a sanctuary in Thailand. “[T]he most important thing in [an elephant's] life [are] friends, and family, as it is for us humans,” Sheldrick wrote in a letter to the Manila Zoo. GMA News Online sought a comment from Dr. Donald Manalastas Zoological Division chief of the Manila Zoo but he has yet to reply on the issue. The other personalities who earlier called for Mali's transfer to Thailand were wildlife conservationalist Dr. Jane Goodall, Nobel Prize-winning author JM Coetzee, film legend Brigitte Bardot and renowned veterinarian Dr. Henry Melvyn Richardson, to name a few. Mali has been residing in isolation in the Manila Zoo and recent requests from various individuals to have her transferred to the sanctuary which already agreed to accept her have been ignored by the zoo. The Manila Zoo earlier said the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and its supporters should respect their decision to keep Mali. Manalastas said the trip to Thailand will put Mali's life at risk which is something that they do not want to take. “The long distance transportation is very stressful to the animal because she is 'fairly old',” Manalastas said in the report. However, Sheldrick says that Mali needs to “socialize” with other elephants for her wellbeing. “To separate an elephant from others for life is immesurably cruel and counter-productive to both the emotional and social wellbeing of the animal, with possible adverse physical damage as well,” she wrote. Sheldrick, who has been involved with elephant rehabilitation for 58 years is the head of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust which was named after her late husband and was established in 1977 . The trust has rehabilitated over 150 elephants to date with 40 of them living in the wild and 39 in the process of being reintroduced into the wild. - Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News