We post constant updates on Ely for our followers. Ely’s story has captured the attention of people around the world. She was even featured in an article written by OneGreenPlanet.

​

Ely, the African elephant, was born in captivity and lived the first 25 years of her life chained as a circus elephant in the Vasquez Circus. In 2012 Ely was purchased by the San Juan de Aragon Zoo. Ely now 32 years old spends her days alone in a concrete enclosure with no shelter from the sun. She suffers from stereotypic behavior and psychological stress. Ely is no longer chained but still a prisoner.

 

Ely’s health is deteriorating as she suffers from osteoarthritis which is worsened by her concrete enclosure. She suffers from ulcerative dermatitis which is exacerbated by her constant exposure to the sun. She suffers from colic, an infected tusk, and a host of other health issues. The food provided to her lacks the vital nutrients she needs for optimum health. The zoo’s veterinary care is minimal at best, and they are doing little to address Ely’s health issues.

 

In 2016 OneProtest’s Founder, Adam Sugalski was speaking at an animal rights conference in Mexico City, where he was approached by a concerned citizen about the well-being of an elephant named Ely being kept at the San Juan de Aragon Zoo. He was shown photos and videos of Ely’s condition and provided with a detailed history of elephants and other animals that have suffered and died in the zoo’s care. All the animals at the San Juan de Aragon Zoo are insured, should an animal die the zoo will be reimbursed, this leaves little incentive for the zoo to care for their animals.

 

Adam knew he had to share Ely’s story with the world and so, OneProtest launched a campaign urging the Governor to step in on behalf of Ely; our pleas were met with silence. We contacted the zoo, but we were ignored. Our investigator continued to spend countless hours documenting the steady decline in Ely’s health and the neglect on behalf of the zoo to provide Ely with adequate care. We created a petition to free Ely and send her to a sanctuary. Our petition now has over 227,369 signatures.

​

Click here to sign our petition to free Ely, which has over 244,000 signatures.