Coloradans rally for Cheyenne Mountain Zoo elephants before historic hearing

Thank you so much to all of the amazing Colorado advocates who joined us on Sunday in Denver for our rally to #FreeTheCMZElephants! Together, we sent a loud and clear message ahead of our first-of-its-kind hearing in the Colorado Supreme Court: the elephants held captive at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo are suffering. They’re legally entitled to the right to liberty, and they urgently need to be released to an elephant sanctuary.

FOX31 Denver was among the media outlets that covered the rally as part of the lead-up to this historic hearing and interviewed me about why we filed this case. Watch their story here:

CBS News Colorado and Denver7 News both aired multiple clips of the elephants swaying in the zoo’s elephant exhibit, including a video I filmed of Jambo alone in a cell inside the zoo’s elephant barn on Saturday (Jambo has been in solitary confinement since the zoo euthanized her companion last year). Behavioral ecologist, elephant scientist, and Colorado resident Dr. Mickey Pardo, who spoke at the rally, explained to Denver7 News that this swaying is “an indication of really severe chronic stress. It’s not something that we want to see in any animals, and we never see it in wild elephants.”

Unsurprisingly, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo quickly issued a statement to local news media in which they attempted to dismiss the rally as a publicity stunt, present the NhRP as an out-of-state “extremist” organization, and reassure the public that the elephants in its custody are well.  

It’s ironic and disturbing for the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo to refer to a peaceful gathering of Coloradans, speaking out on an issue they care about, as a publicity stunt–especially when the zoo is the one compelling elephants to do “yoga” and paint while they’re on display in an exhibit that helps the zoo bring in millions of dollars a year. And it’s unfortunate that the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is focusing on fear-mongering around the NhRP’s intentions when they should be acknowledging the clear reality, borne out by scientific evidence, that elephants are suffering in their zoo. 

Looking ahead to our hearing

The zoo’s repeated assertion, in news stories over the course of our litigation, that the elephants are well cared for is irrelevant: because the fact remains that Jambo, LouLou, Lucky, Missy, and Kimba are deprived of their freedom, and this is an injustice that must be remedied.  Fortunately, people in Colorado, across the US, and around the world already know that elephants suffer in zoos and that they deserve justice. In the words of one rally attendee, “Being a Denver resident and a Colorado resident for over 30 years, I’m appalled and sickened by what we’ve done to these elephants.”

As I told all media outlets I talked to, we’re confident and optimistic about our October 24th hearing before the Colorado Supreme Court. Why? Because we know justice is on the elephants’ side.

The Nonhuman Rights Project will argue before the Colorado Supreme Court on October 24th at the University of Colorado Law School in Boulder. Learn more and get involved on our Colorado campaign page.