Specialists recommend Lucy the elephant stay put at longtime Edmonton zoo home

Lucy the elephant at the Edmonton Valley Zoo, in Edmonton on Tuesday March 21, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

A pair of pachyderm specialists has determined the resident elephant at Edmonton’s civic zoo has been getting excellent care at her longtime home.

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The Edmonton Valley Zoo said in a post on Thursday to its Facebook page that 50-year-old Lucy the elephant, who has called the river valley facility home since 1977, that two independent experts who came to the city to independently assess her late last year confirmed staff have provided her “excellent medical care, superior nutrition, and an enriching environment.”

The zoo said neither Dr. Jennifer D’Agostino nor Mr. Michael McClure have assessed Lucy before.

Staff said the geriatric elephant “is actively managed for several chronic health conditions, including age-related osteoarthritis, chronic sinus congestion, and episodic low blood protein” and that there are no plans to move her from the zoo as it would carry “a significant risk of her dying in transit due to her severe arthritis and unique chronic respiratory disease.”

Lucy was last examined by specialists in September 2024, finding her to be in good physical condition for her age and normal health issues. They, too, didn’t recommend relocating her to live with other elephants.

Lucy has been assessed yearly by outside experts for nearly two decades.

The Edmonton Valley Zoo has been under years of pressure to relocate Lucy, who has lived there since she was two years old.

PETA filed a lawsuit in 2012 over what it called Lucy’s “abusive and illegal” living conditions as a solitary elephant, but that application was dismissed.

In 2021, the Edmonton zoo was ranked as the worst zoo for elephants in North America by international advocacy organization In Defense of Animals.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Brittany Ekelund