EDMONTON - Former hockey pugilist Georges Laraque has jumped into the fight over Edmonton's lone zoo elephant by offering to pony up $100,000 if the city moves the pachyderm.
Laraque, who made his name as an enforcer for the National Hockey League Edmonton Oilers, has written a letter to Mayor Stephen Mandel saying he will donate money toward a new downtown rink if the city transfers Lucy to a warm-weather sanctuary.
"Lucy's serious health problems and the signs of mental distress that she has long exhibited are reason enough to send her to a sanctuary in a warmer climate, but I hope that my proposal creates even more incentive" says Laraque in the letter.
The city is negotiating with the Oilers about who will pay for a proposed downtown arena for the team that would cost $450 million. Laraque said his money could go toward that or to other tourist-draw projects.
"Hopefully all the plans to revitalize downtown Edmonton will draw even more entertainment events to the area," said Laraque in the letter.
"However, the zoo's expensive, out-of-date elephant exhibit only stands in the way of progress."
Laraque could not be immediately reached for comment.
A spokesman for the mayor confirmed Wednesday that his office received the letter, but added it was still being reviewed. The city has always said Lucy is fine where she is at the Valley Zoo and that a move south would kill her. She is 35 and her kind live to about 45, according to the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
Animal rights advocacy groups such as Zoocheck and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have been fighting for years to get her moved. They say the elephant is lonely and isolated in a cold-weather climate and that she should be moved to California or Tennessee.
Laraque is a public advocate for PETA. Spokeswoman Lisa Wathne said Laraque approached the group a month ago with the idea of pitching a cash-for-Lucy proposal.
"He knows that we've been involved in efforts to get Lucy out of the zoo," said Wathne in an interview from Seattle. "He wanted our opinion on (the letter) and we said, 'Absolutely. Go for it.'
"We've said all along that the city needs to do the right thing by Lucy, get her out of the miserable conditions of the zoo. If the city can benefit in another aspect, then all the more reason to go ahead and move forward to transfer Lucy."
Julie Woodyer of Zoocheck said her organization also supports Laraque.
"The letter is timely and we're very grateful he's paying attention to Lucy's situation," said Woodyer in an interview from Toronto.
But the city has long said that a veterinary consultant has told them that Lucy's nasal passages are severely restricted and that stressful situations such as travel may kill her.
Activists have tried court challenges, lodged animal abuse complaints and spearheaded mainstream ads to make their case -- but their biggest weapon has been celebrity endorsements.
Former "Price is Right" game show host Bob Barker and TV actor William Shatner have publicly demanded that Lucy be moved.
Laraque, 34, has a more direct link to the Alberta capital. He made his off-season home in Edmonton after being drafted by the Oilers in 1995.
With Edmonton, the 6-foot-three, 273 pound winger forged a fearsome reputation as an enforcer. He left the Oilers in a contract standoff a decade later.
He would play for three other teams before retiring from the NHL earlier this year. He now works on multiple charitable causes and is deputy leader of the Green Party of Canada.
