TOKYO — An elephant whose living conditions came under scrutiny after a Canadian woman's blog post will remain at a zoo in Tokyo, but the 69-year-old animal's keepers said Monday they will work to make her pen more livable.
An animal welfare expert recommended simple additions to Hanako's pen including infrared heaters and new toys instead of moving her to a sanctuary.
"The zoo has done a lot of good," said Carol Buckley, who was invited to the zoo by the "Help Hanako" campaign that sought to improve the elephant's situation or move it to a Thai sanctuary.
Hanako was among the healthiest elephants, for her age, she has ever seen, she added. Their usual lifespan is about 70 years.
Ulara Nakagawa of Vancouver drew international attention to the elephant's living conditions at Inokashira Park Zoo through her blog and by getting more than 400,000 signatures in an online petition. Nearly 950 people donated more than US$29,000 to assess the famous elephant's health and living conditions.
The 35-year-old woman took on the project after an online supporter started the petition, inspired by the blog post Nakagawa wrote last fall decrying Hanako's "concrete prison."
The zoo has said moving Hanako would be too stressful. A gift from Thailand in 1949, Hanako, or "flower child," has lived in a zoo since she was two.
Buckley said Hanako is happy and loves her zookeepers. Instead of moving her, Buckley recommends infrared heaters and rubber mats to make her small concrete pen more livable. She suggested playing music and adding more toys, such as frozen fruit inside a tire. Tires and a tube are Hanako's favourite toys now.
Buckley, an American who founded an animal sanctuary and has worked with other captive elephants, said renovating or enlarging Hanako's pen would require noisy construction that might stress the animal. And introducing other elephants and even foliage could bewilder Hanako.
Zoo Curator Hidemasa Hori, who met with Buckley during her visit, said the zoo will work on making the "environmental enrichment" changes, although some bureaucratic procedures would be required. The city of Tokyo runs the zoo.
Nakagawa says funds can be raised to help make changes for Hanako.
It was unclear whether those who were behind the petition drive to move Hanako out of the zoo would be convinced by Buckley's findings.
Buckley noted animal activists need to be educated, regardless of their good intentions.
"You think she should be put on a plane or a boat and go to Thailand? What are you thinking?" she said.
Buckley noted Hanako was clearly bored and needs more toys as well as more time with the zookeepers.
"When her keepers let her in the barn, she just lit up. Her eyes got big, and her body relaxed, and she came in and her ears were flapping," she said. "She came right over to the bars where they were and solicited their petting the entire time and didn't stop talking."
Hori said the zoo was open to Buckley's ideas. He was happy the meeting had not been confrontational and was hopeful some of the easier changes might be in the works as early as Hanako's birthday party later this month.
"They agreed Hanako should not be moved," he said in a telephone interview, acknowledging that perhaps the zookeepers had too readily assumed Hanako did not want change. "This is just a beginning."
