
MILWAUKEE, WI (January 30, 2020) – In Defense of Animals has discovered cruel plans to bring a female African elephant named Seeni to the Milwaukee County Zoo from Pittsburgh Zoo’s International Conservation Center — a move that will likely sever a bond with another elephant that has lasted for around 25 years. The plan to relocate Seeni to Milwaukee County Zoo without her long-term companion Sukiri comes after Pittsburgh Zoo sent their third companion, Thandi, to the Granby Zoo in Ontario, Canada in 2019.
“Social bonds are everything to elephants,” said Fleur Dawes of In Defense of Animals. “Seeni lived with Sukiri and Thandi since the 1990s when they were captured from the wild after their families were killed in separate slaughters. Last year Thandi was sent to a Canadian zoo. Now Milwaukee County Zoo’s cruel plan would have Seeni housed in a separate facility from Sukiri as well. The zoos’ shocking disrespect of this long-bonded elephant trio amounts to animal abuse. We call on the zoos to end their callous mistreatment of elephants and permanently reunite these three in an accredited sanctuary.”
In Defense of Animals obtained documents under Wisconsin’s Open Records Law that revealed a loan agreement between the two zoos, detailing plans to ship Seeni from the Pittsburgh Zoo’s International Conservation Center (ICC) in Somerset, Pennsylvania, to the Milwaukee County Zoo in Wisconsin. The documents did not reveal when the planned transfer would take place.
Seeni was captured from the wild in the 1990s after her family was slaughtered. Shortly after, she was raised by a family in Botswana along with Thandi and Sukiri. The three elephants made headlines in 2003 thanks to a visit from then-President George Bush in the Mokolodi Nature Reserve. They were shipped to Pittsburgh Zoo’s ICC in 2011.

In 2017, Seeni gave birth to a female calf. Shockingly, Pittsburgh Zoo cruelly separated Seeni from her newborn within one day of birth, and put the calf on display too soon afterward. The calf later sickened and was euthanized at just three months old.
Pittsburgh Zoo forfeit its accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums in 2015 since it refused to comply with occupational safety standards for handling elephants.
Pittsburgh Zoo has been ranked as the #1 Worst Zoo for Elephants in 2019. The Milwaukee County Zoo has been featured on In Defense of Animals’ list of the 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants three times.
“The Milwaukee County Zoo and Pittsburgh Zoos repeatedly rank among the worst zoos in North America because they refuse to stop harming and exploiting elephants,” continued Dawes. “We call on the Milwaukee County Zoo,Pittsburgh Zoo and Granby Zoo to permanently retire Seeni, Sukiri and Thandi together at a warm-weather sanctuary.”
In Defense of Animals’ 2019 list of the 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants illustrates striking examples of the different ways that zoos harmfully dominate elephants, including separating long-bonded individuals and family members, repeatedly forcibly inseminating females, and condemning others to a life of extremely unnatural solitude.
Elephants cannot thrive in zoos. Many zoos have already shut down their elephant exhibits or plan to phase them out. In Defense of Animals is calling for the Milwaukee County Zoo and Pittsburgh Zoo to do the same.
Discover the full list of the 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants in North America for 2019: http://www.idausa.org/
THAT IS SOOOOOOO CRUEL!!!! STOP THIS. ELEPHANTS HAVE FEELINGS!!!!!!
Oh my God! They keep elephants but know nothing about them. They should at least know that companionship is of utmost importance to them….and after 25 years!! This is a travesty!
Please do not relocate Seeni. By doing so, you will break the companionship she has been so used to for many years. Thank you.
What a disappointment and what a heinous thing to do to an animal who has done nothing but make the mistake of getting captured for human pleasure. Pittsburgh should be ashamed of their zoo and its administration oil n. Do the right thing by your city: humanity demands better.
This is so wrong! What non-feeling, uneducated human made this decision? You should be fired immediately to ensure kindness of animals is a priority!
What type of uncaring human would do,this? Obviously, uneducated and ignorant.
Please retire the 3 elephants: Seeni, Sukiri, and Thandi to a sanctuary together. Elephants are very social, pack animals with lifelong bonds to one another. Elephants don’t belong in zoos in display or for human entertainment or purpose.
Elephants are beautiful, intelligent, sensitive beings. Why do you want to make them suffer??
You do not separate BONDED elephants. This is wrong. I am from Pittsburgh originally and my husband and I just moved back here in 2011.. Haven’t had a chance to get to the zoo but I do read and know what is going on…..about the baby that was put on display too early without the proper bonding from mama. I know about the conservation center in Sommerset also. You separated these elephants knowing of their bond and now Sukiri has no-one. Do not separate Seeni from Sukiri. That would be like taking your spouse from you that you have been with for decades,or your best friend that you have been so close to and have to desolve the friendship . The zoo should know better and do what is right by Sukiri. I hope you take into consideration what a lot of people are upset about and do the right thing. Sukiri is counting on you.
Sincerely,
Pamela Kaczynski
Zoos are prisons for animals, and separating bonded animals is just another uncaring act. Animals are here with us, not for us.
Please don’t separate them. Please don’t cause them anymore pain.
Please dont seperate them u have them n you dont even know how to care for them. I really fkn hate people just leave them the hell alone they are not your property nor do u own them you want to help them let them 2 be free together like their suppose to. They have suffered enough pain through interference of humans!!! You all disgust me!!!
The Milwaukee Zoo should be ashamed of themselves, I will not donate any money to this Zoo ever!
Let these elephants remain together! These elephants may seem to be just animals but they like humans form bonds with each other. A zoo tasked with caring for this species should know how to care for them without being cruel. Their welfare should be first priority rather than keeping a business plan.
Is there nothing that can be done to make them change their minds? This is so unfair on these beautiful elephants.
What is the matter with the Milwaukee Zoo? They have two of their own Ruth and Brittany! If that’s not enough they want to separate bonded elephants . . . They will never be visited by us again. Lived in Wisconsin 19 years and LIVING in Arkansas. Member of the Little Rock Zoo.
This is exploitative and cruel. I will not rest until the Milwaukee County Zoo withdraws this offer end works to retire these bonded elephants to a sanctuary.
The zoo may hide behind their new, bigger elephant enclosure but that irrelevant.
There should be a petition to STOP this. If the zoo isn’t capable of caring for animals as they should be, the zoo needs to be shut down, and the animals taken to places where they Can be cared for. The citizens of this city (and docents/donors) should be ashamed! This is an outrage and needs to STOP!