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It’s time for Edmonton to vote for compassion
BROKEN PROMISES YEG
LUCY DESERVES BETTER
HELP LUCY RETIRE TO A SANCTUARY IN A WARM CLIMATE
For nearly five decades, Lucy the elephant has been kept in conditions that fall far short of what any elephant deserves, and far short of what sanctuaries around the world already provide. Alone, on hard concrete floors, with no herd, no proper pool, and no way to express her natural behaviors. Lucy has endured a life of isolation and deprivation at the Edmonton Valley Zoo.
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The City of Edmonton claims Lucy is well cared for. But if that were true, her enclosure would meet sanctuary-level standards - and it doesn’t.
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Lucy is now officially retired from the zoo after serving our city for 48 years alone, cold and suffering. She can live another 10+ years if she is in the right environment. Help Lucy get the retirement she deserves.
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Statement from Free The Wild: In carrying out Lucy's assessment in 2022, Edmonton Valley Zoo agreed with Free The Wild that Lucy would remain at the zoo until she made significant improvements in her health. This years' assessment reveals that she is on an upward trajectory with her tumor now shrinking, she has lost over 1000lbs in weight and she is moving and walking more freely than ever. Her only continued ailment is her breathing issue - which we and many professionals agree, can be carefully monitored and managed during her pre-move training.
WHERE DOES CITY COUNCIL STAND?
Candidate Statements on Lucy’s Future
As part of our advocacy for Lucy, we reached out to candidates in the upcoming election to ask where they stand on Lucy’s welfare and the possibility of moving her to sanctuary. Each candidate was sent a letter requesting their position.
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You can read the letter we sent to candidates here:
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We’ll update this page with candidate responses as they come in.
Andrew Knack
Mayor
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Andrew Knack helped ensure independent assessments of Lucy in 2022
Anne Stevenson
Ward O-day-min
Michael Janz
Ward Papastew
Keren Tang
Ward Karhiio
Keren Tang has not indicated support for Lucy’s move to a sanctuary and points inquiries back to the zoo
Michael Elliot
Ward pihêsiwin
Jon Morgan
Ward Lpiihkoohkanipiaohtsi
Supports Lucy going to Sanctuary
Aaron Paquette
Ward Dene
Supports Lucy going to Sanctuary
Karen Principe
Ward Tastawiyiniwak
Thu Parmar
Ward Sipiwiyiniwak
Has Agreed to a meeting to discuss
Erin Rutherford
Ward Anirniq
Has Agreed to a meeting to discuss
Jo-Anne Wright
Ward Sspomitapi
Has Agreed to a meeting to discuss
Ashley Salvador
Ward Metis
Reed Clark
Ward Nakota Isga
$300,000 of tax payers dollars go towards keeping Lucy in an inhumane enclosure at the Edmonton Zoo EACH YEAR
Poll Results Are In
How do the people of Edmonton feel about Lucy being moved to a sanctuary?
1. For years, Lucy’s assessments have recommended for her to have a therapeutic pool for her arthritis and an enlarged indoor/outdoor space.
64% of people feel it’s unethical to keep Lucy in Edmonton if upgrades are not going to be completed by the Edmonton Valley Zoo
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2. Multiple veterinarian experts from all over the world believe that Lucy can and should be transported to a sanctuary in a warmer climate.
68% of people feel Lucy should relocate to sanctuary
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3. The next municipal election will take place on Monday, October 20th, 2025.
73% would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports the relocation of Lucy
Read more about the poll results here
The Broken Promises of YEG:
How The Zoo Failed Lucy​ and What They Didn't Tell You
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1. Inadequate Enclosure
Two decades ago, when The Edmonton Valley Zoo management decided they were unwilling to retire Lucy to sanctuary, her enclosure should have been upgraded. A pool should have been available and both indoor and outdoor spaces should have been significantly expanded. It should not have required a formal complaint to install rubberized flooring and an exercise tent which are basic needs for a captive zoo elephant.
Protected contact should have been instituted long ago for the safety of the staff and visitors. Lucy has been managed by bullhooks as a means of control for 48 years, which is a cruel and outdated practice.
We believe bullhooks are still used because of the cost associated with building her a new much larger enclosure with shift areas to allow access for treatment and feeding.
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2. Improper Medical Care
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If there had been qualified species experts managing Lucy, she would have avoided the suffering associated with obesity, poor diet, no access to browse, and no access to expert medical care such as an elephant sanctuary provides. A uterine tumor was able to grow to 70 lbs., but was easily found by a team of international experts two years ago with a simple ultrasound and was also easily treated. While her foot management and diet have improved in recent years, it took over four decades for that to happen.
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How Lucy Suffers
How Lucy Suffers
Barren, Unnatural Environment
In the wild, elephants roam miles of diverse landscapes, forage on varied plants, swim in rivers, and dust bathe under the sun. Lucy is confined to a tiny, barren enclosure with nothing natural to engage her mind or body. Stood on cold, concrete floors for decades. She lives in a world stripped of everything elephants are meant to have.
Forced Into Harsh Winters
Edmonton’s long, freezing winters are no place for an elephant. In the snow and cold, Lucy can do little but shuffle outside briefly before retreating back inside. For months at a time, she is confined indoors to a small, stark space that offers no comfort from the cold and no way to behave naturally.
Sanctuaries put coats on their elephants on cold days. Donations were collected from international supporters and a custom made coat was made for Lucy. The coat was given to the zoo on February 14, 2015. There is no evidence that the coat was ever put on Lucy.
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Physical Pain and Psychological Stress
Decades of standing on hard surfaces, with no room to roam or lie comfortably, have caused Lucy painful foot and joint problems — the leading cause of death for captive elephants. She also shows signs of psychological distress, swaying and pacing — classic symptoms of suffering seen in animals kept in inadequate, unnatural conditions.
Elephant Stereotyping
What is it?
Commonly known as zoochosis, Elephant stereotyping refers to repetitive, abnormal behaviors elephants show when they are in captivity and under stress, boredom, or frustration.
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In animal welfare science, these are called stereotypies — repetitive, seemingly purposeless movements that animals perform when their environment doesn’t meet their physical, social, or psychological needs.
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For elephants, stereotyping often looks like:
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Swaying or rocking back and forth for long periods
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Head-bobbing
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Pacing repetitively along the same route
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Trunk swinging or twirling in a repetitive way
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These behaviors are rarely, if ever, observed in wild elephants. They’re considered a sign of poor welfare, usually caused by:
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Lack of space and freedom to roam (wild elephants can walk 30–50 km a day)
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Social isolation or unnatural groupings
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Stress or trauma (especially for elephants captured young)
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Lack of stimulation (barren enclosures, no enrichment)
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Elephant stereotyping is a red flag for suffering in captivity - a coping mechanism that develops when the elephant can’t express its natural behaviors.
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BELOW is footage of Lucy stereotyping
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Experts Dr. London and Ingo Schmidinger both included in their reports that they witnessed Lucy stereotyping.
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"Lucy is housed alone in her barn for 12+ hours a day, most of the year, with no outside access because of inclement and frigid weather. I personally reviewed the camera footage from one overnight. The camera is stationarily focused solely on her sleeping pile and did not allow for visualization of anything but her sand pile. During the reviewed overnight video, she could be seen standing, and what appeared to be swaying, for about 20 minutes. This suggests she has developed stereotypic behavior which has been confirmed in other written evaluations and reports by witnesses. When we were with Lucy, she always had at least two people constantly interacting with her, which may have been to prevent her from displaying this stereotypical behavior. Stereotypic behaviors are often indicators of compromised welfare. These behaviors are a consequence of long-term psychological damage. Living in an impoverished, stressful captive environment results in physical damage to the brain."