When you stand up for zoos you stand up for elephants

When an elephant roams free, it gets shot; not just its tusks, but its whole face gets cut off to supply the illicit ivory trade; its feet are removed and made into ashtrays; its flesh is smoked and sold at market as a delicacy. Elephants are dying in the wild at the rate of 100 every day.

What does the loss of one elephant in Seattle, Hansa, have to do with the wild elephants? Everything, because Woodland Park Zoo and accredited zoos everywhere are making the life of every elephant count in support of conservation. This is not just moral support, but hard cash for real elephant conservation, including millions of dollars for habitat restoration and prevention of human-elephant conflict.

There are only 300 elephants in accredited zoos in North America, and each one deserves the best care we can provide. These elephants are thriving, but that does not make them immune to health issues or loss of life. Based on the top-notch veterinary care that Hansa received, the necropsy results will likely show what most of us know, that caring for animals, just like providing medical care for people, is sometimes difficult and does not always end as we would like.

But, without waiting for the results, here come the extremists with outrageous and unproven charges, not even allowing the community or the dedicated animal-care staff at the zoo to mourn.

So, let's be clear about what the animal extremists want when they attack Woodland Park Zoo. Extremists want to close all zoos. If they can first get rid of the elephants, then the tigers, then the penguins, then maybe they can close the zoo. Remember, these are the same people who recently said Knut the baby polar bear in Germany would be better off dead than in a zoo.

In contrast, Woodland Park Zoo is staffed by dedicated professionals who love and care for animals. They practice ever-rising standards of animal care every day. Sensationalized attacks on the quality of elephant care at the zoo have no basis in fact. Trying to close the elephant exhibit will not stop elephant feet from becoming ashtrays.

Extremists want the elephants sent to private elephant ranches, so-called elephant sanctuaries. These ranches warehouse elephants out of sight and out of mind. They keep the plight of elephants out of the public's eye, while zoos are out front talking to the public about the need to save elephants. Wild places are getting smaller, elephants and other animals need our collective help.

Every time you visit an elephant in an accredited zoo, a portion of your admission fee supports elephant conservation. Woodland Park Zoo just named this year's contribution to the Kinabatangan Elephant Conservation Unit in Borneo — $8,500 — in honor of Hansa. The goal of this project is to reduce the rate of human-elephant conflicts through conservation research and local community involvement. This story is repeated many times over, thanks to accredited zoos and their visitors who are supporting more than 85 elephant conservation projects around the world.

But what about the short life of a young elephant? Should we fall for the sensationalized claims of the fringe extremists who exploit this tragedy to advance their hidden agenda? Better to rely on the facts, and better still to redouble our efforts to save the world's elephants. That's what the dedicated people at Woodland Park Zoo are doing. They deserve support.

Dr. William Foster is CEO of Birmingham Zoo in Alabama and past president of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Dr. James McGraw serves on the board of directors of Woodland Park Zoo and is chairman of the zoo's Animal Care Committee.