Teach Our Children Well

TAKE ACTION!  Join us in asking the local school committees to bring their school children to more appropriate venues. Write a polite email or cut and paste the letter below and email to the contacts listed for the school committees.

Dear School Committee Members;


In the past, children from your school district visited Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford. Although it may seem educational, please consider what the zoo teaches your children about two Asian elephants, Ruth & Emily, who are kept on a half-acre lot at the zoo.


Elephants are built for the subtropic jungles. Their range in their natal land is 53,000 to 76,000 acres. They are built to traverse great distances and walk up to 30 miles each day in matriarchal herds of 15-25 elephants.


They are keystone species. Because they only digest half of what they eat, their dung carries seeds 30-60 miles and other animals rely on the new growth it creates. They're known as the Gardeners of Eden--eating up to 330 lbs. of food per day.


Ruth and Emily have none of that. There's no tall grass to graze, no branches to browse within reach, and no cooling mud or ponds. There is no water to drink unless they drink from one end of a concrete pool. In the heat of the day, there is no deep forest shade.


Because the exhibit is so small, they are kept on a diet of about half of what they should be eating. So they are denied mobility and food.


Both elephants exhibit behavioral problems from being so confined. Ruth sways and rocks waiting for food. Emily takes Ruth's food and shows aggression towards her--from shouldering her aside to ramming and biting her.


Both elephants have painful skin and foot abscesses from long hours in the barn while the zoo is closed.


Both would benefit from being transferred to the Elephant Refuge in North America, founded by Carol Buckley. The Refuge is located on 850 forested acres in Attapulgus, GA and provides a safe, serene environment for sick, needy & elderly elephants. The Refuge has offered to take Ruth & Emily.


Although the zoo does not favor relocating Ruth & Emily, their decision did not adequately evaluate the benefits to the elephants. Older, sicker elephants have been safely transported to the Sanctuary.


Please consider supporting a venue that teaches your children about nature in an appropriate setting.


A trip to Horseneck Beach, Lloyd's Center for the Environment, or properties owned by the Buzzards Bay Coalition, Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust, the Trustees for Reservations, Audubon Society of Massachusetts or The Nature Conservancy would teach them far more about the natural world. All offer programs for school-age children..


The convenience of the zoo does not justify teaching children the wrong thing about a species that is on the brink of extinction.


Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

 


 

LOCAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE CONTACTS - 2023-2024

 

Letters may be emailed to the following school contacts.

ALL email addresses are the official school addresses.

 

Jennifer Downing, Chair, Acushnet

Jenniferdowning@acushnetschools.us

 

John Nunes, Chairperson, Dartmouth

Johnnunes@dartmouthschools.org

 

 

Colin Veitch, Chair, Fairhaven

www.fairhaven-ma.gov/user/105/contact

 

Paul Coogan, Chair, Fall River*

pcoogan@fallriverschools.org

 

Jon Mitchell, Chair, New Bedford*

Jon.Mitchell@newbedford-ma.gov

 

Richard J. Young, Chair, Middleborough

ryoung@middleboro.k12.ma.us

 

Kim Savery, Chair, Plymouth

ksavery@plymouth.k12.ma.us 

 

Kevin Brogioli, Chair, Wareham

Kbrogioli@wareham.k12.ma.us

 

Nancy Stanton, Chair, Westport

nstanton-cross@westportschools.org

 

*Mayor