The elephant Ely, who lives in a zoo in Mexico, is now protected by a ruling from the country’s Supreme Court. They ordered to improve her living conditions.
She arrived at the place 13 years ago after being rescued from a circus and, as the protectionists who took the case to court claim, she was depressed.
The elephant Ely, the “saddest in the world”
For over seven years, she was alone in the zoo she arrived at after being rescued from a circus. She became depressed, hit herself against the walls, and was very thin.
The elephant Ely. (Photo: SEDEMA).[/caption>
That’s why the activists who denounced her situation called her Ely, the “saddest elephant in the world”. However, they achieved something unprecedented for the Mexican justice system.
The Supreme Court of Justice decided on Wednesday to grant an amparo to this African elephant, who has been living for 13 years in the San Juan de Aragón zoo. It’s to ensure her caregivers improve her habitat and ensure her health.
Diana Valencia, director and founder of the local association Abriendo Jaulas y Abriendo Mentes, who promoted the case, described the situation. “Ely was in terrible conditions. I believe she wouldn’t have survived much longer,” she told the AP agency.
This legal battle began in 2016, along with other animal defenders. They demand the elephant’s release, who is between 43 and 45 years old, or her transfer to a sanctuary where she can be with more specimens.
What the zoo says
Although the zoo denies it, activists denounce that she suffers from depression and diseases resulting from her captivity. “They need a lot of space, they need nature, they need family, they need their herd,” they added.
This is another key point, given that Ely was alone until recently. The authorities at the location expanded an area of around 3500 square meters where the elephant lives, and in 2023 they brought her a first companion, Gipsy.
In March of last year, another elephant, Annie, arrived, but she is kept isolated as she is in the adaptation process. According to the opinion of the protectionists, these changes were made due to pressure.
According to the zoo authorities and the veterinarians who care for her, when she arrived, Ely had an ailment in her right hind leg that limited her mobility, as well as nutritional deficiencies due to poor feeding based on forage and bread.
Now, she has a head veterinarian, three people who monitor her health, and two veterinarians who evaluate her behavior with the support of an external specialist.
She has an area of around 7300 square meters with a large pond, sand beds, food dispensers, logs, and trees. The activists continue the fight for them to be released from captivity.
The Court’s ruling
The importance of elephants living in herds.
The Supreme Court of Mexico issued a ruling that obliges the zoo authorities to keep Ely “constantly improving her health and physical condition.”
Under the regular care of veterinarians and specialists, as well as to make “necessary adjustments in the space where the elephant thrives,” according to the sentencing project.
The ruling was made with the vote of three out of the four members of the Second Chamber of the highest court (it was not addressed in the full court). It confirmed an amparo that the elephant had received in her favor last year in a lower court.
It is not the first time animal defenders have managed, through their pressure, to ensure better treatment for a specimen, but it is the first case in which the highest Mexican judicial tribunal does so.
