Pregolja is a 38-year-old female Asian elephant who lives alone at the Kaliningrad Zoo in Russia. She is confined to a small and barren concrete enclosure and faces the additional hardship of long, cold, harsh winters that force her to spend a significant amount of time indoors.
In their native Asian forests, elephants walk many miles each day, explore, swim in watering holes, play in mud wallows and forage for fresh vegetation. They are highly social animals who live in matriarchal herds, protect one another and share mothering responsibilities for the herds' babies.
In zoos, elephants are denied everything that is natural and important to them. Lack of space, artificial enclosures and shattered social relationships create health problems for captive elephants – such as muscular-skeletal ailments, arthritis, foot and joint diseases, boredom, depression, nutritional problems and a host of other ailments.
The Elephant Sanctuary in the US has agreed to accept Pregolja. The sanctuary is a world-class facility that would provide Pregolja with the opportunity to roam hundreds of acres of natural habitat in a temperate climate, play in a lake and enjoy a healthy, enriching life in the company of other elephants.
What You Can Do:
The Kaliningrad Zoo is governed by the City Council. Please use the form below to contact the mayor and the council in Russia and urge them to make the compassionate decision to send Pregolja to The Elephant Sanctuary in the US.
