Tell the Niabi Zoo to Send Sophie and Babe to Sanctuary! Tell the Niabi Zoo to Send Sophie and Babe to Sanctuary!

Tell the Niabi Zoo to Send Sophie and Babe to Sanctuary!

Elephants Never Forget

The Niabi Zoo in Coal Valley, Illinois, is considering relocating Babe and Sophie, the two Asian elephants at the zoo, to another zoo—either permanently or until the zoo can expand the elephant exhibit. While it's nice that the zoo recognizes the current elephant exhibit's inadequacies, another zoo simply cannot provide Babe and Sophie with the natural environment that they deserve. The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee or the PAWS sanctuary in California would provide Babe and Sophie with a warm climate and opportunities to live naturally.

In the wild, elephants are active for 18 hours each day and walk up to 30 miles per day. This freedom and activity is important for elephants' physical and psychological well-being. Because of space limitations, zoos, no matter how well intentioned, simply cannot provide for these needs. As a result, captive elephants suffer from foot disorders, arthritis, boredom, depression, poor physical fitness, reproductive abnormalities, behavioral problems, and a host of other illnesses.

Please write to James E. Bohnsack, chair of the Rock Island County Board, which governs the zoo. Urge him to retire Babe and Sophie to a sanctuary, where they would have the opportunity to roam through hundreds of acres of natural habitat in a moderate climate, play in ponds, forage on fresh vegetation, and enjoy a full, healthy, and enriching life in the company of many other elephants.


  • Mr. James E. Bohnsack


Dear Mr. Bohnsack and Members of the Board: [Decision Maker],

[Your Name]



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