Quebec zoo to move elephants to new home as senator puts forth bill to ban captivity

Several zoos have signed on in support of the bill including the Toronto Zoo, the Calgary Zoo, the Granby Zoo, the Assiniboine Park Zoo and the Montreal Biodome.

A zoo in Quebec plans to get out of the elephant business, its CEO said as a senator was set to introduce a federal bill Tuesday that would phase out keeping the animals in captivity.

Paul Gosselin said the Granby Zoo has been thinking about getting out of the elephant business for the last few years.

“It’s getting tougher and tougher to get animals out of the wild and problems to exchange with other zoological institutions across the border from one country to another,” he said in an interview.

“Given that and given the fact we have to agree that the elephant standards are getting more and more tough to keep them in zoological institutions and given the fact the bill is coming and we supported it, we have decided as a group in Granby to transition out.”

He said the zoo’s three African elephants — females Thandi and Sarah and male Tutum — will be moving out, although the destination and timing haven’t been decided.

“We will transition out in the next few years,” Gosselin said.

Sen. Marty Klyne said he will reintroduce a bill Tuesday supported by primatologist Jane Goodall that would phase out elephants in captivity, put a stop to big cats and other exotic animals at roadside zoos and give some animals legal standing in court.

The Jane Goodall Act was first introduced in late 2020, but died last year when the election was called.