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CNN Sunday Morning

Parting Pachyderms

Aired June 01, 2003 - 10:49   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


SOPHIA CHOI, CNN ANCHOR: According to legend, an elephant never forgets, and that's what has some people in Los Angeles worried. They say the zoo there heartlessly separated a pair of old friends who just aren't the same now. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They gathered outside the Los Angeles zoo, vocal and mad.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's outrageous, it's irresponsible.

GUTIERREZ: They're protesting the separation of two old friends, 42-year-old Ruby, an African elephant, and 45-year-old Gita, an Asian elephant. For nearly two decades, these pachyderms lived together side by side at the Los Angeles zoo.

BILL DYER, IN DEFENSE OF ANIMALS: Elephants, as we know, bond. They are social animals, and they never forget.

GUTIERREZ: Recently, they were separated. Ruby was trucked more than half way across the country to a zoo in Knoxville, Tennessee, to be with other African elephants. Gita stayed behind.

JEFF BRISCOE, PRINCIPAL ANIMAL KEEPER, LOS ANGELES ZOO: In the wild, they have -- you know, African herds are really deep social groups with many layers and generations ,and that's something we could never offer her here. We will never bring in more Africans here. We are going to stay with Asians.

DYER: Check all of the zoos in America and across the world. They mix them together all of the time. That's another part of the spin to make what they did, which was so horrible, sort of honorable in some way, and it's a lie.

GUTIERREZ: Animal lovers believe Ruby forged a special bond with Gita and this video of Ruby in Knoxville shows she's suffering.

MONA PARMER, PROTESTER: The swaying is a sign psychological trauma, and elephants, they are known to suffer such psychological trauma that they even starve themselves to death, and I don't want to see anything that of happening.

GUTIERREZ: Elephant manager, Jeff Briscoe says nonsense, that Ruby and Gita will be fine without each other.

BRISCOE: To me, it's just a casual friendship. I just have never felt they were that close.

GUTIERREZ: Zoo officials in Knoxville says Ruby's eating and appears to be adjusting, but these animal lovers aren't convinced.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Boycott the L.A. zoo. They should be teaching children compassion and that animal suffering is not a form of entertainment.

GUTIERREZ: In fact, Ruby's case may be heard in the California state court. Katherine Doyle (ph) filed a lawsuit to stop the zoo from separating the elephants, alleging Ruby will suffer emotional and physical trauma if moved away.

Zoo officials say Gita, the Asian elephant who staid behind, is happy with her new roommate, Tara. As for Ruby, she will remain in Knoxville according to officials, but the protesters say they will continue to fight until she comes home to Los Angeles.

Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired June 1, 2003 - 10:49   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOPHIA CHOI, CNN ANCHOR: According to legend, an elephant never forgets, and that's what has some people in Los Angeles worried. They say the zoo there heartlessly separated a pair of old friends who just aren't the same now. CNN's Thelma Gutierrez reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): They gathered outside the Los Angeles zoo, vocal and mad.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's outrageous, it's irresponsible.

GUTIERREZ: They're protesting the separation of two old friends, 42-year-old Ruby, an African elephant, and 45-year-old Gita, an Asian elephant. For nearly two decades, these pachyderms lived together side by side at the Los Angeles zoo.

BILL DYER, IN DEFENSE OF ANIMALS: Elephants, as we know, bond. They are social animals, and they never forget.

GUTIERREZ: Recently, they were separated. Ruby was trucked more than half way across the country to a zoo in Knoxville, Tennessee, to be with other African elephants. Gita stayed behind.

JEFF BRISCOE, PRINCIPAL ANIMAL KEEPER, LOS ANGELES ZOO: In the wild, they have -- you know, African herds are really deep social groups with many layers and generations ,and that's something we could never offer her here. We will never bring in more Africans here. We are going to stay with Asians.

DYER: Check all of the zoos in America and across the world. They mix them together all of the time. That's another part of the spin to make what they did, which was so horrible, sort of honorable in some way, and it's a lie.

GUTIERREZ: Animal lovers believe Ruby forged a special bond with Gita and this video of Ruby in Knoxville shows she's suffering.

MONA PARMER, PROTESTER: The swaying is a sign psychological trauma, and elephants, they are known to suffer such psychological trauma that they even starve themselves to death, and I don't want to see anything that of happening.

GUTIERREZ: Elephant manager, Jeff Briscoe says nonsense, that Ruby and Gita will be fine without each other.

BRISCOE: To me, it's just a casual friendship. I just have never felt they were that close.

GUTIERREZ: Zoo officials in Knoxville says Ruby's eating and appears to be adjusting, but these animal lovers aren't convinced.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Boycott the L.A. zoo. They should be teaching children compassion and that animal suffering is not a form of entertainment.

GUTIERREZ: In fact, Ruby's case may be heard in the California state court. Katherine Doyle (ph) filed a lawsuit to stop the zoo from separating the elephants, alleging Ruby will suffer emotional and physical trauma if moved away.

Zoo officials say Gita, the Asian elephant who staid behind, is happy with her new roommate, Tara. As for Ruby, she will remain in Knoxville according to officials, but the protesters say they will continue to fight until she comes home to Los Angeles.

Thelma Gutierrez, CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com