Lily Tomlin | 08/25/2008 12:15 pm

Lily's Plea for YOUR Help to Save Jenny the Elephant

We’re coming down to the wire and Jenny the Elephant still needs your help! The plan to ship Jenny to a drive-through safari in Mexico is still in place. Click here to read about it and here to read about it. Please read this blog posting by a former Dallas zookeeper by clicking here.

And from the Founder of Concerned Citizens for Jenny:

This is beyond important for everyone who wishes to understand Jenny. Spread the word and cross-post to everyone you know, please.

Please continue to contact the mayor and city council and urge them to retire Jenny to The Elephant Sanctuary. If you have not yet called the mayor or the council, let this be the moment you do. Go to the CCFJ website for contact info by clicking here.

Jenny needs us now, more than ever. We must be resolute on her behalf. She has no one but us.

Margaret
Founder, Concerned Citizens for Jenny
concernedcitizensforjenny.net

Read more about: Animals, Change the World, Zoo

67 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Kim, Yes! I agreed with Winery on this earlier. All I need is marching orders from Lily, and I’ll go put on my boots.

By Serena . on 08/25/2008 4:16 pm

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me too! Hope all is well with you Serena.

By kim speight on 08/25/2008 6:45 pm

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right, I am here at the ready!

By kim speight on 08/25/2008 3:36 pm

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Linda-I will let her know you are trying to reach her. She is getting thousands of emails a day but I will tell her to search for yours. Thanks!

By Catharine Flagg on 08/25/2008 3:45 pm

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I will let her know that you are trying to get in touch with her. She is getting thousands of emails a day so I will have her look out for yours.

By Catharine Flagg on 08/25/2008 3:49 pm

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Catherine Flagg ……. Updated Info on Jenny is the “subject”, the time stamp from my email was 11:59 am CST , from my e-mail account address that begins with “standupgal”. Hope that helps you narrow it down a bit.

By Linda Clark on 08/25/2008 3:59 pm

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I just sent a second information request to the company in Australia that the Irwin family uses for their television productions. It’s a long shot, but could not locate an email contact any other way. My reasoning for this avenue is to provide additional, unbiased medical/emotional support documentation to the City of Dallas and the Dallas Zoo. If it were one of their kids, they would surely get a second opinion …….. yes?

By Linda Clark on 08/25/2008 4:07 pm

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You are a smart lady Linda. Trying to contact the Irwin family/production company is a bloody brilliant idea! :) I knew I liked you.

By Serena . on 08/25/2008 4:43 pm

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Lily/All, I just called the Mayor’s office directly. According to his secretary, the decision has been made and it is still to keep Jenny at the Dallas Zoo. Still, I voiced my concerns that she would be better off in Tennessee.

By Serena . on 08/25/2008 4:41 pm

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We actually have a letter from the world’s top 13 elephant experts, including Dr. Joyce Poole that clearly states that Jenny needs to go to Tennessee. Apparently I live in a city where the council (aside from two) are a bunch of morons. We have 2 city council people still determined to send Jenny to TN. Keep up the calls, emails and letters. We are going to force the council to do the right thing if it is the last thing we ever do.

By Catharine Flagg on 08/25/2008 4:47 pm

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Thanks for the update Catharine. I’m still e-mailing!

By Serena . on 08/25/2008 4:54 pm

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Yes Catherine, having these esteemed experts is an asset. I am clearly an amateur in all of this; but I do believe that having a pool filled with ideas is better than a bucket. I would hope that included in their documentation was actual footage from other elephants that have been found to be in similar situations. It is apparent to me that with exception of two council members, the Council seems to have a low retention rate. Reinforcing the documentation with video footage just might prove beneficial. Submitting copies of such video footage and inundating the Media Outlets is also quite effective in the boosting of memory retention.

By Linda Clark on 08/25/2008 8:11 pm

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Below is the link to the City of Dallas’ 2008-09 Proposed Budget. In it’s entirety, 668 numbered pages, you will find on page 484 under Parks and Recreation Capital Improvements; sub category heading Highlighted Objectives For FY2008-09, you will find that the original designs proposed and approved by voter for the 2006 Bond Election are not being utilized. The 2008-09 Proposed Budget states “Initiate design for a new African Savannah exhibit at the Dallas Zoo”. You don’t have to be an architect to figure out the time-frame necessary to gather submission approvals for designs and the ultimate approval of a design from the City Council. The good news is, page 442, ….. the 2006 Bond Dollars are in the General Obligations Fund, but having those funds in a General Fund also means that those funds can be used for any other Budget Shortfalls from the 2006 Fiscal Year Budget. http://dallascityhall.org/financial_services/Proposed0809/budget_propose… Happy Reading!

By Linda Clark on 08/25/2008 7:57 pm

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Linda, I have not had the chance to view the last few posts on Jenny, but no one has answered my question about why the Dallas Zoo won’t send her to Tennessee. Where they offered more money to send her to Mexico?? And, is Tennessee willing to take her?? None of this makes any sense. Why are they being so cruel?

By Brooklyn Gal on 08/25/2008 8:00 pm

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Carol …….. please know that this just “my” take on the situation ………. The City of Dallas and the Zoo somehow came to the conclusion that sending Jenny, an aging and unhappy elephant (her mate died a while back), to Africam (a drive-thru safari in Mexico) would be a winning situation for them and Africam. A well respected and accredited sanctuary in Tennessee learned of Jenny’s impending move as did a private citizen whom offered a mate for Jenny if she could remain at the Dallas Zoo. Jenny’s plight made a few headlines. But many locals were so outraged by this impending move that one of them organized Concerned Citizens for Jenny. CCFJ efforts were supported by others whom are skilled in civil protest campaigns, both in person and via the media, internet and personal email contacts. As recently as last week, the two “hold outs” from the city council were still advocating Jenny going to the Tennessee sanctuary, but were out-numbered), Steve Blow of the Dallas News even chided her by saying that she was playing amateur Zoologist (not verbatim, but you get the drift). When the story became news in EVERY MAJOR CITY in the US, the city council (according to Steve Blow of the Dallas News) reversed their decision and decided to allow Jenny to stay at the Zoo, that they would find her a mate very soon and that they would reinvigorate the original plans from a 2006 Bond Election that was APPROVED by the voters. The Idea of the “new African Savannah” (also according to Steve Blow of the Dallas News) came during a trip the Dallas Zoo Director took to see the Tennessee sanctuary and that he happened to stop at another Zoo in the area. My query is ….. the Zoo Director won’t disclose the dates of his trip. I believe him to be less than truthful as to when “he” changed “his” mind about Jenny’s little patch of paradise at the Dallas Zoo. The problem I have with the Zoo Directors “epiphany” for the African Savannah is the 2008-09 proposed budget ……… IT WAS SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION IN JULY! There are 6668 pages to this proposed budget, there are NO NOTATIONS that infer any amendments to this proposal. Whew! ………….. I do hope that I’ve got it right ………

By Linda Clark on 08/25/2008 8:50 pm