Seattle City Council looks at Woodland Park Zoo elephants

The Seattle City Council has formed a task force to look at whether the three elephants at Woodland Park Zoo would be better off at a wildlife sanctuary.

The city council wants to determine whether Woodland Park Zoo should close its elephant exhibit like 22 other zoos across the country have done over the last two decades.

It is responding to email complaints and a petition signed by citizens critical of keeping elephants in captivity.

The Seattle Times reports the task force will look at the care of the animals and determine if it makes financial sense or if it’s ethical to keep the animals.

Council member Sally Bagshaw will even travel to a sanctuary to check out conditions.

It’s unclear, though, what this task force can accomplish since the city has no real authority over the zoo.

The council’s investigation is not the first time these sorts of charges have been leveled against the zoo.

In 2011, a scathing article written in The Stranger cites a lawsuit filed against the City of Seattle, which claims the zoo participates in abusive breeding practices and subjects the elephants to conditions that lead to severe foot injuries.

Bruce Bohmke, zoo Chief Operations Officer, defended the zoo following the article on KIRO Radio’s Ross & Burbank Show.

Bohmke said giving zoo animals a rich environment is one of the best ways to keep them stimulated and happy.

“They can lay down, they can dig, they can move around and manipulate their environment; that’s what’s important to animals…to behave naturally.”

MyNorthwest.com’s Stephanie Klein contributed to this report.