Happy the elephant has not been seen by the public since July 31, 2024 and animal rights activists demand answers. 

Although both the Bronx Zoo, Happy’s current home, have claimed that Happy is fine and just choosing to stay in her barn, activists are worried that the 50 year-old female elephant is not as ‘fine’ as they claim.

Happy was brought to the Bronx Zoo in 1977 with another elephant named “Grumpy”. Due to some health problems, Grumpy was unfortunately euthanized in 2006 .By the 1980s, Both of the elephants were known for being dressed up, performing tricks, giving rides and even playing tug of war with the Fordham University football team. But, as times changed and focus on protecting animals  increased, Happy stopped doing tricks and was seen on the monorail ride at the zoo, along with her companion “Patty”. But, in late July, people started noticing that Happy wasn’t around, which worried her fans; what happened to happy?

 This is not the first time Happy’s care and safety has been questioned. In 2022, the case was brought upon the New York Court of Appeals whether or not Happy was being wrongly imprisoned under habeas corpus, a law saying that one must be able to come before a judge to verify the legality of the imprisonment. The court ruled that habeas corpus only applies to humans, not animals.

But animal rights activists are worried again. Elephants are generally social elephants, making her seclusion even more strange. Activists demanded that something be done, despite the Bronx Zoo’s report that Happy was “fine”. The U.S Department of Agriculture did a wellness check on Happy and had the same conclusion as the zoo (try to incorporate quotes into the text rather than making them separate from the sentence)“No non compliant items identified during this inspection.” Activists were still not satisfied.

The Bronx Zoo declined reporters from seeing Happy in her barn, adding to the suspicion. They claimed that “Happy has recently opted not to be in the exhibit during the day, but she has gone into that area in the morning before the zoo opens” and “Happy is choosing to spend her time near the barn interacting with staff rather than in the exhibit space. She is given access to the exhibit area each day but not choosing to spend her time there.” The zoo staff have told reporters that Happy is choosing tp stay in her enclosure during zoo hours

Harvard elephant scientist Caitlin O’Connel mentioned that “elephants require social interaction to thrive, and as migratory animals, they enjoy large spaces over which to forage and graze”. But not everyone was against Happy’s disappearance or her being in a zoo in the first place. “You think elephants walk dozens or more miles away because they want to?They move because they have to — they have to find water, to find food and they have to avoid predators.” said Dan Ashe, the president and chief executive of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Although zoos may not always treat animals as well as they should, sometimes they are safer and better taken care of their than in the wild. However, animals still deserve a chance to be wild, and often obtaining animals means taking them from their family. On the other hand, seeing animals you wouldn’t be able to outside of a zoo, can help people, especially children, learn about different animals and cultures. 

In conclusion, it’s a tough issue, and one that will likely be debated for a long time. For information on Happy the elephant and her history, click here.