Female elephants are very social animals who, in nature, form deep bonds with their herd. They have home ranges of between 6 and 580 square miles and spend their days roaming, grazing, and socializing. But 42-year-old African elephant Ely has suffered alone at Zoológico de San Juan de Aragón in Mexico since 2016, when the roadside zoo’s other elephant, Maggie, was euthanized.

Ely was reportedly sold to the roadside zoo in 2012 after being forced to perform in a circus for decades, and, crushed by her confinement and isolation, she apparently spends her days plodding miserably in endless circles in her small enclosure, which is only a third of an acre and has a concrete floor that’s undoubtedly causing joint pain and foot issues—a condition common to captive elephants. Ely reportedly also gets sunburned, as the enclosure lacks shade and mud, which elephants use to protect their skin.

Denied any semblance of environmental or social stimulation, this dejected animal, when not turning in circles neurotically, has evidently been observed simply rocking back and forth in her prison—a well-recognized sign of profound deprivation and psychological distress in this extraordinarily sensitive and highly intelligent species.

Please politely implore the officials listed below to send Ely to a reputable facility that can better meet her needs. Then share this alert with everyone you know!

• Martí Batres Guadarrama
Head of Government
Mexico City
atencionciudadanajg@cdmx.gob.mx

• Marina Robles García
Secretary of the Environment
Mexico City
mrobles@sedema.cdmx.gob.mx

• Fernando Gual Sill
General Director of Zoos and Wildlife Conservation
Mexico City
fernando.gual.sedema@gmail.com