Lucy, a beautiful Asian elephant, arrived at the Valley Zoo on May 19, 1977. She came to Edmonton from the Pinnewala Orphanage in Sri Lanka. Since there were no records of her birth it was estimated that she was approximately two years of age – so Lucy is 35 now! Lucy lived alone at the zoo for 12 years. Then Samantha, a female African elephant, was brought to the zoo to keep Lucy company. In 2007, Samantha was sent to the North Carolina Zoo on a long-term breeding loan and Lucy was left alone again.

Lucy's life in Edmonton does not even compare with what her life could be if she was moved to a sanctuary. Currently, she lives a very solitary life with only human contact during “working hours”. Female elephants are highly social and suffer greatly when kept in isolation. Edmonton's freezing winter weather and the zoo's policy of locking Lucy indoors when the zoo is closed means that Lucy spends the majority of her time in a small barn. When she is allowed outside, she is restricted to an enclosure that is less than an acre in size. Lucy exhibits signs of mental distress and has health issues—including upper respiratory problems, arthritis, obesity, and chronic foot ailments —attributable to substandard and inadequate conditions at the Valley Zoo and further aggravated by the region's frigid climate.

The zoo’s management says it makes its decisions based on science, not emotion, yet if they were truly looking at the science, Lucy would have been moved with the first offer of retirement by The Elephant Sanctuary or PAWS. The Valley Zoo has repeatedly said that Lucy is too sick to be moved. Yet, at the same time, they post documents on their website saying she is doing quite well. The Zoo has refused an external panel of veterinary experts to examine her as they state it would be stressful for her and stress exacerbates her condition, yet the zoo allows school children in her enclosure.

Both elephant and animal welfare experts agree that Lucy’s chronic health issues are exacerbated by being housed in a northern climate, which subjects her to confinement on cold, hard substrate, for the majority of the time. They also agree that her diseases are both chronic and advanced, and that she needs better living conditions and a more comprehensive program of medical attention than can be provided at the Zoo in Edmonton. Lastly, they argue that keeping a female elephant alone, runs contrary not only to what science knows of elephants, but also national and international zoo association recommendations. Despite this, the City of Edmonton is resolute in their claim that Lucy is a well-adjusted healthy elephant overall and just fine where she is.

For years now, protests and petitions have been calling for the relocation of the Valley Zoo’s elephants. In early 2009, celebrity game show-host, and prominent animal welfare advocate, Bob Barker, joined the campaign and along with Zoocheck Canada, offered to fly experts in elephant medicine up to Edmonton at no charge. In addition, there are standing offers for an all-expense paid transfer for Lucy to either The Elephant Sanctuary (TES) in Tennessee, or the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary in California. Despite all of the controversy, the City steadfastly refuses to relinquish Lucy and declines all outside offers of assistance.

Excerpt – from "One Veterinarian’s Search for Truth in the "Lucy the Elephant" Debate", Debi Zimmermann AHT, B.SC (Zoology), D.V.M., June 30, 2009