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A28 SCIENCE
Saturday 27 July 2019

New Milwaukee zoo exhibit to improve standards for elephants

By CARRIE ANTLFINGER hanging devices, with hay,
Associated Press so they can exercise their
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Ruth trunks.
loves popcorn. But she has There’s also a wall with
to work for it, by blowing holes that allows them to
air with her trunk through a get food rewards.
white pipe attached to a There are sand and pad-
barrel above her head to ded floors inside, a water-
push it out. ing hole and a self-activat-
“Excellent sense of smell, so ing shower.
they know what’s what,” While elephants receiv-
Milwaukee County Zoo di- ing better care and more
rector Chuck Wikenhauser space are always a posi-
said. “Whether it’s popcorn tive, Ed Stewart, who runs
in there, whether it’s some three California sanctuary
other treat, they enjoy facilities that take in aban-
that.” doned, abused or retir-
It’s one of the new enrich- ing wildlife, says elephants
ment activities for her and don’t belong in zoos.
Brittany — both African el- “Captivity will never be
ephants — as part of the state-of-the-art, much as
zoo’s elephant exhibit that In this Friday April 26, 2019 photo three African elephants, Maggie, left, Lulu, center and Toka roam we try — and believe me
opened this spring. through the Performing Animals Welfare Society’s ARK 2000 Sanctuary near San Andreas, Calif. I’ve been trying for a long
The upgrade, which cost Associated Press time to get it right,” said
$16.6 million, was created at the Milwaukee County management and the quirements for elephants Stewart, founder of the Per-
in part because of an effort Zoo,” said Jodi Gibson, quality of the space from was due to zoo officials, re- forming Animal Welfare So-
to improve standards for el- president of the Zoological an elephant perspective searchers and scientists be- ciety.
ephants in zoos. Society of Milwaukee. that determines adequacy lieving “that the methods Stephanie Goldstein visited
The treatment of elephants But of the 236 U.S. accred- of the facility, not simply of caring for them should the zoo with her husband
has been at the center of ited zoos, only 62 hold el- the square footage of the advance along with the and 2-year-old son while
a debate in recent years, ephants, according to the environment,” according science.” visiting Milwaukee from
including the use of ele- Association of Zoos and to the standards. In Milwaukee, the outdoor Kingston, New York.
phants as circus animals. Aquariums, or AZA. That’s Vernon said there were area is now 1.6 acres — She said she liked that the
Animal welfare advocates down from 77 elephants 15 general guidelines for deal- four times as big as the el- new exhibit was so big.
don’t believe elephants years ago. ing with all animals before ephants’ entire previous “I don’t want my son to only
should be put in enclo- Part of the reason is that 2011, but the decision to enclosure. see elephants as a picture
sures. But Wikenhauser says AZA, which sets zoo care make a special set of re- The new space has high- in a book,” she said.q
the animals are managed standards, instituted spe-
ephants in 2011, according First CRISPR study inside
in “a scientifically designed cific requirements for el-
manner with compassion.”
zoos are totally different in non. Some zoos were un- the body to start in U.S.
“I think that circuses and to AZA spokesman Rob Ver-
the purpose,” he said. “... able to afford the require- By MARILYNN MARCHIONE
Ours is based in education, ments, which included AP Chief Medical Writer
conservation, scientific ad- putting barriers between Patients are about to be
vancement.” keepers and elephants. enrolled in the first study to
The elephants are a favor- The standards also require test a gene-editing tech-
ite, so the zoo in Milwaukee zoos to have at least three nique known as CRISPR in-
and its supporters thought elephants for their psycho- side the body to try to cure
investing in the exhibit was logical comfort — the Mil- an inherited form of blind-
worth it. The Zoological So- waukee zoo is still working ness. People with the dis-
ciety of Milwaukee raised on finding more — along ease have normal eyes but
half the cost within the with specific guidelines for lack a gene that converts
community. physical and psychologi- light into signals to the brain
“I think our community said cal stimulation, and barriers that enable sight.
‘What’s a zoo without el- between elephants and The experimental treat-
ephants?’ and they were caretakers for their safety. ment aims to supply kids
absolutely committed to “It is the quality of the and adults with a healthy This April 12, 2018 file photo shows the eye of a woman in New
making sure we could have overall programmatic ap- version of the gene they York. Patients are about to be enrolled in the first study to test
and keep elephants here proach to good elephant lack, using a tool that cuts gene editing inside the body to try to cure an inherited form of
blindness.
or “edits” DNA in a specific Associated Press
spot. It’s intended as a one- changes to future genera- CRISPR has captivated sci-
time treatment that perma- tions. The DNA changes in entists because it’s a very
nently alters the person’s adults that the new study simple way to do gene
native DNA. aims to make will not be in- editing, although it’s so
This gene editing in people herited by any offspring. new that its risks are not
after birth is different from Only one other company, fully known. But researchers
the controversial work a Sangamo Therapeutics, believe it has great poten-
Chinese scientist did last has tried gene editing in- tial to cure or treat many
year — altering the DNA side the body, to treat met- diseases caused by gene
of embryos at conception abolic diseases using a tool flaws that have no good
in a way that can pass the called zinc fingers. treatments now. q