Update: Indu the elephant is gone — but we will not let her be forgotten.

Stolen from the wild as a baby and forced to live nearly 60 years in captivity, the zoo chose to end her life behind closed doors and Indu died alone despite years of public pressure to send her to sanctuary.

This cannot happen again. We now demand:

• The Phoenix Zoo publicly release all medical records and details leading to Indu’s euthanasia decision.
• The Phoenix Zoo be barred from keeping elephants or other large, social, intelligent mammals in the future.
• Arizona lawmakers or city officials investigate the Phoenix Zoo’s treatment of Indu and consider regulations to prevent solitary confinement and mistreatment of zoo animals.
• The zoo partner with accredited sanctuaries moving forward instead of defaulting to euthanasia for aging animals.

Justice for Indu!

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Indu, a 59-year-old Asian elephant, has spent nearly six decades in captivity after being stolen from the wild as a baby. For the past 26 years, she’s been alone at the Phoenix Zoo, confined to a barren enclosure with no deep pool, no soft ground, and no protection from Arizona’s scorching sun. Her only companions, Reba and Sheena, died years ago — and now, tragically, Indu is the last one left.

And what’s the zoo’s plan? Not to give her the peace and freedom she deserves in the twilight of her life — but to kill her. Reports reveal the Phoenix Zoo may soon euthanize Indu and cut her body in half just to dispose of her remains more easily. This is not dignity. This is not compassion. This is cruelty.

Indu has suffered long enough. After nearly 60 years of isolation, she deserves to know what it feels like to walk on grass, splash in deep water, and maybe, for the first time in her life, bond with other elephants again.

She still has time. But only if we act now.

More than 22,000 people have already called for Indu to be released to a reputable sanctuary. Instead, the zoo has announced it will close its elephant exhibit after Indu dies, suggesting they’re simply waiting for her to pass, or worse, planning to take her life.

We cannot let that happen in silence.

We demand that the Phoenix Zoo:

• Immediately halt all plans to euthanize Indu;
• Provide her with emergency relief from the heat, including deep shade and misters;
• And transfer her to a legitimate, accredited elephant sanctuary where she can live out her remaining years in peace and dignity.

Indu’s life matters. Her story is not over. Please help us write a better ending.

Sign this petition and share it widely — before it’s too late.

Photo:Christina Estes/KJZZ