Keep Elephants Out of Chicago: Say NO to Brookfield Zoo
The Issue
Sign this petition to ban cruel elephant captivity and stop elephants from coming back to Chicago. This petition requests three immediate actions:
1) sign the petition,
2) contact Brookfield’s Zoo’s Governance Board, and
3) demand your state and local officials ban zoo elephant captivity in Illinois.
In 2009, Brookfield Zoo's last two African elephants, Affie and Christy, died within months of each other due to health issues worsened by harsh winters and concrete confinement. The back-to-back tragedies ignited public protests, and Brookfield Zoo returned its remaining leased elephant back to Six Flags in 2010. Now Brookfield plans to display elephants again. Under its "Next Century" plan, Brookfield Zoo is actively planning to bring elephants back to Chicago.
Elephants are native to regions where temperatures rarely fall below 55°F, which is why the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (the zoo's governing body) mandates that elephants be kept in temperatures of at least 55°F, and not exposed to temperatures below 40°F for more than 60 minutes. But for more than six months every year, Chicago is just too cold for an elephant to survive outside without risking frostbite, hypothermia, and death. For six months those elephants will be forced to remain indoors instead of traveling up to 30 miles per day as they do in the wild.
This isn't conservation. Elephants used for display and entertainment are still actively captured from the wild because captive populations are simply dying out faster than they are being born in captivity. The numbers don't lie. The average lifespan of an African elephant living in a zoo is 17 years. In the wild they live to 60 years or more. Keeping elephants in zoos isn't conservation; it's a death sentence.
Three Pearls Charities Inc. inquired about Brookfield’s elephant plan, requesting information about how many elephants will be kept in the Gateway to Africa exhibit, elephant breeding plans, and where Brookfield’s new elephants will come from.
Brookfield Zoo responded that they:
are “not in a position to share additional details regarding the Gateway to Africa project or elephant proposals.” “As a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, Brookfield Zoo Chicago is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).”
It is unclear whether Brookfield plans to source elephants from the wild, or from breeding programs. Brookfield did not disclose how many elephants the exhibit will hold, nor have they disclosed how the elephants on display would be repopulated over time. Although Brookfield Zoo is now building the Gateway to Africa exhibit, they have refused to disclose the details of their elephant plan.
Traveling elephant acts are already banned in Illinois under SB 1342, but a legal loophole allows for elephant captivity at zoos. Protections for elephants in Illinois must be expanded. Tell your officials to ban elephant captivity, not just in traveling elephant acts but also in zoos. Elephants should not be held captive in a climate that cannot possibly sustain them. Furthermore, seeing a live elephant is not necessary for educational purposes. Children are fascinated by dinosaurs, but have never met one in person. Captive elephant displays are not required for conservation, nor for education.
Please speak up. Tell Brookfield Zoo and your representatives:
NO ELEPHANTS IN ILLINOIS.
Please sign and share this petition.
114
The Issue
Sign this petition to ban cruel elephant captivity and stop elephants from coming back to Chicago. This petition requests three immediate actions:
1) sign the petition,
2) contact Brookfield’s Zoo’s Governance Board, and
3) demand your state and local officials ban zoo elephant captivity in Illinois.
In 2009, Brookfield Zoo's last two African elephants, Affie and Christy, died within months of each other due to health issues worsened by harsh winters and concrete confinement. The back-to-back tragedies ignited public protests, and Brookfield Zoo returned its remaining leased elephant back to Six Flags in 2010. Now Brookfield plans to display elephants again. Under its "Next Century" plan, Brookfield Zoo is actively planning to bring elephants back to Chicago.
Elephants are native to regions where temperatures rarely fall below 55°F, which is why the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (the zoo's governing body) mandates that elephants be kept in temperatures of at least 55°F, and not exposed to temperatures below 40°F for more than 60 minutes. But for more than six months every year, Chicago is just too cold for an elephant to survive outside without risking frostbite, hypothermia, and death. For six months those elephants will be forced to remain indoors instead of traveling up to 30 miles per day as they do in the wild.
This isn't conservation. Elephants used for display and entertainment are still actively captured from the wild because captive populations are simply dying out faster than they are being born in captivity. The numbers don't lie. The average lifespan of an African elephant living in a zoo is 17 years. In the wild they live to 60 years or more. Keeping elephants in zoos isn't conservation; it's a death sentence.
Three Pearls Charities Inc. inquired about Brookfield’s elephant plan, requesting information about how many elephants will be kept in the Gateway to Africa exhibit, elephant breeding plans, and where Brookfield’s new elephants will come from.
Brookfield Zoo responded that they:
are “not in a position to share additional details regarding the Gateway to Africa project or elephant proposals.” “As a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, Brookfield Zoo Chicago is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).”
It is unclear whether Brookfield plans to source elephants from the wild, or from breeding programs. Brookfield did not disclose how many elephants the exhibit will hold, nor have they disclosed how the elephants on display would be repopulated over time. Although Brookfield Zoo is now building the Gateway to Africa exhibit, they have refused to disclose the details of their elephant plan.
Traveling elephant acts are already banned in Illinois under SB 1342, but a legal loophole allows for elephant captivity at zoos. Protections for elephants in Illinois must be expanded. Tell your officials to ban elephant captivity, not just in traveling elephant acts but also in zoos. Elephants should not be held captive in a climate that cannot possibly sustain them. Furthermore, seeing a live elephant is not necessary for educational purposes. Children are fascinated by dinosaurs, but have never met one in person. Captive elephant displays are not required for conservation, nor for education.
Please speak up. Tell Brookfield Zoo and your representatives:
NO ELEPHANTS IN ILLINOIS.
Please sign and share this petition.
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Petition created on June 25, 2026