Mari and Vaigai have spent most of their lives in the same small space. Mari, now 51, arrived at the Honolulu Zoo in 1982. Vaigai, now 41, came in 1992. Mayor Rick Blangiardi and the Honolulu City Council can move these two Asian elephants to a sanctuary today, without waiting for a court to decide.

Their exhibit covers about 1.5 acres. According to a legal petition filed on their behalf by the Nonhuman Rights Project, the ground there offers little cushioning for aging joints, shade is limited, and no pool is deep enough for them to bathe. In the wild, elephants travel long distances and live in large family groups. The group says a sanctuary closer to the roughly 6,400 acres wild elephants can cover would let Mari and Vaigai move, rest and bathe the way elephants are meant to.

“They can’t be elephants,” Nonhuman Rights Project attorney Jake Davis told Civil Beat.

On Nov. 9, 2026, the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court heard arguments over whether the elephants deserve a hearing on their freedom. Two lower courts have already turned the case down. During the hearing, Justice Lisa Ginoza asked whether advocates had considered going to the City Council or the mayor instead. That path is open right now.

Zoo Director John Berry has said the elephants are active, happy and bonded to each other and their keepers. A move to a sanctuary could keep the pair together while giving them the space their bodies need in their later years.

Mayor Blangiardi also wants to bring giant pandas to the zoo. Before adding new animals, city leaders can do right by the two elephants who have lived there for decades.

Sign the petition to urge Mayor Blangiardi and the Honolulu City Council to retire Mari and Vaigai to a sanctuary while they still have years left to enjoy it.