For 34 years, two Asian elephants named Mari and Vaigai have lived in a 1.5-acre enclosure at the Honolulu Zoo. In the wild, Asian elephants roam up to 10 miles a day across nearly 500 miles of territory. Mari is 51 years old. Vaigai is 41. They have spent most of their lives in a space smaller than a city block, near busy streets, with inadequate shade.

The Honolulu Zoo has been named one of the 10 worst zoos in America four times by In Defense of Animals. Four times. That is not an anomaly, that is a pattern.

The Nonhuman Rights Project has now brought their case to the Hawaii Supreme Court, arguing that Mari and Vaigai — as sentient, autonomous beings — deserve the right to be freed. Whatever the court decides, the city of Honolulu does not need a legal ruling to do the right thing. It needs the will to act.

Elephant sanctuaries exist. They are designed to give animals like Mari and Vaigai the space, the social bonds, and the quality of life that a 1.5-acre urban enclosure cannot provide. The city has the authority to transfer these elephants. The question is whether it will.

We are calling on Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and the Honolulu City Council to begin the process of transferring Mari and Vaigai to an accredited elephant sanctuary, independent of the court's ruling. Thirty-four years is long enough.

Mari and Vaigai cannot speak for themselves. Sign this petition and be their voice.