Happy the elephant is dead. For more than two decades, she lived in solitary confinement at the Bronx Zoo — isolated on concrete, hidden from the public, and denied the companionship that elephants require to survive and thrive. She was one of the first elephants ever documented to demonstrate self-recognition, evidence of advanced cognitive awareness. She deserved far better. She never knew sanctuary.

Now Patty, the last remaining elephant at the Bronx Zoo, is living the same way. Her companion Maxine died in 2018. She has been alone ever since.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums states explicitly that no elephant should live in a herd of fewer than three. The Bronx Zoo has been in violation of this standard for years — not for one elephant, but for two. Advocates, scientists, and the public have repeatedly called on the zoo to act. The zoo has repeatedly ignored them.

Patty is still alive. There is still time to do right by her.

We're calling on the Bronx Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society to transfer Patty to an accredited elephant sanctuary immediately — where she can live with space, companionship, and the dignity she has been denied for years.