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Group says lawsuit likely in fight to move Lucy the elephant from Edmonton zoo

An animals rights group says it is pushing ahead with a lawsuit aimed at forcing zoo officials in Edmonton to move an aging female elephant.
Lucy
Bob Barker

EDMONTON — An animals rights group says it is pushing ahead with a lawsuit aimed at forcing zoo officials in Edmonton to move an aging female elephant.

Zoocheck Canada had given the Valley Zoo a deadline to provide clear proof that Lucy the elephant is too sick to be moved to a California sanctuary where she can be with other elephants.

But Zoocheck’s Julie Woodyear says the zoo has provided nothing of substance, so the next step is to have the group’s lawyers prepare a lawsuit.

Woodyear says the lawsuit will contend that the city is violating Alberta’s Animal Protection Act by keeping a social animal in what amounts to solitary confinement.

The Lucy saga has been making headlines for months after former “Price is Right” host Bob Barker visited Edmonton to plead with zoo officials to allow the elephant to be moved.

Zoo officials announced last month that they had developed a treatment program for Lucy based on a report by a veterinary consultant in San Diego.