A plan to move the city's three elephants to an unaccredited animal sanctuary in California is being reconsidered on Thursday after zoo associations in the U.S. and Canada threatened to blackball the Toronto Zoo.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums and its Canadian counterpart, the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums, have threatened to strip the facility of its accreditation if it proceeds with its plan to move the animals to the site.
The AZA, which does not accredit the Paws sanctuary, called the decision to ship the three elephants to the park "troubling," adding that once ownership of the elephants was relinquished "the Zoo and the people of Toronto will have no say, ever again, in how its elephants are treated."
In a letter to the zoo board, the CAZA said the decision "has raised serious questions to the accreditation standards maintained by the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums and therefore to Toronto Zoo's accreditation."
The Toronto Zoo's board of directors voted in October to move Toka, Thika and Iringa to the Paws animal sanctuary instead of a zoo in the U.S.
If the Toronto Zoo lost its AZA accreditation it would no longer be able to borrow animals from other accredited facilities. About 175 of Toronto's zoo animals are currently on loan from other facilities.
Coun. Glenn de Baeremaker says the AZA's letter was an empty threat, adding that other zoos have sent their elephants to a sanctuary without having their accreditation pulled.
The decision will be discussed during a meeting on Thursday.
With a report from CTV Toronto's Natalie Johnson
