LA approves a $39 million dollar enclosure for elephants

Originally Posted by LeHah

If you're such a philanthropist, why aren't you working in a soup kitchen? People who piss and moan about how the homeless or some other unvoiced minority need to get over themselves and actually go out and do something about the shit they complain about; those of us with brains don't tolerate your crap.

Hey man. You n ever know if he actually does.

We're talking about $39 MILLION dollars being spent on a trio of elephants who are elderly and sickly, apparently.

I am an animal lover. I am all for animal rights, protecting animals, so on and so forth. But I think that if the elephants are in any kind of danger (which I assume they must be if the city is willing to allot $39 million to a new enclosure for them and according to the article), perhaps they should be moved to a new facility which can better provide for them. Like, you know, the mentioned sanctuary?

$39 million for an enclosure is a lot of money. I agree that it could be better spent on something else. I'm not saying to IGNORE the elephants and their current enclosure - I just can't fathom it costing so fucking much.

It's pretty clear this is a HUGE waste of money. I'm not an LA citizen, so I can't say what it should be spent on - the homeless, the transit (from what I hear, you guys have some fucked up traffic), the whatever.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by LeHah

Yeah, how dare the government spend my tax dollars! Especially if it does me no good!

Are you seriously arguing that $39 million dollars on three elephants who are sick and old is a good investment of taxpayer dollars, or are you just trying to be controversial, Pie?

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by LeHah

Oh, thank you, Alan Greenspan. Care to draw us a fucking pie chart now?

39 million is a lot of money, yeah. But I'd rather it have a fucking use than have it end up in some shitty public restoration project in an attempt to being "arts to inner city youths". The elephants would appreciate that more than some idiot kids who'd spray paint all over the newly painted walls of some inner city housing project.

Like I said - since I am not a resident in the city, I can not identify the larger problems in LA. I am sure the citizens can think of something better than an elephant enclosure for 3 sick old elephants, though.

The elephants should really be sent to a sanctuary.

I know you're not big on public services and all, but I don't know why you're assuming it would go to a public youth house or some shit. The city sounds like the pits of HELL to me already. Couldn't pay me to live there. Which is why I feel for these poor elephants. ;_;

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Skipping the obvious joke that you SHOULD know what it costs to house an elephant given your size ... how would you know how much it costs?

Because I spent only about a million on my enclosure. ^_^

No, seriously. If every enclosure in a zoo cost even $30 million to build, it would costs BILLIONS by the time you got done with every enclosure in a zoo. And I am pretty sure that most zoos renovate their enclosures fairly regularly. Its basic upkeep, you know.

I am just saying $39 million doesn't sound right. I am not a zoo auditor, sure. But I really doubt it would be so costly. Unless, of course, the elephants are literally living in shambles right now - which I can't imagine anyone would allow. (And would only further my point that they should be sent to a sanctuary.)

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It's not like we all have gazelles and shit running through our yards or that we have experience with housing large wild animals. We can't quantify the cost of the housing against anything because, well, what experience do you have to speak of?

Logic, my dear, says that if elephants (THREE OF THEM - NOT a herd) are getting sickly, growing "elderly," and have the potential to suffer the diseases and ailments mentioned in the article, that it would be BEST to send them to a sanctuary in order for them to live out the rest of their lives as best as possible.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by LeHah

Oh, you mean like the ones in Africa where the poachers are smart enough to cross the sanctuary lines and kill the animal before dragging it back into "free" territory?

O LeHah. You have no idea what a sanctuary is, do you.

Who even mentioned Africa. *sigh*

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Well, I don't think much of urban lifestyle, especially in a fuckcave like LA. No one has any respect for anything out there. I mean, yeah, Connecticut has some fucking issues but we keep our problems in Bridgeport.

Yadda yadda ghetto yadda.

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Thats the reasons zoos across the nation are closing with alarming regularity. The costs to maintain are going up every year and they're forced to resorting to money drives like they're PBS.

This is true enough. But I think patronage has also fallen quite noticeably in the past 20 years. I am not an expert, though. And zoos, I THOUGHT, were privately funded AND state funded.

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Obviously, the zoo disagrees with you.

I don't think its the zoo so much as LA politicians.

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And between you and me, I'd trust the zoo more. I wouldn't ask a plumber how to get the best cut of meat when I have a butcher shop just down the road.

Good thing you don't live in LA, then!

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I already pointed out what the problem is with your sanctuary idea earlier.

Except there are thousands of sanctuaries for every kind of animal in the United States of America. Not Africa.

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And I'm sure that when these old elephants die, the zoo will find a new use for the facility. It's not like they'll just leave it empty.

They'll have to renovate it all over again if it's going to be for any other animal than an elephant, sir.

And judging from the way they KEEP their elephants, I would never recommend it. Besides. LA is no place for an elephant. Even in the zoo. But now, I am getting my personal ideals involved, so.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by LeHah

They can't live in the wild because they've lived in captivity their whole lives. And even if you wanted to do that, imagine the shipping cost ("Uh, FEDEX? I have 3 elephants that need to be sent to Africa on 2-Day Air...")

You're definitely right on this point.

Once you raise and elephant in captivity or even associate it with relying on another source apart from themselves for a time, they will never make it in the wild again.

But thats okay. These elephants are knocking on the door of death anyhow.

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The problem is that theres really not too many options because they're old. The best bet the zoo can have is if they make this expensive new habitat have the capacity to be easily changed for other animals, so when the elephants do die off, the zoo can put the "cage" to immedeate use for other animals.

SANC.TU.ARY. ;_;

Also, they don't make sanctuaries into zoos because they are sanctuaries, baby. Do you get the difference? Its like a rest home for animals.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by LeHah

But... I want to see them

Then you go to a zoo, where you pay admission to see a bunch of caged animals. You can see elephants down in Providence, I believe.

Or you could just watch the National Geographic channel once in a while. ^_^

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Niekon

just donate them to Disney's Animal Kingdom... they have lots of room in which they can roam freely and get fed daily. Simple... minus the transportation costs, preparation for the move, acclimating them to their new surroundings.

If this were feasible (I know nothing about Animal Kingdom and how they treat their animals - it SOUNDS like these elephants may not do so well in a theme park at their age and with any ailments), the cost of hauling the elephants down there would be under $39 million, I am PRETTY SURE.

But the travel itself would be hazardous to the animals' health. Something on the west coast would probably be ideal. But then, Animal Kingdom could be on the West Coast. I am unsure. But travel should be minimal.

FELIPE NO