Council dissent over elephant

Jumbo the African circus elephant will visit Dunedin, despite the protests of some city councillors upset at the animal's treatment.

The 35-year-old elephant will arrive with the travelling Loritz Circus for shows over Easter, after yesterday being granted an exemption from Dunedin City Council rules banning exotic animals from council-owned reserves.

That was despite objections from Cr Teresa Stevenson, who argued councillors should take "an ethical or moral stance" against the elephant's inclusion in the circus show.

"This is not their natural habitat," Cr Stevenson said. "They need larger spaces and circuses are not the right environment for them."

Cr Fliss Butcher also opposed the elephant's visit, saying the council's existing ban on exotic animals followed community consultation.

However, Cr Dave Cull, while sympathising with their views, believed something had to be done to accommodate the elephant in Dunedin.

"We have got a situation where they have got this animal.

"What are they going to do, put it in a dog kennel for the week they come to Dunedin?"

The debate followed a protest against the elephant's predicament during a visit to Queenstown in January.

The protest, organised by the Save Animals From Experiments (Safe) campaign group, aimed to highlight the animal's "stereotypic" symptoms of psychological distress.

"Jumbo sways back and forth . . . that is behaviour not seen in the wild," Safe campaign officer Sacha Dowell, of Christchurch, said at the time.

However, Loritz marketing manager Paul Johnson said when contacted yesterday Jumbo's routine had already been reduced to a walk-on, walk-off role.

Further protests or bans would only be counter-productive, he said.

The circus had established a trust fund to pay for Jumbo's eventual retirement.

Her remaining performances would help promote the fund, he said.

About $70,000 had been collected in four years, but the circus wanted to recoup its investment in a recently completed $300,000 home for Jumbo before transferring her, and the home, to a sanctuary, he said.

Jumbo also needed to be unbonded from her trainer, but it was hoped she would be placed in a sanctuary in New Zealand or overseas in about two years, he said.

"Things have moved on with circuses and we are moving with the mood," he said.