A SECOND MAJOR U.S. ZOO FREES ITS ELEPHANTS

Oddly, no major newspaper seems to see the connection (as of 10:00 tonight, anyway), but you may recall that just two weeks ago, the Detroit Zoo freed its elephants on ethical grounds, becoming the first zoo in the nation to do so. Today the San Francisco Zoo announced it's sending its two remaining elephants to a sanctuary, get this, ignoring the recommendation of the national organization that accredits it. This is interesting, as the SF Zoo was willing to ship the two elephants (two others died recently, causing the outrage and turmoil that got the zoo here) off to another zoo, but not to the ones that wanted them. So the SF Zoo defied the big boys. "I have a lot of respect for the AZA. This could jeopardize our accreditation," said the director, who has never gone against the organization before. "I'm hoping it doesn't. This is extremely serious." It is, and it may be a harbinger of revolution in clear-eyed zoo management vs. the Olde-Tyme ideals of the institution, as represented by the AZA. If we get another one of these this summer, it's definitely a trend - and a boon for elephants and justice.