Reader comments
Party marks 49th birthday for elephant at Hogle Zoo

please let her go to an elephant reserve where she can roam free during the final days of her life.

let all the animals GO!! how would you feel if you were locked in a cage all day :(

The animals in zoos are well cared for and safer than out in the wild. Sue and Yea! and just people who don't see all possibilities!

This is great! Thanks Desert news for sharing such cute photos. We love them.

Happy Birthday, Dari!
For you critics, understand that Hogle's Elephant Encounter is one of the very best elephant exhibits in the nation. If it's not good enough for you, here's an idea -- don't go! Just leave the zoo alone so the rest of us, who love it, can enjoy it.

While it is true elephants face risk in the wild, that doesn't mean we give up on them and build captive populations. 10% of the millions that the zoo industry spends on elephant enclosures can go a long way for true conservation in wild by financing anti-poaching patrols and buying land such as Gorongosa, Mozambique project.