The death of Kashin the elephant has cast a pall over the country today.
Many, many people - not just Aucklanders - have fond memories of the gentle beast who was the mascot of ASB bank and a treasured piggy bank for a generation.
The outpouring of grief has been pretty staggering, but let's spare a thought for Kashin's pal, Burma. At only 26, Burma's got a good few years left; elephants can live up to anywhere between 50 and 70 years old in captivity.
Here at the Y!X office, we've been putting our heads together on what we think would be the best thing for Burma and if our chats are anything to go by, opinion is clearly divided on the subject.
Should Auckland Zoo use this opportunity to phase out the keeping of large animals in captivity? Surely by getting another elephant in to keep Burma company, they're just perpetuating the cycle of keeping beasts in cages solely for our pleasure?
But others felt that Kashin had been a valuable part of their childhood, helping them learn about elephants and giving them the chance to get up close to a beast they never would have seen otherwise.
Judging by the prelimary results of our daily poll, many of you feel the same, with well over half voting that yes, it's fair to keep animals in zoos because it's important to learn about them.
One colleague had a cracking idea - why not team Burma up with another lonely pachyderm, Jumbo? SAFE recently had their knuckles rapped for claiming that he was stressed, but there's no denying that these are herd animals in the wild who don't benefit from flying solo in captivity.
Auckland Zoo staff are already hard at work looking for a companion for Burma and deciding what should be done with Kashin's remains (perhaps she should be stuffed, as suggested by Breakfast's Ali Mau?).
Whatever happens, they're adamant that they have their animals' best interests at heart - and have even closed the zoo for today to mourn the loss of their largest resident.
Feel free to share your stories of Kashin below, or on our message board.
Comments
Although I can understand people views against keeping animals in zoos, I feel that it is a good thing in that it goes a long way towards the education of the plight these animal face in the wild. Most people would not be able to afford to see these wonderful animals in their natural environment. By being able to see them in the flesh, you tend to bond with them more, so tend to want to help them in some way. I don't think you would get that response from a photo.
Aug 25 11:15 amI would like to see Burma paired with a baby elephant so that she can show her maternal side.
Aug 25 11:16 amAuckland Zoo is not the concrete & bars of old. The Elephant enclosure is massive & they are stimulated by working around the zoo amongst other things. The people who are against zoos would appear to prefer letting animals become 'fully extinct' than 'extinct in the wild'. So long as zoos have robust stimulus programmes & appropriate enclosures, I am happy to see animals kept there. It was nice to see Kashin in a more natural environment than their old place & I
Aug 25 02:04 pmAn ELEPHANT died for god's sake. How about the babies that have been killed in Auckland recently? Not worth a mention, not worth discussing.. eh!
Aug 25 03:07 pmMaybe they could get the elephant that needs a home from the circus
Aug 25 03:08 pm