World Animal Protection Responds to USDA Complaint Outcome Over Shade for Joyce
Blog
While the outcome of the complaint does not change our concerns about the conditions these elephants endure, our position remains clear: meeting minimum legal requirements is not the same as meeting elephants’ needs.
In September, World Animal Protection filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) after aerial imagery revealed five African elephants, including Joyce, confined to a barren enclosure at Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson, New Jersey, with little to no shade during extreme summer heat.
Our complaint called on the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to investigate a potential violation of federal animal welfare regulations requiring adequate shade for animals kept outdoors. While the outcome of the complaint does not change our concerns about the conditions these elephants endure, our position remains clear: meeting minimum legal requirements is not the same as meeting elephants’ needs.
In response to the outcome, World Animal Protection issued the following statement:
“World Animal Protection stands firmly by our position that Joyce and the other elephants at Six Flags are being denied adequate shade as required by law. Unfortunately, the Animal Welfare Act sets an alarmingly low bar for animal welfare, and even those minimal standards are chronically underenforced.”
But this issue goes far beyond whether Six Flags meets the bare minimum required by law. Meeting minimum legal standards does not mean an animal is thriving—or even that their most basic needs are being met.
Joyce and the other elephants are suffering. No amusement park can come close to providing the vast space, complex social environments, and opportunities for natural behavior that elephants need to thrive. The question isn't whether Six Flags is doing just enough to comply with the law. It's why these elephants are still being forced to live in an amusement park at all.
We once again call on Six Flags to do the right thing: Release Joyce and the other elephants to a sanctuary where their needs, not entertainment or profit, come first.
Take Action for Joyce
For everyone who believes Joyce and the other elephants deserve better, we invite you to join World Animal Protection this Saturday, October 24, from 12 pm to 1 pm at 515 Monmouth Road in Jackson, New Jersey, for a peaceful protest calling on Six Flags to send these elephants to sanctuary. Signs will be provided.
Visit FreeJoyce.org to take action and help demand a better future for Joyce.