PETA Statement re Mali the Elephant

The taxidermied body of Mali, the “world’s saddest elephant,” who died in 2023 after being kept in solitary captivity for nearly 50 years at the Manila Zoo, has been transferred to the National  Museum, where her exhibit will soon be unveiled. For years, PETA and other animal advocates worldwide pleaded for Mali’s release to a sanctuary where she could have enjoyed the company of other elephants and received long-overdue veterinary care for painful foot problems and other ailments—but PETA’s pleas were rejected by government officials.

Please see the following statement from PETA Asia President Jason Baker:

There are many things to celebrate about Manila, but Mali’s confinement and death are not among them. Had the government not blocked her transfer, Mali could have lived out her days in a sanctuary, bonding with other elephants and getting the care she desperately needed. Now, her preserved body at the National Museum will serve as a stark reminder that no elephant should be forced to suffer as she did. Confining animals to tiny, barren enclosures should be relegated to the history books, and PETA stands ready to shutter the Manila Zoo and move the surviving animals to a reputable facility. Until then, PETA urges everyone to honor Mali’s memory by avoiding the Manila Zoo and any other zoo as if more lives depended on it, because they do.