Center for Animal Law Studies addresses need for clear public policy

Pamela Frasch, executive director of the Center for Animal Law Studies, responds to the recent birth of a calf to an elephant named Rose-Tu at the Oregon Zoo. After a flurry of media attention about Rose-Tu’s initial rejection of her calf, many question whether her unusual behavior has anything to do with the abuse she suffered as a calf in 2000, brought on by an Oregon Zoo handler. Although the handler was fired from the zoo, the district attorney initially refused to prosecute him because of an anti-cruelty statute requiring proof of the animal’s pain from the animal. Though the Legislature eventually passed a law (written by Lewis & Clark graduate and ALDF executive director, Stephan Otto) erasing the subjective pain measure to determine animal cruelty, Frasch urges the public to remember Rose-Tu’s complex history  at the zoo: “As we continue to evolve in our willingness to consider the interests of animals when making policy or passing laws, let’s remember Rose-Tu and her calf,” Frasch writes.

The Oregonian (Portland, Ore.) The legal lesson of Rose-Tu and her calf

6 October 2008

• animal law
• Center for Animal Law Studies
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