KTUU.com | Alaska's news and information source | Barker lends fame, finances moving Maggie
Member Center:
by Steve MacDonald
Monday, Aug. 27, 2007
ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- An animal sanctuary has enhanced its bid to relocate Maggie, Alaska's lone African elephant, to northern California.
This morning, the Performing Animal Welfare Society, better known as PAWS, came to Anchorage and delivered its offer for Maggie in person. The group also brought in a well-known celebrity to make the pitch.
PAWS wants Maggie to come live on its 100-acre sanctuary in Galt, Calif., and has offered an all-expenses-paid trip. PAWS describes its sanctuary as "elephant heaven," with 100 acres of trees, ponds and mud.
The well known animal rights group also flew in former "The Price is Right" host Bob Barker to lend some star power to its message.
PAWS co-founder Ed Stewart said moving Maggie is a deal the zoo should not pass up, and Barker reiterated that message in a press conference.
"Moving Maggie to PAWS will not cost the zoo or the tax payers of this city one penny. Not a cent. So the price is right," Barker said.
Barker's presence in Anchorage seemed to sweeten the deal even more. The animal rights advocates said the move to California will not only be good for Maggie's health, but also a financial boom for the Alaska Zoo.
"One of PAWS benefactors is going to make a contribution of $100,000 to the zoo. And the zoo's board of directors can use that $100,000 anyway it sees fit," Barker said.
Barker isn't just lending his celebrity to the cause. He too is ready to open his wallet.
"I agreed to make a $750,000 contribution to PAWS' sanctuary in California for the specific purpose of making life as good as possible for Maggie," Barker said.
Barker said he became interested in Maggie's situation several months ago.
"I received a letter at the studio from someone here in Anchorage who was concerned about Maggie," Barker said.
Maggie collapsed twice earlier this year. Alaska Zoo officials said it was due to a bout of colic.
Alaska Zoo Director Pat Lampi said the board of directors is not ready to make a decision on Maggie's relocation, and the public will have to wait a bit longer to find out whether or not PAWS' offer is good enough.
"It's a very generous offer that PAWS made," Lampi said. "We have one more site visit that another facility is doing to find out what their response is after seeing and visiting Maggie."
Lampi won't divulge the name of that facility and will only say that the visit will be soon.
He hopes the board will make its decision on Maggie's future home shortly thereafter.
With the news conference complete, Barker went to the zoo to meet the object of his affections for the first time.
Maggie is healing well and seems energized, Barker said.
"Happy to see her on her feet for one thing and moving around the way she is," Barker said.
Barker said he'll be even happier if someday soon he sees Maggie roaming around a sanctuary in California.
Lampi said he expects to get a lot more public pressure once news of PAWS' offer begins to circulate.
Once it's decided where Maggie will go, it's not known how long it will take her to get ready to move Outside. Stewart said he's had elephants trained to enter a crate for shipping in three days. He's said he's also seen that process take up to three months.
He said it would be completely up to Maggie to decide when she would be ready. In fact, Stewart calls it elephant time.
But if the zoo decides that paws is the place for Maggie, she would be with 11 other elephants that call the sanctuary home.
Contact Steve MacDonald at stevem@ktuu.com
