Happy the Elephant was a tourist favorite in the Bronx Zoo. She was said to be a 50-year-old Asian Elephant who loved her visitors. Bronx Zoo workers often claimed that she was, like her name, always happy and very intelligent. She usually spent her days playing in the small pond and wrapping her trunk around trees in her exhibit (New York Times).
Happy was captured and imported to the United States in the 1970s, from Thailand, along with six other elephant calves from her herd. They were known as the seven dwarfs and were named Happy, Sleepy, Grumpy, Sneezy, Doc, Dopey, and Bashful. While the other four calves were sent to circuses and zoos across the United States, Happy and Grumpy were sent to the Bronx Zoo, to be the main attractions in the Wild Asia Monorail exhibit. After Grumpy was attacked by two other elephants held in captivity, zookeepers separated them; leaving Happy to be “The Bronx Zooʼs Loneliest Elephant”, according to zoo director, Jim Breheny. Although she lives without an elephant companionship, she remains playful and lively (Nonhuman Rights Project).
Unfortunately, she was reported missing by many visitors after two weeks of not being seen in her exhibit. The Bronx Zoo has made many efforts to locate Happy, including bringing in animal control and local law enforcement. Many volunteers from animal welfare organizations are joining the search by reviewing surveillance footage of Happy in her exhibit. Many false reports of Happy’s reappearance have been claimed, making it more difficult for rescuers to succeed in the search. Happy’s disappearance worried the director of the Nonhuman Rights Project, Courtney Fern. Her team began scouring social media, looking for news about Happy the Elephant on various platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. After two months of the search, Happy still has not been found.
Zoo workers claim that if Happy is found, she can return safely to her habitat in the Bronx Zoo. However, Happy’s disappearance has raised many concerns about animals kept in captivity. The Bronx Zoo team and many New Yorkers are worried about putting Happy back into her enclosure and what will happen when she is alone again. If Happy is currently in an urban environment, a transition back into her exhibit at the zoo could have serious negative effects on her mental health. Many argue that animals should be left in the wild and not forced into an enclosure that doesn’t reflect their natural habitats. In June 2022, there was a legal battle for Happy. However, the New York State Court of Appeals rejected a lawsuit to free Happy the Elephant from the Bronx Zoo.
The question still remains: What happened to Happy?
How would you feel if your pet went missing?
