Animal Rights Group to Pittsburgh Zoo: 'Release your elephants'

An animal rights group has filed a lawsuit against the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium and is demanding the zoo release its elephants. The Nonhuman Rights Project filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit in Pennsylvania, arguing that five elephants held in captivity are exhibiting signs of psychological and physical distress. Video evidence shows behaviors such as swaying and head-bobbing which the group says are signs of trauma. Two of the elephants, Victoria and Zuri, are scheduled to be transferred to a breeding facility in Alabama within days. Advocates are urging a judge to block the move, claiming it would forcibly separate the animals from their social bonds—something that would never occur in the wild.