Paul thrills a crowd of 40,000-plus as he performs at B.C. Place on Sunday night.
EDMONTON - We should have known that Sir Paul McCartney loves Lucy — he sang backup to John Lennon on Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.
But now the former Beatle, in Edmonton for sold-out concerts Wednesday and Thursday at Rexall Place, is proving it by lending his support to the Valley Zoo’s namesake, a 37-year-old elephant.
The musician and animal rights activist has granted permission for representatives from the organization Voice for Animals to set up a display at the arena both days advertising the plight of the pachyderm that advocates would like to see removed and sent to a sanctuary in a warmer climate where she can enjoy the companionship of other elephants.
“It is really nice to get that kind of support from someone like him,” said Tove Reece, executive director of Edmonton-based Voice for Animals. “They don’t come much bigger than Paul McCartney.”
For years, animal-rights activists have been working to free Lucy. Former Oilers defenceman Georges Laraque and retired TV host Bob Barker each offered to donate $100,000 to the City of Edmonton if it agreed to move the animal to friendlier surroundings. In addition, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Zoocheck Canada and Voice for Animals have launched legal challenges as part of a campaign.
Advocates say Lucy suffers from arthritis, obesity, chronic foot ailments and upper-respiratory problems — all of which are aggravated by Alberta’s frigid climate. They also complain that she is kept in an inadequate space, all by herself, at the Edmonton zoo.
Reece said PETA has also been given permission to set up an exhibit at both shows, the first the 70-year-old rock star has ever played in Edmonton. PETA will be advertising its Meat-Free Monday initiative.
Reece said she has been working for a while to seek approval from McCartney, who has previously taken a high-profile stance against seal hunting in Canada.
“The most important thing for us is to get information out there and to get support for Lucy,” Reece said. “Other zoos are waking up to the fact that they can’t keep elephants, but we are stuck here.”
On Tuesday, Toronto city council voted to transfer the Toronto Zoo’s three elephants to a sanctuary in California before the end of this year.
In the same motion, Toronto council also called on Edmonton to take immediate action to move Lucy to a warmer climate as soon as possible.For now, however, Lucy remains at a zoo on the North Saskatchewan River, without tangerine trees or marmalade skies.
The musician and animal rights activist has granted permission for representatives from the organization Voice for Animals to set up a display at the arena both days advertising the plight of the pachyderm that advocates would like to see removed and sent to a sanctuary in a warmer climate where she can enjoy the companionship of other elephants.
“It is really nice to get that kind of support from someone like him,” said Tove Reece, executive director of Edmonton-based Voice for Animals. “They don’t come much bigger than Paul McCartney.”
For years, animal-rights activists have been working to free Lucy. Former Oilers defenceman Georges Laraque and retired TV host Bob Barker each offered to donate $100,000 to the City of Edmonton if it agreed to move the animal to friendlier surroundings. In addition, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Zoocheck Canada and Voice for Animals have launched legal challenges as part of a campaign.
Advocates say Lucy suffers from arthritis, obesity, chronic foot ailments and upper-respiratory problems — all of which are aggravated by Alberta’s frigid climate. They also complain that she is kept in an inadequate space, all by herself, at the Edmonton zoo.
Reece said PETA has also been given permission to set up an exhibit at both shows, the first the 70-year-old rock star has ever played in Edmonton. PETA will be advertising its Meat-Free Monday initiative.
Reece said she has been working for a while to seek approval from McCartney, who has previously taken a high-profile stance against seal hunting in Canada.
“The most important thing for us is to get information out there and to get support for Lucy,” Reece said. “Other zoos are waking up to the fact that they can’t keep elephants, but we are stuck here.”
On Tuesday, Toronto city council voted to transfer the Toronto Zoo’s three elephants to a sanctuary in California before the end of this year.
In the same motion, Toronto council also called on Edmonton to take immediate action to move Lucy to a warmer climate as soon as possible.For now, however, Lucy remains at a zoo on the North Saskatchewan River, without tangerine trees or marmalade skies.
That Hippie Penny Lane
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario