Mexico’s Supreme Court orders zoo to improve conditions for Ely the elephant

Mexico’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a zoo to improve the health of an African elephant named Ely, the first time the country’s highest court has made such a move in favor of an animal.

Mexico’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a zoo to improve the health of an African elephant named Ely, the first time the country’s highest court has made such a move in favor of an animal. The court ordered that there be “a constant improvement of her health and physical condition.” The decision by a panel of four justices upheld a lower court’s order last year in Ely’s favor and experts believe it could set a precedent in Mexico recognizing that animals have rights. Advocates have argued that Ely suffered from depression, especially since the death of Maggie, the other elephant sharing her habitat, in 2016, as well as illnesses she suffered in captivity. Ely would bang against the walls of her enclosure and lost weight. Her defenders called her “the world’s saddest elephant.” That was when Diana Valencia, founder and director of the animal rights group Opening Cages and Opening Minds, met Ely.