Care and Management

For PAWS to responsibly provide quality, long-term care to the growing number of animals at our sanctuaries, it is vitally important for the organization to be financially strong, now, and well into the future. In order to ensure financial stability, an important component of all rescues must include provisions for permanent housing and lifetime care. The following are direct costs of habitat construction and lifetime care for some species.

ELEPHANTS
Elephants are highly sensitive, intelligent animals who rely on an intact, functioning social order to prevent stress and maintain normal physical and mental health. Profound disruptions in routine and changes in environment and companions can cause trauma to individual elephants.

The removal of an individual elephant from familiar surroundings and companions is a highly traumatic experience which can cause physical and psychological problems and, occasionally, death. All proposed elephant moves should be carefully studied and alternative solutions explored before a final decision is made to relocate individual elephants.

If a situation requires removal of an elephant to provide a better quality of life, careful planning and coordination of effort is essential. Trailer training before transport is critical for the safety of the elephant, and may take months to achieve. Our veterinarian must be given an opportunity to consult with the elephant’s veterinarians to assess their ability to travel and to develop a program of veterinary care. Once the elephant is moved to PAWS, extra keeping staff is on duty twenty-four hours a day to monitor acclimation to environment and socialization with the other elephants. Additional construction is often necessary to facilitate the process and should be completed before the elephant is moved.

General care and feeding costs per elephant:

• Care and feeding of one healthy elephant—approximately $60,000 annually
• Care of an aged or unhealthy elephant can escalate to $100,000 annually
• Trailer training and transportation for one elephant—approximately $15,000 to $40,000, depending on the distance traveled and amount of time for training

Our ARK 2000 facility has two elephant barns, one Asian, one African. The barns are 20,000 sq. ft. in size and each barn can house up to ten elephants. Barns are equipped with hydraulic gates, indoor pools, restraint devices for veterinary procedures, heated concrete floors, spacious sleeping stalls and pipe hallways for introduction and socialization of new elephants. The Asian elephant barn contains dirt sleeping stalls specially designed for older elephants with foot and joint problems.

One hundred acres of natural habitat is currently fenced for elephants. The habitat contains large oak and other native trees, grass, rocks, native brush and two large lakes with hundreds of acres for future expansion.

COST COMPARISON
Los Angeles Zoo is proposing construction of approximately three acres of habitat at a cost of over $35,000,000. Most zoo budgets for construction of elephant enclosures exceed $10,000,000.

BEARS:

• Food and general care for one healthy bear --- approximately  $20,000 annually
• Habitat construction—one acre fenced-- approximately $100,000
• Den and smaller holding area --  approximately  $50,000
• Pool—approximately  $50,000
• Veterinary care—approximately  $5,000 annually

LARGE FELINES:

• Food and general care for one healthy feline—approximately $18,000 annually
• Habitat construction—one acre fenced—approximately $150,000
• Den and smaller holding area—approximately $75,000
• Pool—approximately $50,000
• Veterinary care-- $5,000 to $8,000 annually

SMALLER FELINES:

• Food and general care for one healthy feline—approximately $10,000 annually
• Habitat construction—6,000 sq. ft. – approximately $ 50,000
• Den and smaller holding area—approximately $25,000
• Small pool—approximately $10,000
• Veterinary care-- $3,000 annually

SMALL PRIMATES:

• Food and general care for one healthy primate---approximately $8,000 annually
• Habitat construction—8,000 sq. ft.—approximately  $80,000
• Indoor housing and heating--- approximately  $50,000
• Landscaping and climbing structures--- approximately $15,000
• Veterinary care- $3,000 - $5,000 annually