Why does anyone think that it is practical to have an African elephant in Anchorage? Anyone visiting the Alaska Zoo in the winter is sickened from the smell of excrement when they visit Maggie, the zoo's lone elephant. If you dare to enter the small building she lives in, you just take a peek. Only the strong-stomached visitor can even get past the door opening.
I'm glad to see the letter to the editor on Jan. 9 brings the truth out ("Maggie needs other elephant pals, not prison exercise equipment"). Lately all the media tout is the treadmill that Maggie stands on. Television and photos are about as close as most would ever want to come to this elephant. Isn't there a zoo with better facilities that could care for her? It would be fun to go on vacation to visit her in a warm climate in the open air.
---- V. Lynn Leinon / Anchorage | 
