The Friends of Ruth and Emily are raising $25,000 to get justice for Ruth & Emily, two Asian elephants who are held at Buttonwood Park Zoo.

We are seeking their freedom through the Endangered Species Act from the City of New Bedford, MA, owners of the Zoo.

For over 5 years, the city has refused repeated requests to send Ruth & Emily to The Elephant  Sanctuary in Hohenwald, TN, a 2700-acre natural reserve in the heart of Tennessee, with lakes, streams, forests and fields, a warmer climate and professional staff.

The conditions they live in have never been great--16 hours a day--every day--in a concrete barn that for decades had a concrete floor. Ruth & Emily have been forced to stand, walk, sleep, and eat in their own waste.

That's over 21 years out of the past 32 they have been confined in a concrete barn.

In the winter, that stretches to days at a time. Elephants must be monitored for hypothermia when temperatures drop below 40° F.

This is not how elephants live or should be forced to live.

Despite numerous residents and zoogoers pleas to get them to an established 22-year-old Sanctuary where they would have  24/7 care and freedom to choose their surroundings, the city has kept these two members of a protected species in substandard conditions.

Although we are frugal, we cannot do this alone. We need your help.

For more information on Ruth & Emily's living conditions, and a comparison to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, visit our webpage.

The Friends of Ruth & Emily, Inc. is a non-profit organization. Donations are not tax exempt at this time, but are still very much appreciated!

Thank you for being a Friend!