Animal rights activists fighting to get Lucy the elephant moved from the Edmonton Valley Zoo will now be allowed to move forward with an ad campaign that was first thought to be rejected.
Zoocheck Canada was set to launch a billboard campaign Monday in order to get Lucy moved to an elephant sanctuary, but was told by Pattison Outdoor Advertising that the ads had been rejected by the city.
The confusion started with an e-mail that was sent from Pattison to Zoocheck Monday morning stating that the ads were shut down by the city. But later in the afternoon, the ad company said they made an error with a premature e-mail after miscommunication with the city.
The city insists the ad campaign was never rejected.
"The City of Edmonton does have advertising standards for bus ads and bus shelters but the Zoocheck ads meet our requirements and standards, so they always have been and always were 100 per cent approved by the City of Edmonton," said Ben Mittlestead with the City of Edmonton transportation department.
Voice for Animals said they hope the ads will give them enough support to get Lucy moved.
"We are glad that we are going to be able to get the message out and for the people of Edmonton to see and make up their own mind, I mean after all that's what it's about," said Tove Reece.
The ads are set to go up in the next day or so and will feature messages like, "Your tax dollars pay for her suffering", "Isolation and a bitter cold winter on the way," and "Hasn't she endured enough?"
Members of the Friends of Lucy group walked along Whyte Avenue Saturday to hand out a petition in which they ask city council and the zoo to send Lucy to an elephant sanctuary.
With files from Sonia Sunger
