The Elephant in the Room airs on CBC News’ the fifth estate,
Friday, Nov. 9 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC-TV
the zoo trade, elephants are known as ‘charismatic mega-fauna’: huge majestic animals that help draw millions of people each year, which help generate billions of dollars in revenue and a higher attendance than all professional North American sports leagues combined, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. But in two Canadian cities, a debate is raging over what to do with those attention-grabbing animals once they reach old age. On the fifth estate this week, Bob McKeown reveals why elephants in Toronto and Edmonton are at the heart of a battle that could, one day, spell the end of zoos.
On this week’s the fifth estate, Bob McKeown presents The Elephant in the Room, Friday, Nov. 9 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC-TV.
“Canada is a wonderful place and I love Canadians. I loved them on the The Price is Right and I love the country. But it ain’t no place for elephants,” says Bob Barker, former host of The Price is Right and animal activist. Cold climates, tight enclosures, little exercise—a far cry from the vast hot expanses of elephants’ natural environments. Should Canadian zoos continue to import these huge exotic animals when so many argue that captivity is bad for their health? Weighing in on this controversy on the fifth estate are Hollywood stars Barker and William Shatner, who are out to rescue these aging elephants from Canada’s cold climes.
In advance of the broadcast, watch The Elephant in the Room online, for review purposes only, by contacting Corey Black (corey.black@cbc.ca) for the link and password. CBC News Network rebroadcasts the fifth estate on Sundays at 7 p.m. ET. For more information on the fifth estate, visit our website at www.cbc.ca/fifth, join us on Facebook and follow us on twitter. Executive producer of the fifth estate is Jim Williamson.
* Next week, Mark Kelley makes his fifth estate debut with Left for Dead—Nov. 16 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC-TV. He tells the story of two friends on the adventure of a lifetime in a small plane who crashed into the icy waters of the Canadian North. To the outside world they’d simply vanished and rescue teams soon gave up hope. But hundreds of kilometres away a Newfoundland ship captain set off on an incredible journey in a true life tale of dogged determination, heroism and sheer good luck.
About CBC News
For more than 75 years, CBC has been the source Canadians turn to, to keep them informed about their communities, their country and their world. Through regional and national programming on multiple platforms, including CBC Television, CBC News Network, CBC Radio, CBCNews.ca, mobile and on-demand, CBC News and its internationally recognized team of award-winning journalists deliver the breaking stories, the issues, the analyses and the personalities that matter to Canadians.
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For further information, or to request interviews, contact:
Corey Black, News and Current Affairs Publicist, CBC
o) 416-205-8710
c) 647-221-4133
