Elephants are unable to lay down to relieve pressure on their feet; this is undoubtedly why Tania is kneeling in this photograph. Standing in one spot on concrete leads to chronic foot infections and arthritis – a leading cause of death in elephants. But Tania has no choice. She has lived in solitary confinement for 37 years.

Moreover, the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria requires zoos to house female elephants in groups; for, female elephants are profoundly social. But Tania remains in alone in solitary confinement at the Targu-Mures Zoo in Romania. She is reportedly forced to live indoors in a tiny barren cell standing in her own urine and feces.

Such unnatural conditions cause debilitating psychological distress; and Tania repeatedly rocks and sways, a neurosis elephants exhibit who endure extreme mentally anguish. To be mentally and physically healthy, elephants must roam over hundreds of acres with their families. They are much, much closer to their families than humans.

Captured from the wild in the 1970s, where she probably witnessed the murder of her parents, Tania was sent to a zoo in France where she lived alone for over 20 years. Later, she was transferred to an Italian zoo and, last September, to Targu-Mures Zoo in Romania.

Please tell the Targu-Mures Zoo in Romania to stop depriving Tania of her most basic health needs. Ask them to send her to a sanctuary. Sign the petition now by clicking here.