The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "elephants" ...
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Glamour Beasts: The dark side of elephant captivity
The zoo industry claims that elephants are thriving inside U.S. zoos. But that’s not true. It never has been. The Times found that elephants are dying out inside zoos. For every elephant born, on average two others die. Just 288 elephants are left inside 78 accredited U.S. zoos. Captive elephants may be demographically extinct within 50 years – there won’t be enough females left to breed. The Times conducted a first-of-its-kind analysis of 390 elephant fatalities for the past 50 years. In a desperate race to make more baby elephants, Seattle’s Woodland Park has tried to artificially inseminate their Asian elephant, Chai, at least 112 times, sometimes adopting crude and reckless procedures. As nearly two dozen zoos have shutdown or plan to close elephant exhibits, nonprofit sanctuaries with thousands of acres represent one option for retired or unwanted elephants. But a zoo industry trade group is fighting a bitter battle to thwart sanctuaries and punish zoos that give up their elephants.
Tags: zoo; elephants; zoo industry
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Blood Ivory: Ivory Worship
At a time when the elephant is under siege and the world's media and NGOs have long focused attention on poaching in Africa, Bryan Christy went after ivory’s demand side. He spent nearly three years building a groundbreaking investigation into this crucial but poorly understood aspect of the illegal ivory trade. Using court records, official documentation, law enforcement sources, and reporting across five continents, Christy identified, for the first time, that religion plays a huge and ruinous role in the sale and purchase of illegal ivory; that China's government is driving the world's ivory market, has manipulated attempts to control it, and has plans to expand; and that the statistical model used by global regulators to make ivory trade policy decisions is insufficient and has been exploited.
Tags: elephant; ivory; ivory trade
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The Cruelest Show on Earth
The story documents a decade-long history of injury, illness and fatal accidents in Ringling's famed herd of performing elephants -- and the repeated failure of federal regulators to intervene.
Tags: elephants; Animal Welfare Act; Jim Moran; exotic animals; circuses
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The Cruelest Show On Earth
"The Cruelest Show on Earth" documents a disturbing history of injury, illness, abuse, and fatal accidents in Ringling's famed heard of performing elephants- and the chronic failure of the USDA to intervene, even at the urging of the agency's own investors.
Tags: Circus; animal cruelty; elephants; abuse; circus; Ringling circus
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Pattern of Mistakes Found in Zoo Deaths
This investigation uncovered years of neglect, misdiagnosis and other mistakes that caused or contributed to 23 animal deaths at the National Zoo. Zoo euthanasia forms weren't kept when animal went into surgery and the keepers couldn't provide any notes about two rare zebras that starved to death. Veterinary records show that zoo vets did not respond promptly when animals were ill and failed to run standard tests on animals to make sure they were healthy.
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Senate's Elephants and Donkeys Graze in Bull and Bear Land
The Wall Street Journal takes a look at how well U.S. senators invested their own money overall.
Tags: stocks; Senate; investing; senators; stock market; stock pickers
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Making White Elephants Fly
The American Prospect reports that "aging nuclear power plants are going on the auction block -- with yet another big dose of consumer subsidy." The story sheds light on the privatization of nuclear plants at "clearance prices" in the era of energy deregulation. Enormous capital costs have made nuclear power expensive and uncompetitive.
Tags: competition; public utilities; environment; radioactive waste; pollution; safety
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The Monkey Series: Shock the Monkeys; The Brain Gain; The Spy Who Loved Monkeys; Monkey in the Middle; Year of the Monkey
Willamette Week investigated a whistleblower's claims of inhumane treatment of research monkeys at the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center. Some of the stories shed light on "a controversial procedure for collecting rhesus semen samples, known as electro-ejaculation," which has later been modified. Another part of the series profiles a researcher who examines what causes depression by using primates. A third part focuses on how an undercover observer documented the use of kittens for hearing-problems and deafness research, the atrocities taking place at a fox farm, and the cruel training of elephants for circus purposes.
Tags: animal care; medical records; undercover investigations; behavioral psychology; animal rights; ethics; sperm gathering; veterinary medicine; public records requests; biotechnology; PETA; vegetarians; reproduction biology
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Campfire
This investigation revealed that millions of U.S. tax dollars are being spent each year to support the trophy hunting of rare African elephants. The reporters also discovered that tax dollars are funding a foreign lobbyist in Washington who is working to weaken the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Tags: VIDEOCLIP TAPE TRANSCRIPT big game hunting wild animals
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No title (id: 12538)
When the circus came to town, WSL-TV investigated what goes on behind the scenes of many circuses and zoos so that elephants can be controlled. After the investigation, state legislators called to amend Illinois law to protect against such activities by road shows. (Feb. 9 & 10, 1995)
Tags: Goudie Tamed or tortured Contest entry Animal rights 16 pgs. TAPE