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Filipino models and entertainers hold placards reading “Naked Truth: Mali the Elephant Is Suffering” during a photo shoot for a new ad for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia inside a photo studio in Makati's financial district south of Manila, Philippines, 05 February 2013, calling for the transfer of Mali from solitary confinement at the Manila Zoo. The supposed worsening condition of Mali, the 38-year-old Sri Lankan elephant, inside city-run zoo prompted the Philippine Congress which handles the House Committee on Natural Resources to approve a resolution supporting the immediate her transfer to Boon Lott's Elephant Sanctuary in Thailand. Several non-government organizations commend the House resolution. Various groups, on the other hand, are opposing the transfer, saying it will jeopardize the animal's condition more. Almost a year ago, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III ordered the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) to study if Mali is fit to be transferred to a sanctuary. Representatives of BAI, however, are having difficulties in extracting blood samples from the elephant. (Photo by Dennis M. Sabangan/EPA)
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