This is in response to the Sun Journal editorial “Close the barn door before the elephant arrives” (Jan. 3).

Thank you for calling on state and federal officials to slam the door shut on plans to bring Rosie the elephant to Hope.

Asian elephants need to roam freely for many miles every day for their health and well-being. Jim Laurita’s 120-square-foot metal barn for Rosie is a staggeringly inadequate amount of space. Maine’s harsh climate means that tiny space is where Rosie will be spending most of her time.

If the Laurita brothers truly want what is best for the aging and ailing elephant, they’ll scrap plans for their roadside zoo and recommend that Rosie be retired to a sanctuary where she can be with other elephants, have open spaces in an appropriate climate and get the treatment and care she deserves.

Displaying Rosie in circumstances so far removed from what her life should be does nothing but widen the disconnect we feel between animals and what they really are.

Kids don’t learn to respect elephants by seeing them in a cage; they learn that keeping these intelligent, social animals in captivity is acceptable as long as we can find a way to justify it.

It appears the Laurita brothers learned a lot about putting a public spin on animal exploitation in their days with Carson & Barnes.

People who care about elephants should let the Hope Planning Board know they are opposed to this roadside zoo/hobby farm.

Brenda Buzzell and Katie Farrar, Brunswick