Anchorage, Alaska - Maggie the elephant could achieve international fame, and it's not in a way the Alaska Zoo would like. A company known for taking sides is threatening to make a movie about Maggie if the zoo doesn't move her out of Alaska.

The threat comes in the form of a letter from the Donner's Company, which is the husband-and-wife duo who created the film "Free Willy." That's the film that eventually led to the release of the orca Keiko.

The film was seen by millions of people and generated more than $1 billion for Warner Brothers. The company says it also led to a grassroots campaign for changes in worldwide policies and also to dolphin-safe tuna regulations. Now they say they want to make a similar film about Maggie the elephant at the zoo in Anchorage.

"When we depict it, we will not hesitate to spare the reality of the situation as we see it and use the zoo's policy as the villain in a forthcoming film," the letter says.

Those who support the effort to move Maggie out of Alaska are very pleased about the new development.



"I would like to think it's going to call attention to Maggie's situation, much wider support to get her out of there," said Mary Robinson, a member of "Free Maggie," in a telephone interview from Talent, Ore. "And I think maybe this is going to bring the zoo to the realization that it really is a serious situation."

"The board of directors is not going to be ambushed or manipulated or threatened into an action, especially if it's by people who are using misinformation," responded Pat Lampi, curator of the Alaska Zoo.

The filmmakers are not talking about coming to Alaska to do a documentary, but about putting together a film of their vision about what's happening to Maggie. It would not include what the zoo calls the "thoughtful debate" that went on last summer, or the views of people who think the elephant should stay in Alaska.

The film would be simply the activists' version of the issue, and Alaska Zoo directors are upset at the prospect of what they feel would be an unfair portrayal. The letter contains accusations that "you have cruelly warehoused the elephant for months," and "a lack of basic necessities is slowly killing Maggie."

Zoo officials strongly disagree with those statements, saying that although the elephant spends a good deal of time indoors during the winter months, they have improved her living quarters so she gets more exercise and spends more time with her caretakers. Inspectors from the U.S. Department of Agriculture routinely do unannounced checks on Maggie, and have not expressed any concerns about her treatment.

Alaska Zoo directors say they intend to stick with the three-year plan they adopted last summer, which among other things calls for construction of a treadmill to help Maggie exercise and alleviate boredom.

The filmmakers say their movie about Maggie would be a commercially viable film.