EDMONTON -- Just one month into a new weight-loss program has seen Lucy the elephant shed the equivalent of an adult black bear, says a Valley Zoo vet.

Lucy has been at the heart of a heated debate as to whether the 34-year-old pachyderm with numerous health problems should be moved to a better climate or stay in the only home she has ever known in Edmonton.

Valley Zoo veterinarian Dr. Milton Ness said the combination of a new diet and an exercise regime that includes hill training has seen the Indian elephant drop 400 pounds since the wellness program was instituted last month.

"Weight loss is a real challenge, no matter if it's an elephant or a person, but Lucy is doing really well," he said, noting the weight loss has fluctuated but Lucy has slimmed down significantly from her 9,400-pound ceiling.

The wellness program had aimed to see Lucy shed 1,000 pounds in a year.

In addition to being overweight, Lucy has arthritis and significant respiratory problems that constrict her ability to breathe through her trunk.

However, Ness said new anti-inflammatory medication has curtailed some of the problems related to an infected tooth that had to be removed, which is clearing some of the congestion in her trunk.

Despite the progress, Zoocheck Canada spokeswoman Julie Woodyer said Lucy doesn't belong in Edmonton and needs to be moved to a better climate with members of her own species.

"Obviously anything that makes her in better condition to be moved is wonderful," she said.

"The fact that they're not saying what's causing her breathing problem makes their argument that she can't be moved very convenient."

Woodyer said the city has been given until Monday to produce documents showing proof that moving Lucy would be a health risk or they will move forward with legal action to force a move.