Today, Monday the 12th August, is World Elephant Day and Freedom for Animals is shining a light on the plight of captive elephants in UK and Irish Zoos.

There are currently about 49 elephants in UK zoos and four in Ireland (Dublin Zoo), where two young female elephants have recently died. It is difficult to be more precise as elephants are frequently transferred between zoos. Zoos sell themselves as centres for conservation and education but they consistently fail to deliver on both. It has been known for decades that elephants suffer in captivity but still many zoos stubbornly continue to exploit them for human entertainment and profit. What is being done to stop the suffering? This World Elephant Day we are focusing on the suffering of elephants in zoos in the UK and Ireland based on recent events. 

Recent deaths of elephants at Dublin Zoo

Until November 2023, Dublin Zoo had a herd of nine female Asian elephants – four of these, She Ra (34), Anak (21), Kabir (7) and Sanjay (6), were transferred to Cincinnati Zoo in November 2023 to join three females and a male. She Ra is the mother of Anak and Kabir, while Anak is the mother of Sanjay. Cincinnati Zoo was described in 2022 by animal welfare group In Defense of Animals as the 10th worst zoo for elephants in the United States (see below). The herd of eight elephants in Cincinnati are currently sharing an enclosure measuring just one acre. Cincinnati Zoo is in the process of building an ‘elephant trek’ which will add just five more acres to their environment. This is of course a tiny fraction of the thousands of square kilometres a herd of this size would enjoy in the wild. Cincinnati Zoo is spending $50 million on its elephant enclosure – just think what that money could do for real conservation in the wild! 

The other main zoo in Ireland, Fota Wildlife Park does not keep elephants stating that they require large secure areas. This is completely at odds with Dublin Zoo which keeps them in a tiny enclosure that cannot provide their needs. 

Courtney Scott, Elephant Consultant from In Defense of Animals stated:

"The Cincinnati Zoo is in the process of expanding its elephant exhibit to its new $50 million 5-acre exhibit, which is still far from adequate space for elephants, and fools the public into believing it is a significant improvement for the elephants. This deceptive move is why In Defense of Animals placed the Cincinnati Zoo on the 10 Worst Zoos For Elephants in 2022. One of the major reasons for the expansion was so the zoo could bring in more elephants to breed,  to potentially increase the elephant population to 12. The zoo has already started to stock more elephants to fulfil that goal. In 2023, the zoo imported four elephants from the notorious Dublin Zoo, where four elephants recently contracted the often deadly elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHV). Two of the young elephants at Dublin Zoo have already died. This raises the question, how safe are the elephants at Cincinnati Zoo from contracting this disease? Yuri, who was sent from the Hogle Zoo to Kansas City Zoo last year is now being treated for EEHV. Sabu at the Cincinnati Zoo, their breeding bull, has sired two babies, both died from EEHV.

In addition to concerns about disease, transporting elephants for such long distances, separating them from their zoo mates, and heedlessly putting them in with strangers at their new zoo can be traumatic. We observed elephants at the Cincinnati Zoo exhibiting some of the worst bullying behaviour seen in a zoo. This aggression is often present in zoos due to the small enclosures and lack of choices that elephants experience in these deprived and confined spaces. SheRa, Kabir, Anak, and Sanjay from the Dublin Zoo have to share the current infinitesimally small one-acre exhibit with Jati-Hit, Mai-Thai, Sabu, and Schottzie at the Cincinnati Zoo.  When the new exhibit is completed, it will hardly be a major improvement, as is evident from other zoos that have made similar deceptive expansions. These elephants are just exploited for breeding to produce more popular baby elephants, many who die early deaths."

Elephants are highly intelligent animals and form matriarchal herds with strong familial bonds in the wild. It has even been shown that elephants have names for family members and grieve for dead family members just like humans and have been known to re-visit sites where family members have died. 

In zoos elephants are unable to form natural groups and unrelated elephants are forced together in tiny enclosures. 

The loss of their four herd mates will have had an impact on the remaining elephants Dina (40), Asha (17), Samiya (10), Zinda (8) and Avani (7) as they had been constant companions for years.

Following the export of the four elephants to Cincinnati Zoo in November 2023, in July 2024 Dublin Zoo announced that they were importing a 22 year-old elephant from Chester Zoo, presumably to breed with the young females. Aung Bo, a 22 year old male arrived at Dublin Zoo on 26th June. Aung Bo had spent 12 years at Chester Zoo 

Tragically, on 1st July less than a week after Aung Bo’s arrival, seven year-old female Avani died from Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV) and just six days later on the 7th July a second female elephant, eight-year old Zinda also died from EEHV. 

A third elephant, 17 year-old Asha tested positive for the virus on 10th July and a fourth, 10 year-old Samiya also tested positive for the virus on the 18th July. We hope they make a full recovery.

What may have caused the death of Avani and Zinda and sickness in Asha and Samiya?

EEHV is common in elephants kept in captivity. It is thought to be an ancient infection that co-evolved with wild elephants in which it is usually benign. Zoo elephants are affected by EEHV disproportionately compared to wild elephants.

Stress is a known factor which affects the immune system of animals.

The Dublin herd underwent two significant and traumatic events in just a few months. Firstly the removal of four members of the herd which were exported to Cincinnati Zoo in November 2023 and secondly, the arrival of 22 year-old Aung Bo from Chester Zoo in June 2024. Although Aung Bo had not yet been physically introduced to the rest of the herd when Avani and Zinda died, it is very likely that they were aware of Aung Bo’s presence as they have a strong sense of smell and hearing. 

These two stressful events in the lives of Avani, Zinda, Samiya, Asha and Dina may have weakened their immune systems resulting in the usually benign virus causing disease and the deaths of Avani and Zinda.

Researchers are closer to developing a vaccine for this disease but the reality is that it would not be needed if elephants were not kept in captivity. It is highly likely that more captive elephants will die from EEHV in the coming years. 

Recent death of an elephant at Chester Zoo 

Chester Zoo, which exported Aung Bo to Dublin Zoo, is not without controversy itself with seven elephants dying in the last 10 years. Most recently, on 23rd July a 20 year-old female elephant called Sundara Hi Way died due to twisted intestines. Wild elephants can live for up to 60 years. Sundara spent six of her 20 years pregnant with three different pregnancies, which may have contributed to the intestinal problems.

Some zoos have recognized that they cannot provide an appropriate environment for elephants

Belfast Zoo

On 23rd July, Belfast Zoo announced that their two remaining female elephants, Yhetto (48) and Dhunja (51) were being moved to Arnhem Zoo in the Netherlands which specialises in the care of older elephants. While it is very positive to see that Belfast Zoo recognised that they did not have the ability to care for Yhetto and Dhunja, Arnhem Zoo is more of a retirement home, not a sanctuary. The transfer of the two Belfast elephants is an indication that some zoos know that they cannot provide the specialist care they require. 

Paignton Zoo 

Following the death of their last elephant Duchess in 2019, Paignton Zoo announced that they would no longer be keeping elephants. The zoo admitted that they could not provide an appropriate environment for these highly intelligent, sentient animals. Sadly, Duchess spent nine years on her own after her companion Gay died in 2010, which for highly social animals like elephants is nothing short of animal cruelty.

Pretoria Zoo

Other zoos around the world are recognizing that elephants should not be kept in captivity. In South Africa, 42 year old male African elephant, Charlie was recently transferred from Pretoria Zoo to Shambala Game Reserve where he will be able to live out his life in a more natural environment. Charlie’s story is typical of many captive elephants, he was born in the wild in 1982, captured and forced in circus life in 1984 before eventually being moved to Pretoria Zoo in 2001 where he has remained for over two decades. 

Noah’s Ark Zoo

Sadly, some zoos have learnt nothing about the suffering of elephants in captivity. In 2019 a 12 year-old bull elephant called M’Changa was killed at Noah’s Ark Zoo while he slept by another bull elephant. This zoo which was only given planning permission in 2010 should never have been opened – the UK did not and does not need any new zoos. Following the death of M’Changa you might think the zoo would have learnt its lesson and recognize that keeping elephants in captivity is cruel and problematic, but in March of this year they imported another bull elephant from a zoo in Germany. Uli, aged 14 joins three other elephants. Despite being the largest UK elephant captive facility the enclosure measures just 20 acres (8 hectares), a tiny fraction of the territory elephants in the wild would enjoy.

Problems faced by elephants in captivity

It has been known for over two decades that elephants do not thrive in zoos. They lead shorter lives than elephants in the wild, have poorer reproductive success, higher still birth rate, higher infant mortality rate (i.e. under 5 years of age) and have significant lameness, foot, muscle, joint problems. Elephants in captivity are also known to suffer psychological issues, exhibiting stereotypic behaviours such as trunk waving, swaying and pacing round in circles caused by the stress of captivity. Yet, zoos still persist in keeping and breeding them as they draw the crowds.

Elephants suffer in zoos. A number of ‘welfare indicators’ have been developed by zoos over the years and it is clear that zoos fail on all of them. Some of these welfare indicators are listed below with a brief summary of outcomes.

• Lifespan is poor - elephants lead significantly shorter lives in zoos than in the wild 

• Infant mortality is two to three times higher than in the wild - of 24 Asian elephants born in UK zoos between 2006 and 2019, 15 (62.5%) died by the age of three

• Reproduction success is far lower in captive elephants compared to wild elephants

• Sustainability of zoo elephant populations is not possible without zoos taking extreme actions including breeding and killing 

• Body condition is poor in captive elephants with over 75% being overweight or obese because zoos cannot provide adequate diets which equates to wild diets

• Lameness, foot, muscle and joint problems are common in captive elephants 

• Stereotypical behaviour caused by stress is common in captive elephants, including whole body movements such as swaying, weaving, bobbing and pacing

• Social groupings are unnatural – unrelated elephants are forced together without choice which would not happen in the wild

• Transfers between zoos are common despite the associated risks and stress 

• Enclosure sizes are a tiny fraction of the territories enjoyed by wild elephants 

Conservation and Education

Zoos claim that they are needed for conservation and education purposes, but there is no evidence that the future survival of elephants in the wild depends upon zoos keeping and breeding them in captivity. There is also no evidence that zoos education programmes change visitors attitudes to conservation in the wild. 

DEFRA Ten Year Report 

In 2010, DEFRA commissioned a 10-year report into the keeping of elephants in UK zoos. This report was submitted to DEFRA in 2021 and it was reported that the government was considering a phase out of the keeping of elephants in zoos. Hopefully, the new Environment Minister will make a decision soon. It is clear that zoos cannot provide appropriate environments for captive elephants and it is now time for zoos and their governing bodies including BIAZA and EAZA to come clean and admit that elephants should not be in captivity.

The Future?

There is no justification for keeping elephants in Zoos either on conservation or education grounds. There is also no justification for keeping elephants in captivity in UK or Irish zoos for research into EEHV – there is sufficient research being done on this issue in captive and semi-captive elephants in range states in Asia. EEHV affects elephants in captivity more than wild elephants in which the disease is largely benign. 

Freedom for Animals would like to see the following happen with immediate effect:

1. DEFRA to announce a phase out of the keeping of elephants in UK zoos

2. DEFRA to announce an immediate ban on the breeding of elephants at all UK zoos

3. DEFRA to announce an immediate ban the import or export of elephants to UK or from UK zoos

4. Irish government to follow UK by announcing that elephants will be phased out from Dublin Zoo and announce an immediate ban on the breeding or importing and exporting of elephants to or from Ireland

5. All captive elephants to be assessed for re-introduction to the wild 

6. If re-introduction to the wild is not possible then elephants should be transferred to GFAS accredited sanctuaries in suitable climates 

7. The full cost of the above should be borne by zoos themselves and their governing bodies including BIAZA and EAZA

8. All conservation efforts should be focused on in situ conservation in elephants’ home range states in Asia and Africa

ELEPHANTS DO NOT BELONG IN CAPTIVITY!