Freedom for Animals is saddened by the news from Blackpool Zoo that both pregnant elephant females' calves have died. While we note that the zoo has said that the staff are devastated, they should not be surprised.

It has been known for decades that elephants do not thrive in zoos and suffer significant physical and psychological animal welfare issues including poorer reproductive success and higher rates of stillbirth and infant mortality. More than that, elephants in captivity lead shorter lives on average than elephants in the wild and and a higher incidence of lameness, foot, muscle and joint problems than wild elephants. Many elephants in zoos also exhibit stress-induced stereotypic behaviour such as pacing, head-bobbing and body swaying.

The news that Noorjahan's calf died in the womb and was born dead and Esha's calf died from an infection just 3 days after being born reinforces FFA's position that elephants do not belong in captivity and it is time for them to be phased out from zoos completely. 

In its statement today, Blackpool Zoo said what we all know - elephants are highly intelligent and will mourn the loss of the two baby elephants; all the more reason that elephants should not be in captivity. The cause of death of Norjahan's baby in the womb is not known but the stress of living in a completely unnatural environment which is a fraction of the size of territory enjoyed by wild elephants likely played a part. Esha's baby was born on November 4th, but sadly Esha would not enable the baby to suckle, which would be very rare in the wild. The other females in the group were rightly very protective of Esha and the calf and zoo staff were unable to express milk from Esha until 24 hours after the birth.

Elephant calves need to receive the colostrum (first milk) which contains essential nutrients in the first few hours after birth. The baby died on 7th November of an infection, which again, would be rare in the wild. The entire group of elephants will have been devastated by the loss of two babies and will mourn for them. 

Unfortunately, there is yet another sad news story from today regarding elephants kept in zoos... 

A zoo keeper was crushed and seriously injured by an elephant at Woburn Safari Park. This incident, once again, reinforces the fact that elephants should not be in zoos. 

 

It's High Time for Change

It is clear that elephants do not belong in zoo cages. FFA is calling on DEFRA to phase out the keeping of elephants, starting with an immediate ban on breeding and an immediate ban on the transfer of elephants to or from UK zoos. Zoos need to accept the evidence and cease breeding or attempting to breed elephants with immediate effect.

Head top our action page and fill out the form calling on DEFRA to commit to the phasing out of elephants in zoos! 

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