The only elephant to be held in captivity in Scotland at Blair Drummond Wildlife Park, has sadly died.

Mondula (also known as Mondy) was aged 54, and confined in captivity her entire life. 

Her story, like so many in captivity, was a tragic one. Taken from the wild as a calf in the 1970s, her right to freedom was stripped away from her by the zoo industry.

 She was moved to the Scottish zoo in 1998 after being transferred from Erfurt Zoo in Germany. Since 2016, she has been forced to live alone after the death of her only companion, Toto that year. Now, her death marks more than the loss of a precious, innocent individual whose agency and freedom was taken away from them for their entire life - it also marks a possible turning point for change.

Her sad passing means that currently, Scotland is now free of captive-held elephants.

And you can help to ensure it stays that way. Take action here, or read more below.

Elephants Are Not Exhibits

Elephants are autonomous, intelligent, deeply social beings. In the wild, they live in complex matriarchal families, form lifelong bonds, travel vast distances, and make decisions that shape their own lives.

Yet captivity strips them of that freedom.

Zoos confine elephants for human entertainment and commercial display. No enclosure - no matter how large or “enriched” the industry claims it to be - can replicate the space, choice, social structure elephants require to thrive. Deprivation is built into the system to hold them in publicly viewable spaces, and ensure ticket sales that lead to profits.

Elephants - like all animals - do not exist for us to observe, photograph, or profit from.

They have a right to live free from confinement.

Scotland Has a Moral Opportunity

Now that no elephants remain in captivity in Scotland, the Scottish Government has a rare and powerful opportunity - to ensure no elephant is ever imprisoned there again.

Our recent report into the keeping of elephants in zoos, written by Dr. Rob Atkinson, Dr. Keith Lindsay and past director of Freedom for Animals, Dr. Andrew Kelly, spells out exactly why elephants should not be in zoos; an ethical position echoed many scientists and elephant experts around the world - all of whom have spoken out and presented important evidence into the widespread suffering of elephants in captive environments, both physically and psychologically, for many years.

The recent updates to the SSSZMP reforms in the UK acknowledge some welfare concerns for elephants in zoos, but they fall short of phasing out elephants entirely, despite previous government commitments to do so. Any proposed improvements to the conditions for elephants in captivity do not have to be fully implemented until 2027, leaving these intelligent, social animals confined under inadequate conditions for years to come. Scotland has the opportunity to act immediately, rather than waiting for reforms that are slow, partial, and insufficient. 

So, rather than waiting for another facility to import elephants in the future, you can help us to urge Scotland to take a principled stand - one rooted in compassion, ethics, and respect for non-human animals. Public opinion on zoos is shifting, and many people especially believe that large animals such as elephants should not be held in them any longer. 

Take Action Here! Demand an Elephant-Free Scotland

You can use our online form (via our Action Page here) to write to the First Minister and relevant Cabinet Secretaries, asking them to:

• Commit to a permanent ban on keeping elephants in captivity in Scotland.

• Prevent the import, breeding, or display of elephants in zoos.

• Recognise that elephants cannot have their fundamental needs and rights met in captivity.