A haven for elephants?

Article from ‘Wildlife Times’ June 2001.

        

Zoo Check campaigner, Daniel Turner, exposes the truth about keeping elephants in captivity.

‘…up to 3,800 elephants have been taken from the wild for zoos and circuses’

Of all earths creatures, the elephant has always been a favourite. It’s immense size, stature and presence have caputured human imagination and respect for thousands of years. Yet, much of our association with elephants has been exploitative. Captured from the wild as far back as 2000BC, the elephant has been used in manual labour, trained for cermonial processions and to perform in circuses, and even to form the frontline strength in the military sieges. Zoos, by comparison, are a recent developemnt and yet, since 1800, it is estimated that 3,000 elephants have been taken out if the wild for zoos and circuses.

Around 1,500 elephants are currently exhibited in zoos around the world and despite a greater understanding in elephant biology and ecology, elephants are largely still exhibited as objects of amusement. Britain saw it’s first elephant in 1254 when an African elephant was presented to Henry III by Louis IX. Today a total of 95 elephants are held at 17 British zoos.

The concrete and barred environment of most zoo enclosures, many dating from the 19th century, is a far cry from the elephant’s natural forest or savannah environment. But this aspect appears to be disregarded, and zoos justify such a captive extistence as being vital for the preservation of the species. Around the globe zoos claim a new role as living ‘Arks’, where the zoo is refuge and breeding-centre for endangered species, whereby ‘one day’ these animals will be released into the wild to replace decimated wild populations. But what evidence supports these claims? Are zoos releasing elephants bred in captivity back in the wild?

The reality is that zoos hold little hope for either African or Asian elephants. Low breeding successes, high calf-mortality and reduced longevity has meant that zoos are unable to cope with demand without replenishing their stocks from the wild. Between 1998 and 1999 a total of 143 African elephants were taken from the wild.

In the wild, elephants live in highly complex family groups of up to 40 members, mainly consisting of related females and calves. In captivity, lacking the complex kin-based female alliances, many calves are still-born, die shortly after birth or are even killed by their mothers. Between 1902 and 1992 only 15% of the 120 Asian elephants born in captivity in Europe survived till they were 20 years old. Survival rates in the wild can be three time higher.

Evidence clearly suggests that the best environment for an elephant is the wild. The home range, reproduce success and the complex lives of elephants in their natural habitat cannot be duplicated in captivity. Many elephants endure cramped inner city zoos and suffer from lack of stimulation, acting merely as ‘crowd-pullers’. Few zoos have the space or the resources to exhibit large herds of elephant.

Born Free wants to phase out elephant captivity. There should be no more captive-breeding, no more recruitment from the wild, and the remaining zoo elephants should be cared for in larger social groups in areas where the environment provided a more tolerable future. In-situ conservation in the wild provides the best hope for the conservation of elephants and their habitats. An input of the millions spent on unsuccessful breeding programs and captive elephant up-keep, would help us provide the protection and support needed to sustain wild populations with a real future.