The world is changing for captive elephants. Informed public, grassroot organisations and scientists apply pressure on authorities to provide better solutions that respect the elephants’ nature instead of using them for human entertainment

 

With environmental pressures and habitat loss, it may not always be possible or desirable to release elephants in the wild, especially Asian elephants.

Zoos may claim that maintaining elephant stocks in the face of declining wild populations is ‘conservation’. But this only perpetuates misery for the animals by the notion it’s acceptable to display them for human gratification or entertainment.

Instead, sanctuaries are emerging to address captive elephants’ complex needs by focusing on space, companionship, autonomy, and respect.

It is now time to stop breeding them in captivity and divert efforts to conserve them in their natural environment. Zoo captivity has had its time.

Sanctuaries giving captive elephants a second chance

  • Respect

    Sanctuaries respect elephants’ self determination and personal space by prohibiting any type of punishment or confinement and allowing them to express free choice.

    Positive reinforcement and protected contact is used for training and medical care.

    European Elephant Sanctuary

  • Space

    Elephants need to be in constant motion. In the wild they walk up to 70 miles per day.

    Sanctuaries typically occupy tens of acres designed specifically to maximise comfort and stimulation for the elephants.

    Elephant Sanctuary Cambodia

  • Companionship

    Living in a social context is central to elephants’ wellbeing. They are known to develop strong, intimate bonds and flourish through interactions with their kind.

    Even males, who prefer solitude, interact and seek companionship in bachelor herds in the wild.

    Captive elephants, denied choice and companionship, often develop psychological and behavioral problems that may only be resolved though the common language and experience of other herd members that can awake the shared memory of what it means to be an elephant.

    Global Sanctuary for Elephants

  • Autonomy

    The Non-human rights project said: “Science and human experience make clear that elephants are autonomous animals. They are cognitively, emotionally, and socially complex beings who have the capacity to exercise free will and make choices about how to spend their days and live their lives, just as human beings do”.

    Sanctuaries are specifically designed to encourage elephant innate behavior after a lifetime of suppression in captivity dominated by humans.

    The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee