Save the Elephants

Elephant are the last living land giants on this planet and 287 of them are living in
zoos in the United States today. Most zoos do not supply a close enough resemblance to
an elephants natural life, therefore limiting an elephants happiness and peace. In the
wild, elephants have an infinite amount of roaming space, while in zoos they rarely get
over a couple acres. Due to unfit elephant exhibits in most wildlife parks, such as limited
space, too much human interaction, and lack of mental stimulation, elephants in captivity
are not living the way they are accustomed or meant to; parks should either renovate their
elephant habitats to fit the natural needs of an elephant or send their elephants to a more
natural environment. There are plenty of opinions out there that would dispute my
position but I will show how my ideas are more favorable to the lives of elephants today.
For starters, elephant behavior and time budgeting in the wild differs substantially
with that of captive elephants and should be considered unnatural and disruptive.
According to a study titled, The Effects of Housing on Zoo Elephant Behavior: A
Quantative Case Study of Diurnal and Seasonal Variation elephants in the wild budget
about 75% of their time to feeding and foraging while an elephant in captivity is likely to
spend only 32% of their time feeding and foraging for food. This can be associated with
the fact that elephants are provided with food and have minimal necessity to scavenge.
Foraging provides a necessary source of exercise and mind stimulation, something
captive elephants dont normally receive. Foraging for food is almost like a puzzle to
solve for elephants, exercising their brain as well as their body. Lack of mental and
physical stimulation results in overall laziness or lethargic behavior, much like the
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symptoms humans could experience from not being active. This should also be
conceived as a lack of natural behavior and over all activeness (Posta, Huber, Morre;
Housing). Experts also suggest that an elephant could walk up to 50 miles a day while
most elephant exhibits will not exceed a few acres (Cohn; Belong). Lack of space is
arguable the most disruptive aspect of a captive elephants life; they are not accustomed
to containment.
During my visit to the Albuquerque BioPark, I found that the elephants seemed
quite bored with their surroundings as they were not very active and didnt have much to
do within their limited landscape. There are three different yards in the BioPark for
elephant containment, two of which were closed off to the majority of the herd with a
male bull separated in another yard alone. In the wild or elephant santuary, however,
there could be plenty of things around for an elephant to occupy their time with, even if
that only meant more roaming space or access to their entire herd/family.
Looking on the other side of this argument, one might suggest that easy access to
food in a wildlife park is better for elephants; they dont have to work so hard to feed
themselves, saving time and energy. This claim, however, does not grasp the full aspect
of the situation at hand. Easy access to food (minimal exercise to achieve meals) could
be detrimental for an elephants health: decreasing mental stimulation and activeness,
resulting in the possible conclusion of obesity or laziness. Elephants, like all other wild
species, are accustomed to finding their own foodits their way of life and shouldnt be
disrupted.
Another point to help argue my position is the fact that elephant are social,
emotional, and intelligent creaturesthey should live in large herds or families like they
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would in the natural world or in an elephant sanctuary. The American Zoo and Aquarium
Association recommends keeping herds from 6-12 in number with at least 4 males in a
zoo habitat (Rees; Sizes). Most zoos do not come within this range and they will most
likely not have enough room for at least 6 adult elephants, disrupting an elephants need
for social connections. For instance, there are 6 adult elephants and 1 calf at the
Albuquerque BioPark Zoo. Although this does meet the recommendation, it seems
hardly humane to keep 6 in one yard and 1 in another without using the 3
rd
at all. The
yards were not very large and the majority of the elephants were separated from a male,
all on his own. This forbids the elephant herd to live as they are meant to in the wild or
allowed in a sanctuary. According to the BioPark website, there are only two male bulls,
not meeting the recommendation set by the AZAA. This should also be considered as
unnatural and disruptive of an elephants natural life. In some zoos, the intelligence of an
elephant is often taken advantage of for profitable reasons. An elephant can draw a
picture or perform a number of stunts but they are being forced to do so. In the wild or
an approved elephant sanctuary, elephants are free to live as they please with limited
human interaction. They are free to interact with their herd and not be forced into
behavioral training.
Some could suggest that elephants in zoos arent lonely because they always have
at least one other elephant to accompany them. This argument also doesnt convey a
convincing point because elephants are used to roaming and living in large herds, not
with a couple other family members. Elephants are known to be social, they should live
in a community much like us humans do. How would you feel if you were stuck with the
same 7 people throughout your entire life?
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My last claim to support my thesis is the amount of stress observed from any
given elephant in captivity. When put into small spaces with unnatural human
interactions, elephants could exhibit escape behaviors or internal suffering. The study
titled, Physiological Stress and Refuge Behavior by African Elephants shows that
elephants occupy a smaller space while in a stressful situation, simulating the human
response of being afraid. Elephants are known for their roaming tendencies so we should
consider their stationary behavior in captivity. This suggests that elephants are very
uncomfortable around human interference and alien environments. The same study
shows that elephants occupy a larger space at nighttime when not in the present of some
stressors, like human interactions. These findings can be further proved by my visit to
the local zoo. The elephants were mostly standing in the small spot and not roaming the
yard as you might expect them to. With all of the human observers, we can assume their
stress and their overall disrupted lifestyle.
Since all elephants have to be taken care of by their managers in the zoo, the
elephants are under constant stress of an abnormal situation that they wouldnt experience
in the wild. This chronic stress is something that is very sad in regard to their lives and I
dont think there could be a counterargument supporting their suffering.
If we take into consideration the lack of space and the substantial change in
behavior portrayed by elephants in captivity, ideally, we could all agree that there is
something wrong and outdated about the way we handle captive animals in zoos today.
If elephant awareness keeps spreading through our nation, I believe that elephant owners
will slowly but surely do the right thing for these wonderful creatures trapped inside their
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urban zoos. Until then, I urge my readers to spread awareness of elephant suffering in
captivity.