Zoos Kill Elephants, New Scientific Study Confirms

Peer-reviewed evidence validates animal advocates push for closing zoo elephant exhibits

San Rafael, Calif.—A landmark scientific study made public today in the prestigious journal Science should end the national debate over the well-being of elephants in zoos. The study provides peer-reviewed empirical support for In Defense of Animals’ (IDA) ongoing analysis of zoo records and other data showing that zoo conditions cause elephants to suffer and die prematurely.

“Zoos can no longer ignore the mounting scientific evidence of the devastating effects of captivity on elephants,” said Suzanne Roy, IDA Program Director. “It’s absurd for zoos to claim that they’re saving these endangered animals when they’re actually killing them decades before their natural time.”

The Science article, entitled “Compromised Survivorship in Zoo Elephants,” reports on a survey of 4,500 elephants and concludes that zoos drastically shorten adult lifespans in both African and Asian elephants. Asian elephants in European zoos had a median lifespan of just 18.9 years compared to 41.7 years for wild elephants in an Asian logging camp. African elephants’ median lifespan was 16.9 years, compared to 56.0 years for free-ranging elephants in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park.

Although the Science study focuses on elephants in European zoos, previous studies have shown that those elephants live longer than their North American counterparts.

The study may be the tipping point for local controversies in Los Angeles, San Antonio, Dallas, Philadelphia, and other cities in which grassroots efforts to close zoo elephant exhibits and transfer elephants to sanctuaries are ongoing.

IDA has long maintained that zoos are failing to meet the physical and psychological needs of elephants, causing a range of zoo-induced health problems and early death. Using public records laws, IDA has obtained veterinary records for elephants at more than 40 U.S. zoos. In an analysis of these records submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in December 2006, IDA reported that 62 percent of elephants suffered from painful foot ailments and 42 percent suffered from joint disorders. The analysis also revealed high rates of behavioral problems, birth complications and reproductive disorders, including early infertility, high infant mortality and maternal death rates. Separate data indicate additional problems such as high infant mortality and maternal death rates.

IDA has filed a Citizens Petition with the USDA charging that zoos are violating the federal Animal Welfare Act by failing to provide adequate conditions for elephants. The petition was published in the Federal Register and the USDA received over 2,500 comments in response.

For more information, see www.helpelephants.com