Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/born-free-elephants-in-zoos-ban/

We often visit zoos without much thought to the animals living inside the space and how it affects them being inside an enclosure.

But there have been some people who are campaigning for that to change.

Wildlife experts are now pushing for zoos to stop keeping elephants in captivity, calling it “archaic, unethical and damaging.”

The news comes from a report by the animal rights charity, Born Free, and features an article entitled “Elephants in Zoos: A Legacy of Shame.”

In it, the horrifying truth about elephants in captivity is listed, along with the plea that zoos start to phase out the practice.

At present, there are 580 elephants across European zoos, including 49 living in UK zoos. The report has been backed by various animal welfare groups. The report has also mentioned that 40% of infant elephants end up dying in zoos before they turn five!

The report also goes on to reveal that a “majority” of the elephants in zoos – both in Europe and North America – have begun to exhibit signs of abnormal behavior, like rocking compulsively or swaying back and forth – all the direct result of long-term psychological damage from being in captivity.

In the report, Virginia McKenna, the founder of Born Free, stated, “Elephants are living treasures, they no more belong in a zoo or a circus than in the sea or the sky itself. It is fundamentally wrong to confine these beautiful animals for our entertainment.”

But it isn’t just elephants in zoos that Born Free would like to see stopped. The organization is also calling for the cessation of wild elephants getting captured and sent to zoos, as well as the breeding of elephants in zoos.

The report not only states that the capturing of wild elephants for zoo attractions is having a negative effect on the conservation of wild elephant populations, but it’s also disrupting these herds’ social structures too.

As Angela Sheldrick, the chief officer of Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, shared, “No zoo in the world can provide elephants with the complex social structures and vast spaces they need to thrive. It is our moral responsibility to ensure no more are subjected to such purgatory and to find solutions for those who are.”

To read the entire report, click here.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog