Elephants in Captivity
Genesis Irwin 3rd
Elephants shouldn't be kept in captivity
Elephants are incredible creatures, and amazing to see in person! Sadly, they are put through a terrible life while living in zoos. These animals do not belong in exhibits for the following reasons.
Life isn't improved
In fact, it is made way worse than it would have been in the wild.
HEALTH ISSUES
- High Stress levels
- Depression
- Aggression
- Arthritis
- Skin Issues
- Foot disease
Not cared for well
Elephants are very hard, even for zoos, to take care of.
FINANCIAL ISSUES
- $58,000 per elephant every year.*
*On average, a zoo elephant lives for 16 or so years. That sums up to being almost a million dollars for it's whole life.
AREN'T BEING TRAINED RIGHT
- Trained in abusive ways
- Keepers don't know a whole lot about elephant behavior
No impact in conservation
- Captive elephants don't live full lifespan
- Breeding programs aren't working
- Elephants are taken from the wild to supply zoos with more elephants