Campaigners call for ban on keeping elephants in UK zoos

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Those living in captivity need access to at least 100ha of natural habitat, between ten and 100 times more than zoo space, a report by the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation (CAWF) has revealed.

The number of elephants in UK zoos has been in decline since 1995 with around 49 elephants in 11 zoos currently.

CAWF said over 90 per cent of the public agree elephants should be given more space than is provided in zoos.

Lorraine Platt, co-Founder of CAWF, said: “Today’s report demonstrates what the public is deeply aware of: that elephants need more space than zoos are able to accommodate in the UK. 

“Elephants are highly complex animals, and despite zoos’ best intentions, it is clear they are not equipped to provide the unique environment that they need to thrive. 

“With a number of zoos, including Paignton Zoo, having already reached this conclusion, we hope others will reconsider keeping elephants and take steps to phase out their captivity in the UK.”

Some zoos in the UK have committed to end keeping elephants, most recently Paignton Zoo in Devon who confirmed they would not replace their two elephants who died.

There are high death rates for zoo-born elephants while more than half are categorised as overweight or very overweight, CAWF’a report said.

Elephants in the wild would live in expanses of around 10,000 ha, while in UK zoos they rarely enjoy more than 1ha which they can walk across in little over a minute.

Dr Rob Atkinson, co-author of the report, said: “Our research suggests that despite decades of effort to improve the welfare of elephants in zoos, they do not flourish mentally or physically and are fundamentally ill-suited for life in captivity. 

“Captivity cannot provide all the opportunities elephants need to truly flourish, but for those that must remain in captivity, only truly exceptional amounts of natural space give them the opportunity to forage naturally and significant choice over how they spend their time.”

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is reviewing the future of elephant-keeping in the UK.

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