The concise answer is NO…
Some proponents argue that captive elephant facilities provide educational opportunities for the public to learn about elephants and their conservation needs. They also suggest that captive breeding programs can establish “insurance populations” of elephants, which will serve as a genetic reservoir to supplement wild populations in the event of population declines via reintroduction into the wild.
However, it is argued by many NGO’S, that the captive industry, particularly in the context of elephants, raises significant ethical concerns regarding animal welfare. They state that the captive industry does not significantly contribute to the conservation of wild elephants. While some captive facilities may claim to support conservation efforts through education and breeding programs, the impact on wild populations remains minimal compared to the threats they face in their natural habitats, such as habitat loss, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict.
In conclusion, the consensus among many conservationists is that the elephants should not be held in captivity due to minimal benefit, if any. Efforts should primarily focus on addressing the root causes of elephant decline in the wild, such as habitat loss and poaching, while promoting ethical and responsible approaches to elephant conservation.
No! Elephant have complex needs, physical, social, and psychological, which cannot be met in captivity due to its’ inherent limitations.
Many people believe captive elephants have been domesticated, this is not the case. They have not been selectively bred over generations thus have the same genetic make-up as any wild elephant. This means captive elephants, due to their size, foraging behaviour, complex social structure and intelligence, require abundant space to roam free and express natural behaviour like their wild cousins.
There are numerous psychological consequences that can be associated with a captive environment. A lack of stimulation leads to the exhibition of stereotypic behaviours (rocking, head-bobbing, weaving, and swaying the head from side to side). An incomplete social structure and a lack of social support could result to mothers rejecting or killing their calves. Many facilities only house a few elephants and therefore, do not consider the social needs of the elephant.
Cruel training techniques, trauma experienced during capture and being forcibly removed from their families can cause captive elephants to suffer from PTSD, which could also lead to stereotypic behaviour along with aggressive behaviour towards humans or other elephants causing injury or death.
Due to their wild nature, elephants in captivity pose an obvious threat to humans during interactions, in the absence of a protective barrier.
Between the years 2001 – 2015, a total of 6 human fatalities, and 11 injuries (caused by captive elephants) have been reported. There are no formal reports available since 2015, however human injuries and fatalities are still frequently occurring.
Bullying amongst stable mates can also occur, often caused by an inadequate social structure, clashing personalities, lack of space, frustration, and anxiety.
Unfortunately, most of the elephants that are housed in South Africa’s captive facilities were either wild caught elephants, man-made orphans whose family’s fell victims to various culling operations or bred in captivity.
According to the current SA’s Norms and Standards of Elephant Management, a wild elephant may not be captured for commercial use, except under exceptional circumstances such as international agreements or for research purposes. Whilst capture should not be allowed under any circumstance for captivity, this is a massive improvement after the legislation was passed in 2008. Sadly, between 2004 & 2013 over 50 elephants were removed from the wild for commercial gain.
Captive elephants are allowed to breed, which allows facilities to attempt to maintain or increase their numbers to support their commercial model. However, as bull elephants mature, they become extremely difficult to handle due to potential aggression caused by testosterone. This has all captive bull elephants receiving the GnRH vaccine which supresses the production of spermatozoa and testosterone in the testes. Consequently, captive elephant bulls that are on this vaccination regime will experience temporary infertility and as a result, no births have been reported in over four years.
Simply YES! Over 20 previously captive African elephants have been successfully released onto various fenced reserves in South Africa and have since been roaming as free elephants in wild systems. Brett Mitchell, ERT’s chair, has facilitated the reintegration process of two separate elephant herds in the North West and Limpopo Province.
From an ecological point of view, elephants are considered a keystone specie, where the reintegration of elephant will add massive value by contributing to wildlife conservation and their systems. Even though some proponents question previously captive elephants’ abilities to adapt to an unknown environment, the species has proven to be extremely versatile and adjustable. Literature has shown that the movement and behavioural patterns of previously captive elephants bulls normalised after an extensive monitoring period. Studies on reintegrated Asian elephants have shown similar results where their movement patterns were similar to their wild conspecifics.
The success rate of a reintegration operation depends on numerous factors such as the release site, the phases of reintegration, the translocation operation, the social structure of the released elephants.
Currently there are still 90 African elephants in captivity in South Africa. The vast majority of which occur in the Western Cape.
Most of these elephants are required to partake in various activities with tourists daily, including being ridden in elephant back safaris, scheduled walks & interactions with guests.
The natural home range of African elephants in the wild ranges from 5,000 hectares (12,355 acres) to over 50,000 hectares (123,552 acres). The space available to these elephants in captivity is a fraction of this & often does not even reach 0.01% of the space they require.
This can be seen as the human equivalent of being permanently confined to the area in your house for example.
Life in captivity puts elephants at risk from a myriad of health issues.
Due to the nature of the confined environments elephants are subjected to, especially in zoos, they are more exposed & vulnerable to an array of communicable diseases.
The combination of limited space & inappropriate enclosure surface conditions means elephants may be subjected to further foot problems.
Lack of movement & incorrect feeding strategies can contribute towards digestive & weight problems.
Hyper-aggression between elephants in these confined areas can also lead to bullying, causing injuries & in some cases fatalities.
On a psychological level, unstimulated captive elephants often experience depression, PTSD & develop stereotypic behaviours which are all indicators of frustration in an inadequate or stressful environment.
Notes:
Due to nature of a confined environment, especially Zoos, elephants are exposed to various diseases such as tuberculosis, elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses, acute hemorrhagic disease. The combination of limited space and inappropriate enclosure surface conditions, elephants may be subjected to lameness, overgrown nails and foot pads, foot rot, etc. Lack movement and incorrect feeding strategies can contribute towards obesity, cause colic, and arthritis, which can be detrimental. Bullying (Hyper-aggression) can also occur in captive facilities which could lead to injuries and in some cases fatalities. On a psychological level, captive elephants can experience depression, PTSD and develop stereotypic behaviours which are all indicators of a stressful environment.
Would you enjoy interactions with strangers if your spirit was broken to achieve them?
Most elephants in captive facilities in South Africa were either wild caught or orphaned due to culling operations. Some elephants even experienced forced separation from their mothers or bonded companions. There is no doubt that many elephants suffered from PTSD after these disruptive incidents, and sadly, some may never recover from it. There are various methods implemented to train elephants to perform tricks, interact with- and allow people to ride them. Some facilities use the dominant approach and negative reinforcement to intimate and train young elephants. Bullhooks, chains, and torturing shoots are used to “break” the elephant’s soul and will to protest.
These training techniques are often swept under the carpet to avoid tourists having a negative association towards elephants in captivity.
An interesting study conducted on captive elephants showed a higher preference of elephant-guide interactions when compared to tourist and volunteer interactions.
The short answer…EXPENSIVE!
Housing large herbivores involves a massive financial commitment. Elephants are known for their longevity and their daily requirements in captivity takes the budget to the next level. The cost of feed is the second largest running cost of maintaining a captive elephant. Their diet consists of predominantly forage (hay (± 45-55kg), grass (± 5- 30kg) and branches with leaves (Ad libitum)) with the addition of commercial pellets (± 2kg) and fruits. Other costs that need to be covered includes the maintenance of the enclosure and fences, staff salaries, enrichment, veterinary services, foot care, dental services, and insurance cover.
One should not only consider the financial costs of keeping captive elephants, but also focus on the cost of their welfare. Certain elephant facilities are forced to cut back on their budget to keep their doors open, which is why some captive elephants fall victim to neglect. A good example was during the COVID pandemic, where the tourism industry took a massive financial knock. Facilities might not always have the financial aids to provide adequate enrichment, space, social structure, or health care that their elephants require.
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