Ruby and Maggie: The Plight of Zoo Elephants

The good news is that Ruby, a 46-year-old African elephant, ex-circus performer, and an attraction at the LA Zoo since 1987, is no longer in show biz. She has just been retired to the 2300-acre PAWS (Performing Animals Welfare Society) sanctuary in San Andreas, California after years of efforts by animal activists, including long-time TV game show host Bob Barker, to rescue her from substandard living conditions and solitude. Her former companions Gita and Tara had both died in the last few years of arthritis and foot ailments, leaving her alone. The bad news is that an Asian elephant, Bobby, remains at the zoo, which is building an expensive but very small (six acres) new elephant exhibit and plans to bring in new elephants when it's completed.

Like Bobby, many other elephants are still languishing in zoos. Maggie, a 25-year-old Alaska Zoo African elephant, has the sad distinction of being the only pachyderm in Alaska. She's been living at the Anchorage zoo since she arrived in 1983 as a baby. Maggie lost her only companion, Annabelle, in 1997 and has lived by herself ever since. A couple of years ago, she was in the news when zoo officials, in a desperate effort to keep her in better physical and psychological shape, bought her a treadmill. This week, Maggie made the news again when she was found lying on the floor of her enclosure. She remained there for up to 19 hours before firefighters were called to lift her up with heavy equipment. Extensive time in a supine position can be fatal for an elephant, causing breathing and other problems. A few days later, she was found on the floor again and had to be lifted up a second time. Why this has happened remains a mystery, and the zoo, a private institution, refuses to disclose her medical records despite demands from In Defense of Animals, a California animal advocacy group. Despite her distressing situation, the zoo has resisted closing her exhibit, even though she needs the companionship of other elephants and soft ground to roam on, as well as a milder climate than Alaska. The cold hard fact is that Maggie is a draw for tourists.

Clearly, elephants are charismatic. They make money for zoos. Somewhat over one-third of all American zoos exhibit elephants, and they attract two-thirds of the zoo audience. But according to animal expert Cynthia Moss, who has studied elephants in Kenya for over 30 years, no more than a dozen US zoos are equipped to handle elephants.

Elephants in the wild live in warm climates, with a life span of up to 70 years. In contrast, captive elephants frequently die prematurely from conditions that are almost unheard of in wild elephants, including heat stroke or hypothermia, as well as foot infections and severe arthritis from standing on concrete. Tuberculosis, obesity from lack of exercise, and emaciation from inadequate nutrition are also common in captive elephants. In nature, elephants are highly social, communicating with each other constantly and traveling some 30 miles a day in family groups, snacking on vegetation and bathing at every opportunity. Frustrated by their inability to lead a normal elephant life, captive elephants express their boredom and loneliness through pacing, swaying, and head bobbing. The Born Free Foundation estimates that captive elephants spend 22% of their lives involved in these behaviors.

Another issue with captive elephants is public safety. Elephants can become angry and run amok. Between 1990 and 2000, captive elephants killed 51 people and injured over 100 people worldwide. Zoos and circuses often resort to cruel methods to keep their elephants under control. Whips, bull hooks and electric prods are used to discipline and "break" them. They are frequently chained.

Captive elephant breeding can also be problematic. Of the 300 elephants in American Zoo Association-certified zoos, less than 100 can breed. In addition, infant mortality rates are high. Out of 30 African elephants born in the US since 1950 and 87 Asian elephants born since 1962, only 17 African and 51 Asian elephants survived their first year. As a result, some zoos are beginning to import wild-caught elephants, despite the CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species) treaty which limits the importation of elephants.

The bottom line is that Ruby, Maggie, and all captive elephants are sensitive, intelligent creatures and deserve better than the indignity of being incarcerated objects of entertainment. Some fourteen US zoos have come to recognize that and have either closed their elephant exhibits or are planning to do so soon.

If you want to help save elephants from zoo captivity, go to www.savewildelephants.com or www.savezooelephants.com. To view sanctuary elephants on a live web cam or video, visit www.pawsweb.org and www.elephants.com.