Elephant Conservation

THE TRUTH ABOUT ZOOS AND ELEPHANT CONSERVATION

asian elephant"Captivity does not equal conservation. Research shows elephant captive breeding programs fail, and in the rare event a zoo elephant produces a calf, it cannot be released back into the wild . . . The best way for these zoos … to assist with the future conservation of this species, is to support field conservation programs in Asia."
- Vivek Menon, Wildlife Trust of India, Agence France Press, Dec. 2, 2004

ZOOS DO NOT PROMOTE ELEPHANT CONSERVATION

Zoos breeding and other programs are aimed not at saving elephant species in range countries, but rather in propagating elephants for zoos.

German veterinarian and elephant expert Fred Kurt, who has worked with and studied elephants and elephant cultures extensively throughout the world, highlights this distinction clearly:

“Modern conservation should be directly aimed to ensure the future existence of in situ populations and habitat. Therefore we suggest the term preservation be used for species captive propagation.”(i)

Kurt goes on to state that if captive propagation is to be done, it should be done in a setting that recreates an elephants’ natural environment, not in the traditional zoo environment.

Kurt is not alone in the assessment that zoos and breeding programs do not equate with in situ conservation programs. The IUCN (World Conservation Union) African Elephant Specialist Group (AfESG) definitively questioned the role of zoos in African elephant conservation and welfare:

“. . . the AfESG is concerned by the poor breeding success and low life expectancy of captive African elephants and does not see any contribution to the effective conservation of the species through captive breeding per se. . . . the holding of African elephants by a captive facility is not a necessary precursor for involvement in situ African elephant conservation.”

The AfESG declined to endorse the importation of live African elephants from the wild for captive facilities in importing countries. (ii)

ambrosiMORE COST-EFFECTIVE TO PROTECT ELEPHANTS WHERE THEY LIVE

The cost of keeping elephants in zoos is at least 50 times more expensive than protecting equivalent numbers in the wild. (iii)

Zoos worldwide plan are spending well in excess of $500 million on elephant exhibit expansions. (Most of these expansions are token improvements that add a few acres or less to current elephant exhibits. In addition, AZA zoos annually spend an estimated $16 million to maintain fewer than 300 elephants, based on an average of $58,000/year/elephant. (iv)

By contrast:

  • $400,000 is the entire annual budget for the Amboseli Elephant Research Project, which protects the lives of 1,400 elephants in 52 families in their natural habitat in Kenya. This is what some zoos spend to maintain four elephants for a year.

  • $10,000 is the rough cost of supporting an anti-poaching team (including salaries and food supplements, some medicine support and basic body equipment) in Thailand for one year.

  • $25 million is the entire annual budget for the Kenya Wildlife Service, which protects some of the world’s most diverse wildlife populations, including more than 30,000 elephants across more than 20,000 square miles of natural habitat. The total combined size of all US zoo elephant enclosures is less than 1 square mile.

If the money spent to house and maintain elephants in American zoos were spent on in situ conservation, entire populations of elephants in Asia and Africa could be saved.

ZOO FUNDS FOR REAL ELEPHANT CONSERVATION SCARCE

Zoos spend more on marketing and advertising than on real conservation programs.

For example, Los Angeles Zoo, which plans a $40 million exhibit expansion for 5-6 elephants, spends .5 percent ($90,000) of its annual $17 million budget on conservation, while 12 percent ($2 million) of its annual budget is spent on marketing and advertising. The Oregon Zoo claims $320,000 in conservation spending, but does not disclose how much of this money is spent on conservation in range countries. By contrast, the zoo spends $1.3 million annually on marketing and conservation. (v)

References:

(i) “The Importance of socialization to the well being of elephants,” Garai and Kurt, 2006

(ii) Letter from IUCN African Elephant Specialist Group to Dr. Michael Hutchins, Director of Conservation of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association,1999

(iii) Leader-Williams, “Black Rhinos and African Elephants: Lessons for Conservation,” Oryx, 24(1), 23-39, 1990.

(iv) AZA Elephant Director’s Meeting – Survey Results, Jan. 2005

(v) AZA 2004 Annual Survey

(vi) News Reports