The Tragedy of Zoo Elephants

16/12/2023

🇨🇭 ZOO BASEL UPDATE
In our previous post we concluded that elephant Heri in critical condition at Basel Zoo was impregnated by AI this is not the case. Heri was mated by male elephant 'Tusker' at the zoo. Tusker was euthanised due to TB in August this year.
The zoo describe the mating as 'natural' and yet there is nothing natural about a zoo mating! The female has no choice, nowhere to escape to when faced with a frisky large male elephant!
The zoo remains totally irresponsible in allowing this situation to occur, especially given that by their own admission they were fully aware of the grave risks! The reckless actions of Zoo Basel are nothing short of criminal and show once again their total lack of care or concern for the well being of elephants in their charge. Their only concern is to produce offspring who get the tills ringing even at the risk of the death of an elephant!
🇨🇭 This isn't the first instance of criminally reckless conduct by a Swiss Zoo. Zoo Zurich allowed a 4 year old calf 'Omysha' to be mated a few years ago! Zooschweiz why are your member zoos so callous as to risk the lives of elephants to play the mating game?

Der Basler Zoo hat heute mitgeteilt, dass das lang erwartete Elefantenbaby im Bauch seiner Mutter kein Lebenszeichen mehr von sich gibt. Di...

15/12/2023

🇨🇭 THE GREED OF BASEL ZOO!
Wild caught 'Heri' at 47 years old has a dead calf inside her… as a result her own life is now very much at risk.
Heri’s only previous pregnancy resulted in a still birth in 2004
Given that there is no male elephant at BASEL ZOO we can only assume that this pregnancy was a result of AI.
Artificially inseminating a 47 year old elephant is beyond irresponsible in doing so BASEL ZOO placed their desire for a calf above the wellbeing and welfare of Heri.
This is NOT conservation this is playing Russian roulette with elephant lives!!
If elephant 'Heri' dies BASEL ZOO have intentionally killed her 🤬
World Association of Zoos and Aquariums and EAZA - the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria have some explaining to do??
https://www.facebook.com/zoobasel/posts/pfbid0nMvbr2yR6yiYUp6PMCkqb8i3rjHmUJkxd2gYVX17DTDse88wc675oSiqFxDvnjyel?__cft__[0]=AZVhPHi0bifoF4iaKl7Q4hlkyeAhs_jzLnb1UOQWofIuD-b_F6qbP-k59GHyiBR_bMpXctgk1K-IDnkG9895_czJawQTdn6Wf4WcN9J8OJEBytm6M-3LQTM2fwUcYn5kDdL_vx3j7_Plnu1h_DmqogqhoKtNm13SinPTIbeKeAlCqNsjZ8nAWFdwGPP89Uzf3QjWV5Otnk96dhNjLSkFXpy4pTrDZpVaSfAFl5iLlN3nFQ&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

28/11/2023

Mali,the lone elephant in the Manila Zoo in the Philippines has died after 47 solitary years in captivity. Mali epitomises the selfishness of humans in thinking that what they did to Mali,supposedly orphaned at 3 years old,was in any way saving or rescuing her. They condemned her to a lifetime of misery and deprivation and in all honesty,death must be regarded as a blessed relief from the tortuous existence she endured for so long.
RIP Mali.and may you be one of the last to be forced like this into a life of lonely,deprived captivity.

“What you see in a zoo isn’t an elephant,what you see in a zoo is a tragedy”.
Dame Daphne Sheldrick.

https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/28/23/philippines-lone-elephant-mali-dies

24/11/2023

🇨🇭 ZOO ZURICH REUNITE ELEPHANT PANANG WITH THE MOTHER THEY RIPPED HER FROM 28 YEARS PRIOR!
Panang being reunited with her mother Ceyla is good news. In nature female elephants remain with their mothers for life! Separating a mother from her calf causes significant trauma to both animals. But that was NOT where Panang's trauma concluded! Munich zoo where Panang was sent, attempted to breed her numerous times yet all four calves conceived by Panang were either stillborn or survived for only a limited period!
Poor Panang has suffered so much loss in her life, we are naturally delighted to see her reunited with Ceyla the mother she should NEVER have been separated from! We pray that Zoo Zurich despite having an atrocious record in elephant welfare does not attempt to breed Panang & now allows her to live peacefully!
👉 We wish Panang's story was unique but sadly, it’s a sorry tale repeated many times across many different zoos. Separation, countless invasive procedures & traumatic losses all to facilitate zoo elephant breeding programmes!
FOR MOST ZOOS HAVING ELEPHANT CALVES TO GET THE TURNSTILES RINGING ARE OF GREATER IMPORTANCE THAN ELEPHANT WELL BEING!
https://www.facebook.com/zoozuerich/posts/pfbid0Jdo3JQEKC865EQdgjnL4Qjaucfno4qQimNsGch3AxcQkfJSHkdRmckECwWe97uiEl?mibextid=YxdKMJ

23/11/2023

🇩🇪 Hagenbeck Tierpark a notorious German Zoo has lost yet ANOTHER elephant calf to EEHV.
Santosh (M) 4 years old died suddenly yesterday.
Santosh was the fourth elephant to die from EEHV at the zoo in the past 7 years
In fact of the last six elephant calves born at Hagenbeck Tierpark NONE have survived!!
And yet Hagenbeck Tierpark continue breeding, continue traumatising elephants with recurrent loss and grief!
Perhaps the pathetic survival rate is due to the brutal training, the circus style tricks or the free contact with bull hooks? Whatever the reason Hagenbeck clearly have little interest in improving elephant welfare or wellbeing. Not entirely unsurprising in a zoo whose roots are based in animal trading and the circus!


https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=737769381727362&id=100064829193166

17/11/2023

17/10/2023

Support here for ending zoo captivity in the U.K.

Dame Joanna Lumley has called for an end to zoos keeping elephants, 40 years after the Daily Mail highlighted their plight in captivity. There are 50 elephants held in enclosures across the UK.

17/10/2023

When campaigners pressure Zoos to move an elephant to sanctuary,zoos almost always claim the elephant is ‘too old’ to safely make the journey.
And yet when a zoo wishes to move an elephant to another zoo age never seems to be a barrier!
On Sept 21st elephants Frosja (43) and Louise (50) arrived at Sofia Zoo, Bulgaria from Augsburg Zoo in Germany after a journey of over 1500km lasting 2 days!
If elephants can comfortably manage a long journey to create space for new breeding stock,why would a journey to sanctuary be so dangerous for Lucy (Edmonton Zoo,Canada ) or Mali (Manila Zoo,The Philippines),Anne (Longleat Safari Park, U.K.)or so many other elephants suffering alone in substandard conditions?

25/09/2023

"The age that Irma has reached is exceptional. Normally elephants do not live longer than fifty. At 53 years old, Irma was very elderly in human years." - The outright LIES spun by zoos and regurgitated by the press!! For an elephant allowed to live wild and free that is not imprisoned in a zoo 53 is but middle aged!
https://www.010fotograaf.nl/8658/oudste-olifant-van-nederland-irma-overleden-in-diergaarde-blijdorp/?fbclid=IwAR0xr7k7TDXey7nWW0JwHnF2ic2uau4HcXnIQAoYwer0a78MVYblFdyfvWU

09/06/2023

The quote from Kat Blais speaks for itself. Keeping such a complex animal in conditions such as this belongs in another age,not the 21st century.
Please sign the petition 🙏

Imagine living your entire life in a small bathroom. For Miyako, the solitary elephant at the Utsunomiya Zoo in Japan, this is her daily reality. Brought to the zoo from Thailand, a mere baby at 6 months old, she has spent the past 49 years in isolation in a tiny concrete pen with nothing to do.

Help us to help Miyako! Sign her petition here: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/478/835/159/miyako-has-lived-44-years-alone-trapped-in-a-concrete-prison-help-her-before-it-is-too-late/

Thank you for your continued support!

#宇都宮動物園 #宮子

🙏🐘

26/05/2023

Cincinnati Zoo is spending $50million on a new elephant exhibit,”their largest yet” which comprises all of 5 acres. This for a multi generational herd. Are they joking? This is like confining a human family to a back garden. Just think what that money could do for real conservation. This is about improving the human experience of viewing wild animals in captivity,not improving the lives of elephants. It’s a fact that no zoo can ever provide elephants with enough space. 5 acres is laughable. Elephants don’t belong zoos.

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/05/24/cincinnati-zoo-elephant-trek-open-next-year.html

23/05/2023

BIAZA are naturally making a big deal of this, but drill down into the study and all may not be as it appears!
▪️ 'Enjoyment' has been largely determined by increased social activity among elephants along with reduced stereotypical behaviours, but could this not just as easily be attributed to wariness at a perceived potential threat? Or even just something interesting to watch to break up the monotony of their everyday lives?
▪️ Stereotypical behaviours in zoo elephants are caused by frustration and boredom, If an elephant were cautiously watching a perceived potential threat its hardly surprising that in that moment they would not be bored nor that they would seek out reassurances from herd mates.....it's what elephants do! No big surprise!
▪️ Even if (and it’s a big ‘if’) elephants do enjoy having visitors it does not alter the facts that elephants suffer, lead monotonous deprived lives and then die premature deaths from captivity related diseases in zoos something we can say with some certainty elephants DON’T ENJOY!
https://biaza.org.uk/news/detail/new-study-suggests-elephants-enjoy-the-presence-of-zoo-visitors?fbclid=IwAR1LUNikARQlHLhM4t1l4f-APOUl8qV5MTFbNXGOAp8Nkbkx2-yXhpLJEXk

15/05/2023

African elephant Malaika dies at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo dies in the prime of her life at just 37 years old. The zoo is trying to make this sound like a natural death from “old age” and it’s true African elephants in western zoos rarely reach 40 years old. But 37 is not old by any other definition. Malaika died from the deprivations of captivity and no amount of sugar coating will make that acceptable. RIP Malaika,another victim of the human obsession with keeping wild animals captive in severely compromised conditions, in the name of education amd conservation.

https://krdo.com/news/2023/05/14/37-year-old-african-elephant-malaika-passes-away-at-cheyenne-mountain-zoo/

11/05/2023

🇺🇸 Dallas Zoo USA Elephant calf 'Ajabu' succumbs to the deadly EEHV virus.
This excellent article lays bare some of the misinformation that zoos propagate to try support their status as working for 'conservation'

A young elephant has died at the Dallas Zoo from a disease that has been shown to be common and deadly for young elephants held captive in zoos.

10/05/2023

🇬🇧 West Midlands Safari Park, UK - Poor Sutton He watched his nanny Latabe die at just 28, shortly after he was prematurely separated from his mother and now he is sent to another zoo!
West Midlands Safari Park, UK say at his new home 'Noah's Ark' he will "learn the skills of a bull elephant" Noah's ark does provide elephants with more space (20 acres) and yet still in 2021 one of the older bulls there killed 12 year old bull M'changa speaking of that death internationally-renowned elephant expert
Dr Joyce Poole, Scientific Director of Elephant Voices said:
“Keeping male elephants together in a small space like 20 acres is asking for trouble - there is nowhere for the others to go if one of them comes into musth. Mixing 12,16 and 29 year old males is unwise. In the wild, males tend to socialise with elephants of similar size and age, though not in permanent groups. Even the gap between 12 and 16 is on the borderline. I would question this age grouping, especially among captive males who have grown up without social role models and have no choice regarding play partners.”
⚠️ 9 year old Sutton will now reside with male elephants Janu 18 yrs and Shaka 32 yrs old, and so has been placed at risk and the real reason for the move? So West Midlands Safari Park can bring in another male for breeding purposes!
🛑 Zoos proving once again to have little care for animal welfare, wellbeing or even conservation!
More on the death of M'Changa here - https://www.bornfree.org.uk/news/noahs-ark-zoo-ele-death

09/05/2023

Help release the young bull elephant Bunka from run down Yerevan Zoo in Armenia by sending this email to the Armenian Government requesting his urgent release to Sanctuary
📧 Simply add your details and your email is sent automatically - https://form.jotform.com/231195851942057

09/05/2023

🇹🇳 Tunisia- Ex French Circus elephant 'Baby' arrives at Belvedere Zoo! The municipality boasts of affording Baby a mere 3000sq metres of space (approx 3/4 acre)
Yet another elephant set to reside in sub standard deplorable conditions! The fact that a European country (France) permitted this export is deplorable!

03/05/2023

Zoos almost always rally against calls to send their elephants to sanctuary, frequently citing the dangers of transportation, how elephants would miss their keepers or how the elephants would struggle in new surroundings! Yet when zoos wish to move elephants for 'breeding' purposes none of the above seems to apply?
▪️ Four elephants will shortly make the long transatlantic journey from Dublin Zoo, Ireland to Cincinnati Zoo, USA, not to retire but to create more calves to keep the zoo turnstiles clicking!
▪️ At Cincinnati Zoo the four elephants will reside with the three current elephants in a newly developed exhibit with just a meagre 4 acres of space! The new exhibit reportedly cost over 💰 $50 million - Imagine what that amount of funding could have achieved for REAL conservation efforts on the ground in Africa or Asia? Imagine how many wild elephants could have been saved?
📷 Depicts crate training at Dublin Zoo

19/04/2023

Duncan at just 9 years old is set to embark on the sad life of almost all bull elephants in zoos - The life of a s***m donor transferred from zoo to zoo to support the insatiable appetite zoos have for breeding elephant calves. https://www.chron.com/life/wildlife/article/houston-zoo-elephant-17902155.php?utm_campaign=CMS%20Sharing%20Tools%20(Premium)&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&fbclid=IwAR21sd9M-sX2Sj-IYKDgVBuKNDsjR7hVPECjb3DSmJBQZ9kVR3ujYXHFMI0

Duncan was born at the Houston Zoo to parents Shanti and Thai in 2014.

11/04/2023

🇯🇵 Japan a wealthy modern country and yet this modern outlook fails to transmit into the way captive elephants are held 😢
⛔️ FUJI SAFARI PARK is a concrete concentration camp for elephants, a place where they are sent to suffer and die!
Japan and 🇱🇦 Laos PDR (who sell or rent the elephants to Japan) should be utterly ashamed and CITES under whose watch this is still happening, should reconsider what they deem to be ‘appropriate locations’ . There is NOTHING elephant appropriate at FUJI SAFARI PARK!
# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #
Fuji Safari Park social media pages.
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/fujisafari
Twitter -

09/04/2023

We are grateful to Ms Buckley (The owner and founder of ERNA) for commenting (since deleted) on our previous post re Mundi the lone elephant at Mayaguez Zoo in Puerto Rico.
Ms Buckley raised some important points in her comments regarding Mundi’s TB status and the matter of suitable climate.
▪️ Ms Buckley claims:
👉 “Mundi is NOT reactive to TB”.
This means that both PAWS (California) and EST (Tennessee) present a viable choice for Mundi, both having African elephants that are not TB exposed and both being GFAS accredited.
This assertion also leads us to question, if Mundi is housed in the same barn, or has contact with elephants Tarra or Bo at ERNA (both have TB exposure history) would this present a risk to Mundi's health?
▪️ Ms Buckley also stated:
👉 “The experts were unwilling to relegate Mundi to cold weather and the need to be contained in a barn for days or weeks at a time, after she has spent her entire captive life in an elephant appropriate climate”.
On the surface this seemed to be a valid point which led us to look at the climate of each venue, what we found was there was only a few degrees difference between each (Fig 1.) and when compared to the climate in Puerto Rico (Fig2.) it becomes immediately apparent that whichever place Mundi eventually calls home, she will need to adjust to a new climate particularly over the winter months.
🔴 In conclusion having looked at the points raised we still maintain that Mundi’s best interests are served by being transferred to an accredited facility with other African elephants!

04/04/2023

https://fb.watch/jH_X0Hd5qg/
Update on Noor Jehan from Dr Amir from FOUR PAWS

03/04/2023

LONE AFRICAN ELEPHANT MUNDI SET TO LEAVE MAYAGÜEZ ZOO IN PUERTO RICO!

This should be a cause for celebration but is it, or has Mundi been let down once more by the unlikeliest of people?

🐘 Mundi is set to travel to her new home at Elephant Refuge North America (ERNA) within weeks but why has an unaccredited sanctuary been chosen as Mundi’s new permanent home?

Lack of accreditation is not the only issue, of greater concern is the fact ERNA has no other African elephants so Mundi will be set to remain a ‘lone elephant’.

🐘 Mundi needs the company of other African elephants to thrive, she is after all a ‘herd animal’. Companionship of their own kind is a fundamental requirement recognised by zoo authorities, conservationists, scientists etc…, A need long denied Mundi and seemingly set to continue being ignored.

We are told that the Asian elephants (one bull and a cow) at ERNA will provide suitable companions for Mundi, but this is untrue as Asian and African elephants are entirely different species, not even of the same genus!

The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) :
"Asian and African elephants are not housed together, as behavioral differences between the species often lead to dominance or aggression problems and endemic disease in one species may be fatal to the other."
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) :
"Due to multiple species differences and possible disease transmission issues, when forming new herds, Asian and African elephants should not be placed together in the same enclosure."

⛔️ Given that there are elephant sanctuaries in the US available that currently house African elephants why have the people tasked with choosing Mundi's new home, Pat Craig from ‘The Wild Animal Sanctuary’ (GFAS accredited ) and Stephen Muldrow from the 'Department Of Justice' overlooked the crucial need for Mundi to have the company of African elephants when choosing the best permanent home for her?

After all elephant Mundi has suffered, why are her needs being ignored, why are we continuing to fail her? 💔

01/04/2023

Elephants and all animals deserve better than this 🤬!
⛔️CLOSE KARACHI ZOO NOW!!!

30/03/2023

Modern day Karachi, Pakistan🇵🇰 where corruption rules and compassion for the voiceless seems to be lost! This elephant is not old but in her teens, her severe ailments the product of a total absence of care or elephant expertise along with her species unsuitable enclosure! A far cry from the wild and free existence she was born into before a soulless Tanzanian government captured and sold her to the highest bidder under the guise of a ‘gift’ without any thought for what Pakistan or the Karachi Zoo could offer to elephants! This is what happens when Rogue African states seek to profit from wildlife export.
🙏It is hoped that a team from Four Paws International will reach the ailing elephant Noor Jehan to offer treatment before it’s too late.
Once more an NGO and kind hearted donors money must be used to mop up the mess left by corrupt governments and uncaring substandard zoos!......and zoos claim to be about conservation
✍️ Please sign and share widely the petition for Noor Jehan - https://www.thepetitionsite.com/992/066/246/a-young-elephant-is-fighting-for-her-life-in-a-tiny-zoo.-free-noor-jehan/?taf_id=72121803&cid=twitter =438517649

09/03/2023

Another baby on the way after the artificial insemination (a revolting procedure akin to r**e) of a mother who was herself conceived the same way. Yet another calf born into the misery of a zoo.Unlike the zoo,we don’t think any of this is something to celebrate.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=575646641260507&id=100064455290804

03/03/2023

Last year, we highlighted the case of Bunka, a young elephant who has been held alone in poor conditions at Yerevan Zoo in Armenia since arriving there from Tbilisi Zoo in Georgia in 2014. A new report released by Friends of Bunka on the 27th February has revealed the extent of Bunka’s physical and mental suffering, and the appalling conditions in which he is forced to live.

The detailed assessment lists numerous concerns including the inadequate and unnatural conditions in which Bunka is being kept, along with numerous physical abnormalities observed including signs of malnourishment and low body weight, weak body posture, inferior muscle condition, and foot health issues including cracked toenails, an abscess, and worn foot pads. Bunka was also observed pacing in circles in his small, concrete enclosure.

The report concludes that Bunka’s needs are not being met at Yerevan Zoo and that he should be moved to a specialist elephant sanctuary.

As highlighted in Born Free’s report Elephants in Zoos: A Legacy of Shame, captive elephants typically suffer shortened life expectancies, poor reproductive success, high calf mortality, numerous physical problems, and a range of behavioural abnormalities. Solitary elephants in zoos are particularly prone to psychological problems.

Dr Mark Jones, Born Free’s Head of Policy said: “Recognising that Yerevan Zoo cannot provide adequate conditions to meet Bunka’s physical and psychological needs, we would urge the Zoo management and the relevant authorities in Armenia to engage with independent elephant specialists in order to find the best solution for him, and to commit to ending the keeping of elephants at the facility.”
Follow Free Bunka on Twitter at

✍️ Sign the petition - https://www.change.org/p/help-free-bunka-the-elephant-from-a-life-of-loneliness-in-yerevan-zoo

📰 Read the report in full - https://www.bornfree.org.uk/news/bunka-the-elephant-assessment-report

01/03/2023

Almost a year ago 22 Namibian desert elephants that were snatched from the wild in contravention of CITES regulations were flown to the UAE some destined for Sharjah Safari Zoo and some for the AL Ain Zoo. All had lost their freedom, and all were to become exhibits imprisoned in a small space for human entertainment.
▪️ The elephants at Sharjah Safari went on display in their small barren area some months ago but what of the nine or so elephants destined for AL Ain Zoo? None have been seen or heard from, their whereabouts unknown? Some months ago it was claimed they were in a large hangar near to the Zoo…. Wild elephants kept in a hangar for a year???
▪️ There are various possible scenarios covered in the article linked below some of which are highly disturbing!
▪️ Perhaps IZE-International Zoo Educators Association the only zoo association unscrupulous or uncaring enough to allow Al Ain zoo to retain membership could elaborate on how snatching wild elephants, breaking up families, and keeping wild elephants in a hangar for a year aids conservation or for that matter education? Perhaps they could tell us if this cruel confinement has in fact KILLED these elephants?
‼️ Please read - https://www.newarab.com/analysis/revealed-unknown-fate-uaes-wild-african-elephants

28/02/2023

https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/story/2023-02-16/opinion-elephants-need-freedom-for-species-to-survive-not-captive-breeding-in-zoos?fbclid=IwAR0vpD-r0Zw4D6p1RxQIU7IQQpOXx474gAVIrwK2OUPvxZlotk7P_58w120

Far from promoting species survival, zoos destroy the lives of individual elephants.

22/01/2023

More on the terrible record of Zoo Zurich! https://www.ffw.ch/en/news/media-release-zurich-zoo-loses-its-6th-young-elephant-in-3-years-a-reappraisal-is-necessary/?fbclid=IwAR32RIv1wtYAX00QS4AZIeBRyK_hS7LhwScV_JkbClHv-HVOXZ3e8s6TTFs

On Monday, January 16, 2023, the Zoo Zürich published a press release announcing that the 17-year-old elephant Farha had given birth to a ...

17/01/2023

Following the deaths of three young elephants in a month at Zoo Zurich in 2022 yet another elephant calf has died shortly after being born.
The mother of the calf ‘Farha’ at just 18 years old has given birth 3 times at Zoo Zurich - none of the calves has survived! One calf Ruwani made it to 5 years old but sadly Ruwani was one of the calves that died last year.
Despite this atrocious record Zoo Zurich plough on with their cruel breeding program regardless of the distress and suffering this causes to the elephants
🤬Zoo Zurich must be the most heartless cruel zoo in Europe!
https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/society/zurich-zoo-mourns-baby-elephant/48207972?fbclid=IwAR2vgJ8herSaGBN4FUoLIYP591KALoK6uSnqZYZ3J83BMcLF1epcbtciStM

26/12/2022

Chimpanzees escaped from a Swedish zoo last week but it’s more common than you might think.

24/12/2022

Remembering Omysha, and all the other elephants who have lived unnatural lives and died unnatural deaths in zoos this year 💔

Omysha’s sad short life was a tragic example of the horror of captivity and captive breeding in zoos. Omysha was captive born June 17, 2014 at the Zoo Zurich in Switzerland. The only good thing about Omysha’s life was that she did get to stay with her mother Indi and her older sister Chandra, but in her short life witnesses much grief and loss. When Omysha was still a baby at only 4 years old, she was bred with the Zoos bull elephant Thai. This is unconscionable; Omysha was still a baby.

She was physically much smaller than an adult, much less an adult bull elephant, and there was no concern for the impact of this breeding on her immature body or that she was unprepared to care for a calf at such a young age. At the age of six, On August 9, 2020, Omysha gave birth to a male calf and then … had the added trauma of witnessing him be immediately killed by the other elephants - another tragedy of captivity - and not the first calf killed this way at Zoo Zurich.

Two years later, on June 29, 2022, Omysha suffered yet another trauma as she witnessed her two-year-old brother Umesh become critically ill and die from Elephant endotheliotropic herpes virus (EEHV). One week later, Omysha also contracted EEHV, and she died on July 11, 2022. Zoo Zurich has a history of EEHV deaths.

Omysha’s short life and death is a living example of the tragic existence of zoo elephants. She experienced so much stress and grief and loss in her short life. The unnatural conditions of captivity create added stress for elephants and disrupt the social family structure and experiential learning young elephants have with their extended family. In the wild elephants have over a decade to learn how to raise a baby after years of watching their mothers and aunts, practicing with their siblings and as allomothers/nannies before they have calves of their own. Omysha’s mother, like so many captive elephants, also didn’t have that foundation of experience to teach Omysha, being sold herself as a baby to Yangon Zoo at age two then directly into the Circus, and then on to Zoo Zurich. Zoos, like Zoo Zurich, are increasingly breeding captive elephants younger and younger, with no concern for the impacts to the elephant’s welfare. There is a constant push to produce as many babies as possible, even when they have high rate of deaths and incidence of deadly EEHV. They just keep breeding. It has nothing to do with conservation of the species because captive elephants will never return to or contribute to the wild population. Profits and retaining a “collection” of captive elephants drive captive breeding.

RIP dear Omysha, you never got to experience freedom, forests, fields or extended family that should have been your birthright. May your heartbreaking life story help raise awareness to prevent other elephants from the same fate.

04/12/2022

Another elephant denied a better life at sanctuary by a hapless judiciary, and a greedy self-centred zoo!
Despite Ely clearly being in a poor condition both physically and psychologically a court in Mexico has ruled that she must live out her days in the conditions which have been directly responsible for her decline, Ely a herd animal must remain alone!
Could you imagine a court making such an order about a human child?
When will we evolve to give even the basic needs of captive animal’s importance? When will the animals right to exhibit natural, instinctive behaviours take priority over mans need for ‘entertainment’?
It was a human created tragedy that Ely was ever incarcerated in a substandard zoo and now the judiciary have created another tragedy in seeking to ensure Ely dies alone, never knowing comfort, never knowing what it really is to be an elephant!
https://fb.watch/hcdM94YMm1/

05/11/2022

Repost In Defense of Elephants.
For “age related” read “captivity related”.
“Elephants don’t live in zoos,they exist and then they die there”.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/devi-elephant-45-euthanized-san-diego-zoo-92686654

04/11/2022

🇨🇦 The latest on Lucy the long-suffering lone elephant in Edmonton Zoo, Canada.
A new report claims the zoo is in such a state of disrepair that it is compromising the welfare and safety of both staff and the animal inmates. A huge injection of capital circa $11M is required from public funds to update the zoo
Such claims are not new to those who have long advocated for elephant Lucy to be released from her confinement and sent to sanctuary (Two different species-specific sanctuaries have offered Lucy a place)
Lucy has long been housed in an enclosure that should have been consigned to history decades ago, she has little outside space and her internal housing is outdated and detrimental to Lucy’s health and wellbeing. That combined with the unsuitable climate and the fact Lucy (a herd animal) is alone has served to compromise Lucy’s physical and mental wellbeing and it shows! She suffers from numerous habitat related conditions including an “unknown respiratory” condition which it’s now believed is likely caused by the dust she is forced to inhale due to unsatisfactory ventilation in her unsuitable accommodation.
There are those that claim sending Lucy to sanctuary could kill her and yet sanctuary experts are confident Lucy would manage the journey with expert monitoring on hand. Doesn’t Lucy deserve the chance of a good life? Is it better to allow her to continue suffering in poor conditions which offer one of the worlds most intelligent and emotional mammals little in the way of mental or physical stimulation and compromise her health every day?
If public funding pays for updates they will remain a few years off whilst all the while Lucy suffers, she could even die which would result in thousands of dollars of public money wasted! Even after a cash injection and updates Lucy would remain alone in a too smaller space in an unsuitable climate – her confinement would remain a long way off acceptable standards, her wellbeing still compromised even by zoo terms!
The keepers may have done their best for Lucy and we have no doubt that some of them will have formed a great attachment to her but when you truly love something or someone you act in their best interests not your own!
If Canada's Accredited Zoos and Aquariums CAZA truly wish to convince us that they put animal welfare front and centre they would also be pushing Edmonton Zoo to release Lucy.
It is unthinkable that City of Edmonton - Local Government is even considering keeping hold of Lucy and utilising huge swathes of public funds to do so at a time when Canadians like other world citizens are suffering the fiscal fallout from Covid and the fuel crisis.
Now is the time to finally, do the “right thing” and let Lucy go to sanctuary, let her feel the warmth on her back, let her roam with grass underfoot and let her be among her own kind!
LET LUCY GO!
📰 https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/edmonton-valley-zoo-shut-down-accreditation-repairs-budget?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3sKR_H8ZhEVZ1ucLFwaSrsPlSr1EHtx3_KrKjvZa5xzisUVoAo5IFOX80 =1667383713