sure. as long as there's plenty of yards, large holding building, communal area, soft floors, different terrain in the yards, bull management, family herds, etc. if in a cooler climate, large area to get exercise and relief from cold. only thing that grinds my gears are small areas for bulls and hard floors. containment doesn't bother me if it sticks out like a sore thumb. I'd rather them be safely contained. I don't need it to feel or look like africa or asia. I know I'm in the city, within a Zoo. I dig how Birmingham and Denver are doing Bull Herds. I'm not a fan of exhibits 1 acre or smaller. my .02 cents.
They may not be safe anywhere else, sadly. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/opinion/sunday/slaughter-of-the-african-elephants.html?_r=0 http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112777647/elephant-mortality-higher-climate-change-020513/ http://www.cites.org/common/resources/pub/Elephants_in_the_dust.pdf
Of course. I don't think it's a matter if they "should" be kept, but more a matter of "how" they should be kept.
I think they can be kept well in captivity and they should be kept now we've figured out how to breed them reliably. I don't think any other animals leaves a bigger impression on a person. Having said that, they are very difficult and expensive to keep. I don't think any collection should plan on keeping a herd if they don't have the facilities for a minimum of 3 cows, and ideally herds should be larger than that. I also think everyone who plans on keeping elephants needs to be able to keep multiple bulls. Half of the calves born are going to be bulls and someone is going to have to look after them. Keeping small groups of bulls might be a good alternative for smaller zoos that want elephants but can't afford to keep half a dozen cows. I also really don't like moats, they were a nice idea but they are just too dangerous. Solid metal and concrete are they way to go.
anyone who watched the incredibly moving not to say upsetting Tusk Charity programme with HRH The Duke of Cambridge on TV this week will realise it is the safest bet for the Elephants. But they need to be in as large and as varied enclosures as possible as other chatters have said. I don't mind dry moats, in fact I still like an old idea of mine which is deep dry moats with gradual sloping sides that can be utilised as part of the enclosure.
I don't have a problem with keeping elephants but I do agree the way they are kept is important. For example, if a zoo is keeping cows I don't like the idea of less than three and that is a small number. Certainly never keep just one cow. I also don't like the idea of splitting up family units too much. I understand that some of that is unavoidable but it should be minimized as much as possible. I like the idea of bachelor herds of bulls as others have said. Perhaps bulls could be kept in colder climates as they would require less space due to herd size and so maybe could be provided with big enough indoor enclosures where they are not confined. I also agree that there need to be soft floors available.
So there have been two votes against keeping elephants in zoos but no posts to explain that position. Why is that?
I support having elephants in zoos, and what is interesting is that in 2003 there were 80 AZA-accredited zoos with elephants and now exactly a decade later in 2013 there are 69 AZA-accredited zoos with elephants. While some facilities (like Brookfield and Omaha) have long-term plans to bring back the species there are many other establishments that will be phasing out elephants within the next ten years. In the United States the overall quality of elephant exhibits has improved considerably since 2003 but there is still a long way to go to upgrade numerous exhibits at many zoos. The next decade will see far fewer American zoos with elephants in their collection, but once again the overall quality of the habitats should be infinitely greater.
When I was a child in the 1970d very few mainstream UK zoos wouldn't have had an elephant. It's safe to say that not many of the setups from those days would pass muster now. Paignton say that they will not replace their elderly African cow, which leaves : Whipsnade and Chester holding breeding Asian groups Howletts a breeding African group Belfast and Blackpool with non-breeding Asian cows Twycross with fertile Asian cows but no bull Blair Drummond with non-breeding African cows Colchester, Port Lympne, West Midland and Woburn with groups where things haven't worked out, all but the last involving African Elephants It may well be that in another twenty years the number of UK zoos holding elephants will be numbered in single figures.
I actually found an article on the subject, and it's kind of one sided. Will Zoos Ever Set Elephants Free? Animal-Rights Group Blasts ?Self-Congratulatory? AZA Zoo Study
