Infertility, obesity and shortened lives are common afflictions among the zoo populations of these highly social, intelligent and enormous animals. Studies show that captivity affects them a lot.
Some zoo managers have closed elephant exhibits, saying their facilities couldn't adequately support the animal's needs. Critics say elephants have no place in zoos at all.
Among the major concerns are the limited exhibit space. Since elephants roam for miles in the wild and social groupings, secluding them in pens and just a portion of the zoo's area is not enough for their natural needs.
More than two dozen researchers, who gathered and analyzed data on 255 elephants at 68 zoos, found no link between the size of an exhibit and three key indicators of poor elephant welfare: obesity, reproduction problems or "stereotypical behavior." Elephants that walked more each day were no less likely to be obese than their sedentary counterparts.
However, researchers found that the quality of the space was "extremely important." Diverse enrichment activities and feeding methods, such as hanging or hiding food rather than plopping hay on the ground, were more closely linked to signs of positive welfare, particularly reproductive health. Hard floors were linked to musculo-skeletal and foot problems, as well as less lying down among African elephants.
Big, stable and diverse social groups also seemed to be better for African and Asian zoo elephants of both genders.
The findings suggests that zoos should consider more diverse feeding methods and activities for elephants in the short term -- both things that don't require major infrastructure changes.
Source: Star-Telegram
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