New York City Could Ban Elephant Captivity As Landmark Bill Introduced

THINK

Mar 15

If passed, the legislation will outlaw the keeping of elephants in zoos in the city, and will require current captive elephants - like Happy in Bronx Zoo - to be transported to a sanctuary.

A landmark bill has been introduced that seeks to ban the keeping of elephants in the city of New York.

If passed, the bill will be the first in the US to ban elephant captivity, including zoos. According to the bill, any current captive elephants - like Happy the elephant in Bronx Zoo - would be required to be transferred to a sanctuary that meets the animals’ complex needs.

The legislation was introduced by New York City Council Member Shahana Hanif, and supported by Voters for Animal Rights (VFAR) and the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP).

“These regulations will ensure that the complex social-emotional needs of elephants are met, and if they can’t be, then this bill requires elephants to be released to a sanctuary,” said Hanif in a statement. “Our legislation builds on laws passed in both Albany and City Hall to end the use of elephants in circuses and ensure all animals are treated with dignity in our state.”

The ethics of keeping elephants in captivity has been increasingly challenged in recent years, with more and more research attesting to the idea that elephants cannot live fulfilling lives while kept in captivity.

Visitors observing Happy at Bronx Zoo, New York.

In the wild, elephants roam across vast areas exceeding 10,000 square kilometers, and can live up to the age of 70. Elephants also have close family ties and socially complex relationships within their herds.

In zoos however, these animals are confined in small enclosures often not much bigger than a football field, and typically in groups of no more than three.

As a result of these conditions, captive elephants suffer from psychological problems, say animal welfare experts. Research shows that most elephants in North American and European zoos demonstrate abnormal stereotypic behaviors, such as rocking, swaying, and head bobbing, as a consequence of long-term mental distress.

In North America, at least twelve elephants are kept in complete isolation. One of these lone elephants is Happy, who has spent her life held in a small enclosure at Bronx Zoo after being captured from the wild in Thailand back in 1977.

Campaigners have repeatedly called for Happy’s freedom, and the elephant’s legal right to live in a sanctuary became the first animal rights case to reach a US state high court. While the case ultimately didn’t secure her freedom, the new legislation introduced by Council Member Hanif would make it a legal requirement for Bronx Zoo to transfer Happy to an appropriate sanctuary if passed.

Fighting For Elephants in Captivity

Many animal welfare organizations are currently tackling the issue of elephant captivity. Last month, a list of the “10 Worst Zoos for Elephants in North America” was released by In Defense of Animals (IDA), and focused on the plight of elephants in zoos. IDA says that a lack of space, unsuitably cold climates, and unnatural conditions, condemn Earth’s largest land mammals to lifetimes of deprivation, disease, and early death.

Campaigners protesting for Happy’s release to a sanctuary.

The list mirrors the findings of another recent report, Elephants in Zoos: A Legacy of Shame, by international wildlife charity Born Free, which also raises concerns around low birth rates and high infant mortality, stating that 40 percent of infant elephants in zoos die before the age of five.

The report notes that zoos also continue to drive demand for the capture of wild elephants, and the charity is now calling on zoos to phase out captive elephants from their exhibits. Will Travers, co-founder of Born Free, said "it will take time, we all acknowledge that. For animals still in zoos, we need to create large, spacious enclosures in a sanctuary environment. We need to stop attempting to breed them. We should bring no more elephants from the wild."

Why are zoos under increased scrutiny? Listen to our podcast episode “Captivity Sucks”, where we speak with Devan Schowe, Campaigns Associate for Born Free USA, about her extensive work reporting on the suffering of giraffes in US zoos, and why captivity in general is so harmful for animals.

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