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Thai Elephants in Zoos
Thai elephant importation: The facts
When a number of Australian zoos planned to importeight endangered elephants from Thailand, for public display, and paticipation in a planned captive breeding programme, the RSPCA strongly opposed to this plan because of serious concerns for the animal's welfare.
Also, based on sound international research and scientific evidence, the RSPCA did not believe this plan would contribute to elephant conservation.
Sadly, on July 20,2005, the Federal Environment Minister Senator the Hon. Ian Campbell approved the application but the RSPCA, along with the Humane Society International (HSI) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) lodged an appeal against the decision.
The first stage of this appeal achieved a stay order, but eventually the importation proceeded, and the elephants were brought to Australia. This however, does not change the intrinsic issues at the centre of the debate:
Elephant breeding rates are better in the Thai tourist camps than Australian zoos can realistically hope to achieve.
In the tourist camp where these eight elephants originated, ten female elephants are pregnant right now.
Why risk bringing these elephants to Australia when they are breeding so well in their homeland, if not for commercial benefit?
Australian zoos have no experience in breeding elephants.
Despite more than 100 years of keeping Asian elephants, no Australian zoo has ever been able to breed one single animal.
The RSPCA believes this plan is simply a case of admitting they have failed to breed their existing elephants, and acquiring new animals to keep trying.
Furthermore, this breeding programme will require much closer and more frequent handling of these elephants than previously undertaken, in order to conduct the invasive artificial insemination procedures required.
The zookeepers responsible for this have little or no experience for these direct handling methods - in fact, Melbourne Zoo was recently advertising for a brand new elephant keeper!
There is no plan by any of the zoos involved to ever release a single elephant back into the wild.
Even if the breeding plan was to somehow succeed, international evidence strongly suggests captive breeding does not contribute to wild animal conservation.
Breeding more elephants to keep in Australian zoos does not contribute to the conservation of the species in the wild.
If we continue to take elephants from their home in Asia to put on display in zoos - where we know they don't breed well, suffer greatly and die at a younger age - then it's true the only elephants our children will know will be elephants in a zoo.
What a sad and sorry sight a zoo elephant is, and what a lesson to leave for our children!
The RSPCA is NOT an animal rights group and is NOT opposed to zoos.
The RSPCA recognises the good work zoos have done in education and the conservation of many animal species.
However, based on a wealth of international scientific evidence, we know that some animals do not cope well in zoos and the elephant is one such animal.
Elephants suffer in zoos.
Elephants in zoos suffer terribly. They experience a number of health problems, including painful foot and joint problems and obesity from lack of movement.
They also breed poorly with a high rate of miscarriage and still birth and a very high rate of calf rejection and infant mortality.
Elephants in zoos also die at a younger age than those in the wild or in the tourist camps these elephants have come from.
Here's what you can do:
Write to the Federal Environment Minister Ian Campbell and tell him you are strongly opposed to the decision he has made.
Write to Taronga Zoo and Melbourne Zoo and express your outrage that they would risk an endangered animal's welfare to increase their profits.