Continuing challenges of elephant captivity: the captive environment, health issues, and welfare implications
Although the well-being of elephants in captivity is of paramount importance, the confinement of these long-lived, highly intelligent, and socially complex animals continues to present significant challenges. Here, we provide an overview of the current state of elephant confinement (primarily in the...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2024-09-01
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| Series: | PeerJ |
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/18161.pdf |
| _version_ | 1827093038430683136 |
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| author | Catherine Doyle Heather Rally Lester O’Brien Mackenzie Tennison Lori Marino Bob Jacobs |
| author_facet | Catherine Doyle Heather Rally Lester O’Brien Mackenzie Tennison Lori Marino Bob Jacobs |
| author_sort | Catherine Doyle |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although the well-being of elephants in captivity is of paramount importance, the confinement of these long-lived, highly intelligent, and socially complex animals continues to present significant challenges. Here, we provide an overview of the current state of elephant confinement (primarily in the West) by examining captive facilities, improvements, and continuing problems, and the clinical/behavioral/neural issues that remain. Specifically, we examine quantitative and qualitative aspects of the enclosed space, sociocognitive factors, dietary differences, and health/welfare concerns (e.g., stereotypies, physical health, nutrition, reproduction, life expectancy). The challenges of the captive environment become especially salient when juxtaposed next to the complex, multifaceted characteristics of the elephant’s natural environment. Despite the best efforts of some facilities to improve the captive environment, serious welfare challenges remain. Such confinement issues thus raise important welfare and ethical concerns with regards to captive elephant well-being. |
| first_indexed | 2025-03-20T06:21:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b51a64d8f13749658e6c9a28b3b61681 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-03-20T06:21:44Z |
| publishDate | 2024-09-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-b51a64d8f13749658e6c9a28b3b616812024-10-02T15:05:25ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592024-09-0112e1816110.7717/peerj.18161Continuing challenges of elephant captivity: the captive environment, health issues, and welfare implicationsCatherine Doyle0Heather Rally1Lester O’Brien2Mackenzie Tennison3Lori Marino4Bob Jacobs5Performing Animal Welfare Society, San Andreas, California, United StatesThrive Wild LLC, Ventura, California, United StatesPalladium Elephant Consulting Inc., Calgary, Alberta, CanadaDepartment of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United StatesWhale Sanctuary Project, Washington DC, United StatesNeuroscience Program, Department of Psychology, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado, United StatesAlthough the well-being of elephants in captivity is of paramount importance, the confinement of these long-lived, highly intelligent, and socially complex animals continues to present significant challenges. Here, we provide an overview of the current state of elephant confinement (primarily in the West) by examining captive facilities, improvements, and continuing problems, and the clinical/behavioral/neural issues that remain. Specifically, we examine quantitative and qualitative aspects of the enclosed space, sociocognitive factors, dietary differences, and health/welfare concerns (e.g., stereotypies, physical health, nutrition, reproduction, life expectancy). The challenges of the captive environment become especially salient when juxtaposed next to the complex, multifaceted characteristics of the elephant’s natural environment. Despite the best efforts of some facilities to improve the captive environment, serious welfare challenges remain. Such confinement issues thus raise important welfare and ethical concerns with regards to captive elephant well-being.https://peerj.com/articles/18161.pdfCaptivityWelfareElephantEthicsZoo |
| spellingShingle | Catherine Doyle Heather Rally Lester O’Brien Mackenzie Tennison Lori Marino Bob Jacobs Continuing challenges of elephant captivity: the captive environment, health issues, and welfare implications PeerJ Captivity Welfare Elephant Ethics Zoo |
| title | Continuing challenges of elephant captivity: the captive environment, health issues, and welfare implications |
| title_full | Continuing challenges of elephant captivity: the captive environment, health issues, and welfare implications |
| title_fullStr | Continuing challenges of elephant captivity: the captive environment, health issues, and welfare implications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Continuing challenges of elephant captivity: the captive environment, health issues, and welfare implications |
| title_short | Continuing challenges of elephant captivity: the captive environment, health issues, and welfare implications |
| title_sort | continuing challenges of elephant captivity the captive environment health issues and welfare implications |
| topic | Captivity Welfare Elephant Ethics Zoo |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/18161.pdf |
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