Captive Elephants

Elephants are intelligent, socially complex, and hard to house animals that are frequently exploited in zoos and facing countless welfare problems due to captivity (Cameron et al., 2016). Captive elephants frequently encounter issues with pain and frustration even without considering concerns related to inappropriate climates. Elephants show higher incidence of stereotypic behaviours in colder climates (Rees 2004), leading zoos to turn their elephants indoors for significant portions of their day. There is currently little legislation regarding the housing of elephants in unnatural climate conditions, only recommendations on how to handle them from groups such as the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). Much of the AZA recommendations are related to the entire enclosure, meaning if the elephants are brought inside, they have significantly more welfare concerns due to decreased acknowledgement of their needs (AZA 2011). Compared to elephants in the natural

The natural environment of both African Savanna and Asian elephants is quite obviously significantly larger than what captive environments in North America and Europe can provide; consequently, the welfare problems associated are significant. Outdoor enclosures are small and being subject to the indoor environment further restricts this space. The AZA recommends that the minimum space be 56 m2 indoors for males or females with a calf and 37 m2 for females if they are going to be kept indoors for a significant amount of time. In comparison, the natural home range can be anywhere from 30 km2 to 5,527 km2 (Clubb and Mason 2002). While the numbers alone show a stark difference from the natural environment, welfare measures such as frustration