Elephants suffering in European zoos

The RSPCA says elephants in European zoos die young because of deficient enclosures, poor diet, illness and inappropriate social grouping.

A study for the charity says in captivity the animals have about half the 30-year lifespan of their counterparts in Asian timber camps.

Zoo breeding programmes are also said to have an "abysmal" record.

In addition, 35% of zoo females fail to breed, 15-25% of Asian zoo babies are stillborn, and 6-18% are rejected or killed by their mothers.

Current enclosures can be extremely small - up to 100 times smaller than the smallest wild territories - with 90% of those in Europe providing no grazing.

The RSPCA study - A Review of the Welfare of Zoo Elephants in Europe - found many elephants in zoos also suffer from rough treatment at the hands of their keepers.

Dr Rob Atkinson, head of wildlife, said: "In the vast majority of our zoos, elephant handlers try and dominate elephants by psychological means, physical restriction and punishment - a system known as traditional free contact.

"While elephants are still kept in zoos, the RSPCA wants their management to be based on reward, not punishment, and for keepers to be protected from death and injury.

"Circus-style displays must also become a thing of the past."

The charity is calling for elephants to be phased out of zoo collections, with an immediate end to breeding and importation.

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Source: Ananova