Independent UK: Elephants kept in zoos die younger than in the wild [View All]

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Elephants kept in zoos die younger than in the wild
First evidence to show animals' health and lifespan suffers in captivity

By Steve Connor, Science Editor
Friday, 12 December 2008




Zoos that see themselves as "arks" for endangered species have been dealt a blow by research that shows their elephants die younger than those in the wild. And elephants born in captivity – as opposed to being caught in the wild for zoos – have the shortest lifespans of all, according to the study, one of the first into the health and wellbeing of captive elephants.

The findings will contradict those institutions that have rebranded themselves in recent years as vital reserves for saving some of the most endangered animals from extinction through captive-breeding programmes.

A comparison of thousands of elephants kept in zoos and living wild in national parks has produced the first, unequivocal scientific evidence that keeping elephants in captivity not only damages their individual health but harms their reproductive potential.

The scientists behind the research have concluded that the existing population of captive elephants in the world is not self-sustaining, as some zoos claim, but is reliant on the continued capture of wild elephants to replenish numbers in captivity.

In a hard-hitting analysis, the researchers have called for an end to the capture and import of wild elephants from their native countries, a ban on non-essential transfer of elephants from one zoo to another and restrictions on the breeding of elephants in captivity to include only those zoos that can demonstrate good husbandry and welfare. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/elephants-kept-in-zoos-die-younger-than-in-the-wild-1062898.html