I am writing to you regarding your recent article about elephants in captivity. I strongly disagree with many good reasons to support my decision.
On 1st of November 2001 London Zoo gave up custody of elephants after numerous complaints. The owner decided to agree with the public with allegations that elephants require substantial amount of space for their surrounding. Other zoos also discovered having identical issues as such.
People believe that keeping elephants in captivity also increases breeding. However, those people are unaware that statistics show elephants that are tamed from the wild causes them confusion from being kept in a cage. The impact can result to causing them depression, tiredness and very frightened. Let alone being pregnant for 22 months which is the timescale of pregnancy for elephants. Therefore, forcing them this lifestyle would be extremely cruel and be most un-professional. So how are they going to breed when they are unhappy and in an unfamiliar environment?
Elephants are herbivores (plant eaters) with huge appetites; they eat up to 200kg a day for 75% of their time. Do zoos really have money to waste on that amount of food for elephants they keep in captivity? Also Elephants are a ‘keystone species’, and hold their ecosystem together by playing an important role. They create vital pathways through forests or across savannas, and knock over trees allowing smaller species to feed. In droughts they dig down to underground water supplies which other species make use of too. Without elephants open free in the wild how are other animals suppose to survive without their providers?
On 23rd of October 2002 the RSPCA revealed to the Independent newspaper how they thought keeping elephants under captivity was wrong. More than 500 elephants, just under half of the world's zoo elephant population, are held in Europe; in Britain a total of 90 animals (46 African and 44 Asian) are in zoos. Now 8 years later the same question is being asked. This is because experts looked over numbers and foretold the deadly increase of elephants being held in zoos.
Zoo owners inform the public that they have plenty of space for the elephants to roam in, “wide open (yet contained) space”. Nevertheless are they really aware of elephant’s needs and their way of life? Elephants have to walk minimum 80 kilometers a day and eat at least 2 tones of food. Imagine that they do not get what they need, it would cause cracks and sores in they’re skin and could even give them authorities’ in their ankles. This simply cannot be treated by man-made medicines, with the exception of letting the elephants have there required roam in a dirt pond. How are they suppose to get all that is essential to being healthy by living in a small cage which will cause them to die 40 years younger than they do in the wild? Is it worth the risk?
I sincerely hope you take account my views and opinions when writing your further reports of elephants in captivity.
Yours faithfully,
Anita Dogood.
