Horror, cruelty and little security even for visitors, welcome to North America's worst elephant zoo

A real authorized cartel, in which real errors have been documented, from elephants reared for sale to violence

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

Places where elephants suffer and sometimes die, forever deprived of their freedom. It is well known that these places are decidedly unsuitable for animals, but now the association "In Defense of Animals" has revealed what they are the worst elephant zoos in North America. At the head is the African Lion Safari in Ontario, Canada, accused of "acting like elephant traffic center ".

A real authorized sign in which numerous horrors have been documented: from elephants reared for sale, to trauma related to "relocation abuse" through repeated expeditions and, again, to the way in which elephants are forced to perform unnatural circus tricks. The zoo also led the way because it would endanger children and adults by encouraging them to ride elephants for profit.

Transfer abuse

One of the most common and questionable practices of zoos blacklisted by the association is relocation abuse. It is a repeated elephant traffic, with frequent movements and long journeys. A real authorized cartel that seriously damages the welfare of animals. The practice has in fact been associated with a stereotyped behavior repetitive known as "zoochosis," an important indicator of impaired welfare exhibited by multiple elephants in North American zoos.

“Many zoos in this year's 10 worst elephant zoos repeatedly list elephants to attract more paying visitors. Young elephants are also separated from their mothers by some of the zoos on our list. Relocation abuse is just one of the traumas inflicted on captive elephants in North America, as these intelligent and socially complex animals are denied control over their lives. The only remedy for the elephant abuse litany on our list of the 10 worst zoos is to phase out elephant exhibits and send poor captives to accredited sanctuaries, ”explained Will Anderson, campaign coordinator for In Defense of Animals Elephant.

Forced into isolation

Tragically, some zoos continue to tenere elephants in social isolation, to dominate them through pain and fear using cruel tools. As if that weren't enough, the animals are locked up in barns during long, dark and cold winters. Many zoos also encourage unprotected contact which can cause injury and even death when elephants make an unexpected move.

"The health of elephants depends on strong relationships with other elephants, but zoos are consciously tearing those bonds apart by engaging in trafficking and relocation abuse," Anderson continues.

During the pandemic, some zoos even continued to encourage visitors, including children, to come into close contact with elephant trunks despite the controversial risks of transmitting zoonotic diseases such as tuberculosis. It is not known whether COVID-19 can spread between humans and elephants, but numerous animals in captivity including tigers, lions, snow leopards and a gorilla have been infected with the virus from humans in various zoos around the world.

"Our list of the 10 worst zoos shows how zoos are killing elephants and endangering human health," added Dr. Marilyn Kroplick, president of In Defense of Animals. “This pandemic has shown us just how serious zoonotic disease can be, yet many of the zoos on our list have encouraged direct contact with elephants which could potentially spread disease among animals and visitors, including young children. We call on zoos to stop endangering animals and the public by sending captive elephants to accredited sanctuaries ”.

Here the ranking of 10 worst American zoos in 2020: