Join IDA's Elephant Task Force

June is National Zoo and Aquarium Month, when families are encouraged to bring their children to see wild animals trapped for life in cages, enclosures and tanks. Zoo proponents tout visits as educational experiences that give young people a greater appreciation and respect for non-human species. Unfortunately, depriving wild animals of their birthright to native habitats and forcing them to live in artificial environments sends an underlying message to impressionable kids that animals were put on Earth primarily to please humans.

Of all the animals exhibited in zoos, elephants have perhaps the worst quality of life because of their sheer size, their natural range and their special social needs. Being forced to live in small zoo enclosures causes these large mammals to suffer from extreme captivity-induced health problems that are virtually unknown in the wild. While wild elephant herds easily travel tens of miles a day on soft soil and varied terrains, elephants in zoos spend their lives standing for long periods on concrete or pacing a small area on hard compacted dirt. Because of these inadequate conditions, elephants suffer a host of physical and psychological disorders, from painful arthritic and degenerative joint disorders to neurotic behaviors like repetitive rocking and head-nodding.

These sensitive and emotional animals are often torn from their families in the wild at a young age before being captured and put on display. Many zoos are located in climates that are much colder than those in Africa or Asia where elephants have evolved over millions of years. Sometimes elephants get so frustrated with their restrictive lives that they rebel against their captors. Many zoos allow caretakers to use bullhooks to beat and control elephants. Of course, it's hard for the average zoo visitor to see all this because zoos employ public relations and media specialists who are adept at blaming the obvious problems endured by elephants in zoos on any other cause but the conditions of their confinement.

What You Can Do:
Join IDA's Elephant Task Force! IDA is looking for activists living in cities with zoos to defend elephants. Some of the ways you can help include documenting conditions with your camera, making phone calls or organizing demonstrations. If you are interested in joining the IDA Elephant Task Force or would like more information about the ways you can get involved, please send an email to melissa@idausa.org or call (415) 388-9641, ext. 228 today. Include your full name, city, telephone number, and the name of the zoo near you.

Order a supply of IDA's elephant brochure to leave in heavily trafficked areas or include them with your outgoing mail. Email ida@idausa.org to request materials.

Write a letter to the editor of your local paper informing readers about the inability of zoos to provide for elephants' physical and psychological needs. View a sample letter here or visit our How to Make the News page for tips on writing an effective letter to the editor.

Create a display in your local public library. Most libraries will allow local citizens free space where you can display leaflets, posters and books about how elephants thrive in the wild and suffer in zoos.