Date: 03/20/18

To: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in collaboration with Performing Animals
Welfare Society (PAWS)

From: May Hidalgo

Subject: Elephants in Captivity

Action Required: Request for approval on reserve project by 06/05/18

Elephants have been a part of human life since the very beginning. For decades, people
have seen elephants as creatures of nature and animals of Africa. In fact, there are two
types of elephants, the Asian elephant and the African elephant. It did not matter where
they came from, either way they were hunted for the value of their ivory. Even before the
1800s, elephants were hunted and brutally killed for hunting trophies. In the late 1980s,
the value of ivory dramatically increased causing eighty-five percent of the elephant
population to decrease in Kenya. Ivory was used for weaponry, medicine, piano keys,
etc. The Asian elephant became especially endangered since Thailand, Japan, and
China became leading ivory investors. The Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, issued a ban on the ivory trade
in 1989. Yet the matter did not end there.

FIGURE 1: A BABY ELEPHANT ROAMING IN THE WILD

In the 2010s, the sale of ivory has rapidly decreased. The value of ivory has gone down
causing elephants to regain their numbers. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus,
The Greatest Show on Earth, began operating shows in 1871. In 2016, their circus
elephants were retired. Seventeen circuses still use elephants in shows regardless of
countless allegations that elephants and other show animals have been severely
abused. Several documentaries about the abuse and about elephants in the wild have
been filmed. Other notable films include the Walt Disney’s infamous film, Dumbo, that
was released in 1941.

Summary
The ivory trade has gone from being very popular to now being at an extremely low
demand. Yet, the number of captive elephants in the US alone is still above fifty
elephants. These captive elephants are being held in circuses and zoos. The extensive
history of abuse within these two places is unforgettable and not to mention the amount
of elephant deaths. Elephant sanctuaries can be found all over the world and have given
a peaceful home to elephants. However, elephants that are still captive must be placed
in sanctuaries and financial help is needed for new lands where these animals can roam
freely.

Elephants in the Circus

FIGURE 2: ELEPHANTS FROM

RINGLING BROS. PERFORMING
TRICKS

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus

A two-year old female elephant was brought to New York City on April 13,1796, and was
the first elephant to be brought over to The United States. It was not until around1806
that Hackaliah Bailey would purchase the first circus elephant for $1,000 that he named
Old Bet. In 1841, P.T. Barnum bought “Scudder’s American Museum” and turned into
“Barnum’s American Museum,” the museum became a hit. James Anthony Bailey and
James E. Cooper started “Cooper and Bailey Circus” around the 1860s and in 1881,
Barnum and Bailey combined their two circuses. In 1907, the Ringling Bros would buy
Bailey’s circus after his death in 1906. Since then, Ringling Bros. brought many
countries entertainment. In1967, Irven Feld and Israel Feld purchased the circus and it
has run in the family ever since. In 1995, Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey Circus
created the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation.
Today, the 200-acre land is located in central Florida. When the circus decided to start
retiring their Asian elephants, the elephants relocated here where they are taken care of
by caregivers and the caregivers interact with them daily. The current 42 elephants in
this sanctuary are used for breeding purposes and will open to the public in the near
future.

Who is Left?

After Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus retired all its elephants in 2016,
seventeen circuses have yet to do so. Some of these circuses include UniverSoul
Circus, Carson & Barnes, Kelly Miller Circus, Shrine Circuses, and Cole Brothers
Circus. All of these circuses share a lengthy history of animal abuse. There are several
controversial videos of abuse towards elephants. These elephants have been
mistreated and abused for years. Bullhooks were used to force elephants to comply to
their owners’ commands. Often these weapons would injure the elephant enough to
leave scars. When a baby elephant is eighteen to twenty-four months old, it is ripped
away from its mother and subjected to obedience training. Ninety-six percent of them
spend their time in chains and are transported in small boxcars for up to 100 hours.
They are forced to walk 30 miles per day without rest. Now, more than eighteen states
have banned the use of elephants for entertainment. Recently in 2017, Governor
Andrew Cuomo of New York signed a bill that prohibits the use of wild animals in
entertainment events. There are a total of sixty-nine elephants left being kept in
circuses. Most of them age from their mid 30s to early 50s. The Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, a US government agency, conducts unannounced visits once a year
under the Animal Welfare Act. This act requires no trauma, overheating, excessive
cooling, stress, physical harm, or discomfort. Violation of these requirements result in
warnings, fines, and license removal. Since 1992, thirty elephants have died in circuses.

Other Captive Elephants

Elephants in Zoos

Even though actively only sixty-nine elephants still reside with circuses, around 300
reside with zoos across the country. Similar to circus conditions, elephants have limited
space to walk around. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) stated that they
have implemented requirements for zoos to follow. However, not all zoos follow these
requirements. The limited amount of space within zoos affect the health of an elephant
deeply. It causes infection and in effect kills elephants. Elephants inhabit grasslands
and they are used to walking on soft grounds; while in zoos, they walk on concrete and
are put at risk for chronic arthritis and foot infections. In 2003, reports showed that eight
elephants have died from foot-related infections at zoos monitored by the AZA. Another
study in 2012 proved that 390 elephants had died at zoos within the past fifty years.

Elephants in Film

Many experts can agree that living animals do not belong in the film industry. After the
abuse many elephants suffered at the hands of circuses and zoos, directors try to keep
them out of films. However, films that persist with having live elephants must comply to
no cruelty and no harm to the animal. Training must be in private away from main
production and in a safe area. In May 2010, activists wrote a letter to the crew of “Water
for Elephants.” In this letter, they explained that live elephants should not be used in the
film. Regardless, the film continued with live animals.

FIGURE 3: ROSIE WAS THE NAME OF THE ELEPHANT IN “WATER FOR ELEPHANTS” (2010).

Elephant Sanctuaries
There are five US sanctuaries.Global sanctuaries include the Boon Lott’s Elephant
Sanctuary in Baan Tuek, Thailand, the Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre in
Temerloh, Malaysia, the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Chiang Mai, Thailand,
and Elephantsworld in Kanchanaburi Thailand. The Kuala Gandah Elephant
Conservation Centre takes in injured elephants and care for them until they able to
relocate them. So far, they have relocated over 400 elephants. US sanctuaries include
The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, the National Elephant Center in Fellsmere,
Florida, Riddle’s Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary in Arkansas, the PAW sanctuary, and
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Management. All sanctuaries,
except Ringling and Riddle’s, have a policy that caregivers do not have much interaction
with the elephants. The Elephant Sanctuary has 2,700 acres of land and the elephants
are not chained. The PAW sanctuary has 100 acres of land and allows visitors at a
distance as does the sanctuary in Tennessee. The National Elephant Center has 225
acres of land while Riddle’s has 330 acres of land.

Conclusion
Elephants have suffered at high costs for their survival. Asian elephants decreased
rapidly due to the high demand for ivory in Asia. African elephants were soon targeted
when there was a shortage of Asian elephants. Several national parks were attacked
due to poaching. Now that the ivory trade has decreased, the number of elephants has
regained its strength, but elephants overseas in the United States are still being held
captive as entertainment. Elephants in zoos and circuses still suffer due to the amount
of abuse they suffer while being chained and hit by a bullhook. Circuses have yet to
follow Ringling Bros.’ example of retiring their elephants as more and more states
motion to ban live animal performances. There are sanctuaries all over the country that
have the resources to take care of them. If the captive elephants were to be relocated to
these sanctuaries, it would bring an end to their lifelong suffering.

Recommendation
It is recommended to raise fund for captive elephants to be relocated to The Elephant
Sanctuary in Tennessee or that a newer sanctuary is established to maintain the
number of elephants placed. The financial budget would have to include:

• Transportation efforts to adequately transport the elephants without harming them

• Enough food and water to accommodate elephants during travel
• Large enough acres of land to support each elephant
The most ideal recommendation would be to help these elephants adapt to their natural
habitats in Africa. However, the task to relocate them to Africa is both costly and time
consuming. It would require elephants to be subjected to long-traveling hours or even
days. Therefore, the best course of action would be to start at the circuses to transfer
their elephants over to The Elephant Sanctuary as only ten elephants currently reside
there.

References
1. “About the CEC.” AboutCec, www.ringlingelephantcenter.com/aboutcec/.
2. “Barnum and Bailey Circus.” Barnum and Bailey Circus History and Photos,
www.circusesandsideshows.com/circuses/barnumandbaileycircus.html.
3. “Captive Elephants: Broken Spirits.” PETA, www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-
entertainment/circuses/elephants-broken-spirits/.
4. Chang, Alvin. “On World Elephant Day, Meet Nosy and 64 Other Elephants Who Still
Perform in Circuses.” Vox, Vox, 30 May 2016, www.vox.com/2016/5/30/11760880/
circus-elephants.
5. "Elephants in Captivity in the United States." National Anti-Vivisection Society. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2018.
6. “Facilities & Elephant Care - The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.” The Elephant
Sanctuary, www.elephants.com/facilities.
7. Hanson, Hilary. “Circuses Banned From Using Elephants In New York State.” The
Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 7 Nov. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/
entry/circus-ban-elephants-new-york_us_59ea31bae4b0958c4681d6ba.
8. “How PETA Took Down Circus Giant Ringling Bros.” PETA, www.peta.org/features/
ringling/.
9. Melamed, Jono. “5 Elephant Sanctuaries Around the World.” The Elephant Pants
Blog, The Planet, 13 June 2016, blog.theelephantpants.com/the-planet/elephant-
sanctuaries-around-the-world/.
10. Poole, Joyce. “- In TV and Film.” Elephantvoices, www.elephantvoices.org/
elephants-in-captivity-7/-in-tv-and-film.html.
11. “5 Circuses That Need to Get Rid of Elephant Acts Now.” PETA, 24 May 2017,
www.peta.org/blog/5-circuses-that-need-to-follow-ringling-and-get-rid-of-elephant-
acts-now/.
12. “12 Things Ringling Doesn't Want You to Know.” PETA, www.peta.org/features/
ringling-bros-elephant-cruelty/.