Canadian Zoos
Elephants in Canada
Records indicate that there are about 35 elephants in zoos across Canada. These elephants are found in private and municipal zoos across the country. The provincial governments are responsible for setting the laws that govern these facilities while the Canadian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) sets national industry guidelines. Unfortunately, these guidelines are voluntary and many accredited zoos in Canada reportedly fall short of the guidelines outlined by CAZA. Canadian zoos are encouraged to seek accreditation from CAZA and/or the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). Accreditation is also voluntary and not a legal requirement.
The CAZA accreditation process guide contains a full chapter on guidelines for elephant management and care. The guide recognizes that ‘The intelligence, strength and social needs of these magnificent animals can pose many challenges for managers of elephants in human care. Facilities that manage elephants should therefore understand the substantial human, financial, and ethical commitments involved in appropriately maintaining elephants’.
The guidelines cover the areas of personnel, training, tools, husbandry, facilities, behavior, reproduction, veterinary care, nutrition, conservation, education and research.
Among the tools that are recommended for use in care and management of elephants include the guide, ankus or elephant hooks as traditional tools used for directing elephant behavior. Chaining is listed as an acceptable method of temporary restraint. Facilities are advised to limit the time elephants spend tethered, unless tethering is necessary for veterinary treatment or transport. The Elephant Restraint Device (ERD) is highly recommended, particularly in facilities managing bulls or elephants in protected contact. Recommended safety tools include pepper spray, fire extinguishers, electric prods, tranquilizer guns and an elephant gun, which is a gun of sufficient caliber to dispatch an elephant.
The guidelines do not define minimum space requirements for indoor or outdoor enclosures. They recommend that adequate space be provided to allow elephants to exercise and interact socially with others. Holding space for males must be designed to best care for the male elephant in musth. Indoor space should also have adequate space for elephants to move about and lie down without restriction.
As noted earlier, zoos are not required to maintain these requirements by law. Incidents reported in Canadian zoos, both recent and in the past, indicate that many zoos have not adhered to these guidelines. Cases of cruelty to elephants, where handlers use bull hooks and electric prods, resulting in injury to elephants and triggering public concern have been recorded in Canada. A report about an elephant that severed her trunk caught in a door latch in August of 2006 received national attention. The climatic conditions elephants have to endure in Canada and the resultant health problems are a cause for concern. The legislative arrangement where zoos are governed by provincial governments, some of which lack the will or the capacity to monitor the welfare of elephants in zoos, is an added problem.
This report was compiled after a visit to Canadian zoos to assess the conditions of elephants. All visits were unannounced to allow the author to view the elephants as any member of the public would. The visits were preceded by a study of the studbook record to ascertain the number of elephants held in each facility. Media reports were also studied to familiarize the author with the happenings in various zoos. Where possible, zoo staff were interviewed or their presentations to the public used as sources of information. Information bulletins in the facilities were also studied. The author looked at the general body condition of the elephants, the activity during the period of observation, the size and condition of the enclosure and the information available to the public.
Zoos