Elephants should not be in the Circus!

The title makes my opinion clear, but there are several other issues surrounding the outcry this week about Elephants being included in a Circus Act in Nottinghamshire.

Elephants are one of my favourite animals and I've been lucky enough to take photos of them both in the wild and in captivity in several African countries and in Sri Lanka. The photo attached to this blog is from a Lion Conservation Project in Zimbabwe, where people can ride the elephants, and also feed them, but can also watch them drinking and relaxing in a river totally unrestrained.

I've also seen many elephants in Sri Lanka working for a living, which reminds me of this news article last year.

My main issue with any wild anmals in captivity is the effect it has on their welfare. No matter how well maintained they are, and how well fed they are, being in captivity affects them emotionally, as evidenced by behaviour seen in captivity that is not seen in the wild, and clearly affects their health is less visible ways.

It is not the captivity that is necessarily the issue, but the quality of the captivity, the space and freedom available, and the amount of mental stimulation and companionship these highly intelligent and sociable animals require that is typically overlooked.

Any animal in captivity (whatever our definition of their 'wildness or domestication') must be provided with as natural a life experience as possible, and I don't believe any Zoo can ever provide this.

What do you think?

Andrew