Keeping elephants in zoos and safari parks is set to become illegal soon in the UK.
according to an article published in UK’s Daily Mail the new regulations, it will ban the importation of new elephants, with existing UK-based populations allowed to die out naturally,
British Government is currently waiting for the results of a report on the welfare of elephants in captivity, and a well-placed source within the government stated in the newspaper that the report argues directly against keeping the elephants in zoos and safaris.
The source further added: “Once the current load of elephants dies out, we will say you can’t replace them.
“It’s impossible to keep them in conditions where they are happy, the space is too small.
“In the UK the biggest elephant enclosures are so minute. They grub up the environment so quickly too – they have an incredibly important role in that but if they are in such a small area, they destroy everything”.
“It’s very likely we are going to say you can’t make elephants happy in zoos, we should instead be focusing on elephant conservation in areas that have elephants.”
The policy change came as a part of wider zoo reforms due to be announced later this year.
The Kept Animals Bill, which will focus on puppy smuggling, live exports, banning keeping primates as pets, livestock worrying, and zoos.
Over the years, many animal rights groups have called for a ban on elephants being kept in zoos, as they are highly intelligent creatures who travel a lot, and being kept in a confined space can damage their mental health and physical welfare.
Studies have shown conclusive evidence that elephants live three times longer in the wild.
Mark Jones of the animal charity Born Free explained: “There are many species that don’t belong in zoos, elephants are very much one of those species. It should be phased out, the needs of these very wide-roaming, very complex social animals cannot be met in a captive environment.”
Best news! Far too many tourists go on elephant rides not realising just how cruel it is. To tame elephants they break their spirits by whipping and cutting them and tying them up in pain. This is a very positive step by ABTA. Never, ever ride an elephant https://t.co/3Jk4syr6W7
— Carrie Johnson (@carrielbjohnson) September 23, 2019
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