Captive elephant deaths emphasise need to phase out elephants in zoos
Born Free is saddened and frustrated by recent tragic events involving elephants in zoos around the world.
Shankar the elephant (c) Nikita Dhawan
September 2025 saw several reports of captive elephant deaths, serving as a sad reminder of the dangers faced by elephants in zoos: places that are regarded by some as a “much safer” alternative to the wild. These deaths are tragic, and serve to reinforce our frustration with the zoo industry for continuing to acquire or breed elephants for a lifetime of captivity and, in some cases, keeping these highly intelligent and social animals in solitary confinement.
In Switzerland, four-month-old Zali at Zurich Zoo died on 11 September due to a twisted small intestine, two days after suffering a serious leg injury while playing in a pile of branches. Such an irreversible complication can occur when an animal is under severe stress and in pain.
Shockingly, this was the ninth death of an elephant at the zoo since 2020, seven of whom were aged eight or under. Zali’s mum, Farha, has now suffered the death of four of her offspring. The death of an elephant in a herd is very traumatic for these highly intelligent and social animals.
Shankar the elephant (c) Nikita Dhawan
On 17 September, Shankar, the lone male elephant at Delhi Zoo, India, died at the age of just 29, reportedly from acute heart failure. The average life expectancy of a wild elephant is 56.
Taken from the wild in 1998 at two years old, Shankar lived at the zoo for his remaining 27 years, with the last 13 years spent alone. He was known to display severe signs of zoochosis (abnormal repetitive behaviour), likely a result of his small enclosure and lonely confinement.
Born Free’s Youth Ambassador and founder of Indian group Youth for Animals, Nikita Dhawan, led a campaign for Shankar’s rescue and rehabilitation, filing a legal petition in Delhi High Court to challenge his confinement. Sadly, Shankar never lived to see the benefit.
Speaking after Shankar’s death, Nikita said: “The outcome is truly heart-breaking. Despite years of us campaigning – including petitions signed by 200,000 supporters, repeated appeals to the zoo, and a petition in the Delhi High court to re-evaluate his solitary housing, no meaningful action was taken.
“We believe this death was preventable, and highlights an important truth: Wild animals, especially highly social animals like elephants, do not belong in zoos. Shankar’s passing must not be in vain – it should serve as a wake-up call to free other elephants still trapped in solitary confinement.”
Ruth the elephant at Milwaukee County Zoo
Ruth, a 43-year-old elephant at Milwaukee County Zoo, USA, made headlines in early September when she fell on her side in her outdoor enclosure following aggressive behaviour from another elephant. The zoo used a vehicle to get her back on her feet. Her size and existing health issues, particularly arthritis, likely contributed to her difficulties in standing after the fall. Arthritis is sadly a common health issue for elephants in zoos due to long term exposure to the unnaturally hard flooring in their enclosures.
On 20 September, Ruth was found collapsed and unable to get up in her stall, and the decision was made for her to be euthanised. Although it was reported that she was “geriatric” and a few years above the median life expectancy for a female African savanna elephant in human care, she was still significantly younger than the median lifespan of wild elephants.
On 30 September, 19-month-old Chin died at Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark, from elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV), a highly contagious disease that is particularly fatal in captive Asian elephants. In the wild, infant mortality (deaths) among Asian elephants less than five years old is estimated to be just 5%, whereas infant mortality in captive born Asian elephants is approximately 40%, with the virus being responsible for over 60% of those deaths.
While much of the recent news about elephants in zoos has been upsetting, there were also some positive developments, with some zoos around the world making efforts to finally phase out the keeping of elephants.
Kenya the elephant at Mendoza Zoo
In July, Kenya, the last captive elephant in Argentina, was moved to a sanctuary in Brazil. Kenya was taken from the wild and spent 40 years at Mendoza Zoological Park (renamed Ecoparque Mendoza in 2016), where her only companion was a painting of an elephant on the cement wall. At the Global Sanctuary for Elephants, she now has the space and companionship to begin to rediscover how to be an elephant.
Charley, an African former circus elephant who spent 23 years at Pretoria zoo in South Aftica, was relocated to a private game reserve in 2024 after a long campaign by animal protection groups.
Our hope is that more elephants who are currently being held in highly unnatural conditions will also one day be afforded the opportunity to live the remainder of their lives in the wild or in a suitable sanctuary, like Kenya and Charley. Meanwhile, we are renewing our call for a phase out of elephants in zoos in the UK, starting with an immediate end to the acquisition or breeding of more elephants for captivity, and the relocation of the remaining elephants into sanctuaries or, where this is not possible, their consolidation , where feasible, in the best facilities available.
You can read our report, ‘Elephants in Zoos: A Legacy of Shame’ for more information about the keeping of elephants in zoos:
Will you join our call for an Elephant-Free UK?
It is abundantly clear that elephants cannot live healthy or fulfilling lives in zoo captivity, and we are calling on the UK Government to bring the keeping of elephants in zoos to an end.