Rescue lonely elephants in Japan

There are 14 lonely elephants who are confined in small and yet strong cages in Japan.
It’s not only Hanako in Inokashira Park, who was unfortunate.
Please give a relief to them.
Especially to the Asian elephants in Utunomiya Zoo, Obihiro Zoo, Kiryugaoka Zoo, and Yuki Park Zoo who are put on just inorganic concrete, just like at Hanako in Inokashira Park.

Obihiro Zoo, Kiryugaoka Zoo, and Yuki Park Zoo are facilities controlled under each city. If you sympathize with these elephants, please demand the cities to improve the situations.

These three are especially awful cases, but the others do not accommodate elephant’ natural behaviors either.
We demand improvements to take into account elephants ‘characteristics, instinct, and desires.

Teru in Yuki Park Zoo (female)

Asian Elephants

African bush elephants

* As of June 2016, the situations confirmed by Animal Rights Center

Izu Animal Kingdom is larger than the other zoos in size, but the boredom for the elephants here is the same. Osshi’s exhibited abnormal behavior in which he kept shaking his foot for hours.

About elephants

Elephants are the kind of animal that spends up to 16 to 20 hours a day searching for food. 90% of their activity is spent looking for food. The rest of their time is spent bathing in water, mud or sand, as well as communicating with other elephants and sleeping.
It is important for them to satisfy natural behaviors and being bored distresses elephants mentally.

The low frequency sound elephants emit can reach out to 1.6 km, meaning they need that much area to move in a territory.

They are also social animals with ties and family bonds that are very strong. Females especially share roles to raise kids and look after others when they are ill. They are as caring as humans, if not more so. Males sometimes make a group with other males, too.

They are also capable of swimming for a long time.  Asian elephants living in tropical forests can also climb up to highland.

They live as long as humans, and have very diverse lives in the wild. They spend 22 months in their mother’s bellies, are raised by their mother for 4 years, and cared for in a group up until 15 years old. Then, they find their partners and have kids of their own to raise. Their lives are just like humans.

The elephants in Southeast Asia, Africa, and America show very different behaviors and expressions than the ones we see in Japan. Please see which one is unnatural.

Elephants in Thailand

Sanctuary in America – Performing Animal Welfare Society

Zoos including Alaska Zoo and Toronto Zoo discontinued to keep their elephants, and transferred them to sanctuaries..

Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage

Some zoos in Japan purchased elephants from Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage, which does not present the typical image of “orphanage.” Being transferred to zoos in Japan is just unfavorable for elephants.

translator:Seika Kyoda