PHOENIX, Ariz. (May 8, 2025) — In Defense of Animals has condemned Phoenix Zoo for killing Indu, a 59-year-old Asian elephant who has been held alone since 2021. Prompted by an anonymous tip about the zoo’s plans to kill Indu, In Defense of Animals wrote to the zoo, demanding transparency and pleading for her transfer to a sanctuary.

Less than a month before her death, Phoenix Zoo posted a video of Indu splashing in shallow water, appearing active and engaged. The zoo praised her for knowing how to cool off, and weeks earlier, it claimed Indu was “doing quite well” and expressed it was “excited to watch her continue to live out her years at the Phoenix Zoo.”

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the death of Indu — but even more alarmed by the zoo’s silence and contradictory statements about her health,” said Brittany Michelson, Campaign Specialist for Captive Animals at In Defense of Animals. “Indu deserved a chance to experience the freedom of a sanctuary, not death behind closed doors.”

Courtney Scott, Elephant Consultant for In Defense of Animals, emphasized the need for transparency: "If the zoo now claims that Indu had a chronic illness and had to be euthanized, why was this never reported publicly when we named Phoenix Zoo our 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants list? Where are the medical records to support this decision? And why didn’t the zoo send Indu to sanctuary years ago, since she has essentially been alone all this time?"

“Phoenix Zoo’s decision to kill Indu raises serious concerns about transparency in zoos,” Scott continued. “We are demanding the immediate release of Indu’s most recent medical records and a full necropsy report to understand what truly happened.”

Without clear medical records and a necropsy report, it is impossible to know if Indu’s death was necessary euthanasia for her well-being or an act of "zoothanasia" — killing for convenience or cost, a practice documented at many zoos.

In Defense of Animals listed Phoenix Zoo twice among the 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants in North America due to its terrible conditions. Indu was often seen rocking on the spot — a sign of zoochosis, meaning she had become brain-damaged from her impoverished environment.

Watch Indu showing stereotypical stress behavior: https://youtu.be/g8sOjRuDFCo

Indu was forced to share a barren one-acre yard with a rhinoceros, rotating between enclosures. The setup contravened AWA and AZA requirements for spacious, enriching environments that allow natural behaviors. The exhibit was grossly insufficient, failing to provide relief from Phoenix’s scorching 120-degree summers, lacking sufficient deep shade, and offering only a small water pool that does not allow for full-body submersion — violating AZA standards for temperature management and welfare.

Indu was born in Thailand in 1965, wrenched from her wild family and endured a series of traumatic transfers: to Lincoln Park Zoo in 1966, Houston Zoo in 1979, and finally Phoenix Zoo in 1998.

Despite repeated calls for her release to a sanctuary, the zoo kept her confined until her death. On April 12, 2025, demonstrators urged Phoenix Zoo to retire Indu, and delivered a letter signed more than 22,000 times calling for sanctuary.

Watch protestors rally for Indu: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uyjPlLHQ3g8?feature=share

One silver lining is Phoenix Zoo’s announcement that it will close its elephant exhibit, following its placement on In Defense of Animals’ 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants list. 

Members of the public are encouraged to sign an action alert to Phoenix Zoo, and personalize the letter to demand Indu’s medical records: www.idausa.org/freeindu

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Contacts: 

Fleur Dawes, media@idausa.org, 415-879-6879
Courtney Scott, courtney@idausa.org, 503-288-6142

Phoenix Zoo photos and video (free to use with credit per filename): https://bit.ly/PhoenixWorst24

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a history of fighting for animals, people, and the environment through education and campaigns, as well as hands-on rescue facilities in California, India, South Korea, and rural Mississippi since 1983. www.idausa.org/elephants

The 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants in North America list was first published in 2004, and for the past 20 years, In Defense of Animals has shone a spotlight on zoos that condemn elephants to lifetimes of deprivation, disease, and early death. Over the years, the 10 Worst Zoos list has been featured by hundreds of media outlets, including the Daily Mail, Esquire, and the New York Times and it has garnered the support of celebrities like Bill Maher, Sarah Silverman, Jorja Fox, Moby, Harley Quinn Smith, and Ricky Gervais. Learn how the list is determined and explore two decades of rankings at www.idausa.org/10worstzoos.

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