This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.

The Dallas Zoo continues to conflate conservation with exploitation by holding elephants captive. Elephants in captivity often suffer from chronic sicknesses, unusual behaviors, trauma, and premature deaths. Tell executives it is time to send the elephants imprisoned at its facility to an accredited sanctuary and to shut down its exhibit for good!

Elephants suffer in captivity from chronic diseases like arthritis and cancers, ailments that are virtually unknown in wild populations. They are accustomed to walking many miles daily, but at zoos their feet deteriorate painfully from years of standing on unnatural flooring such as concrete. Elephants die prematurely and exhibit troubling behaviors, such as mothers killing their calves - an occurrence that is extremely rare and often entirely unheard of in the wild.

In 2016, Dallas Zoo was one of three zoos that captured 18 elephants from Eswatini and featured them in exhibits for public display — a despicable move which earned the facilities the #1 spot on our respected annual list of the 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants. Just two years after the elephants’ harrowing journey from another continent, the Zoo decided to perpetuate further trauma on the group. Two of the wild-caught elephants were separated from their herd and sent far away to Fresno Chaffee Zoo in California. 

Fortunately, awareness of Dallas Zoo’s unethical behavior is increasingly coming to light. In July 2019, the New York Times featured an exposé on the shady 2016 import. The exposé revealed the truth that the zoos were trying to hide: the elephants weren’t rescued; they were essentially purchased. The elephants were exploited to boost attendance at the zoos and to increase the genetic diversity of the captive population in North America through breeding programs.

Don’t buy the “conservation” lie. Zoos send elephants to their deaths early and accompanied by much suffering for profit, not conservation. 

What You Can Do

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.