We condemn the 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, the 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. Indu deserved a chance to experience the freedom of a sanctuary, not death behind closed doors. 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? Finally, 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. 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.

We listed the 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.

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 the 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 the Phoenix Zoo to retire Indu and delivered a letter signed more than 22,000 times calling for sanctuary.

One silver lining is the 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. 

Please make calls and sign our action alert to the Phoenix Zoo, and personalize the letter to demand Indu’s medical records: www.idausa.org/FreeIndu

Polite calls can be made to Bert Castro, President and CEO of the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation/Phoenix Zoo at (602) 286-3800. Press #8 to reach Bert Castro, and if asked what it is about, you can say elephants, then when you are connected, you may hear a long explanation about Indu, but at the beep, you can leave your message.

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