Elephants in Major American Zoos

snowleopard said:
I'm not so sure that either Nashville or Brookfield will ever bring back elephants. Nashville sent away its 4 female African elephants in 2015 and already 6 years have elapsed. With the upcoming 40-acre African Safari going to possibly take up to a decade to be finished, by then it will be 16 years and counting without elephants. As for Brookfield, they haven't had elephants in 11 years and that zoo really needs outdoor exhibits for its great apes and to figure out what to do with the 1961 Dolphinarium. Add in concerns about the cold weather and I think that the city of Chicago will never have elephants again. Nashville is more likely, but still 10+ years away minimum.

Only Bronx and Point Defiance have publicly announced phasing out elephants, @Coelacanth18 , but the list of 14 zoos that I mentioned could all conceivably phase them out in the future. It can happen fast, just like the 6 zoos that recently phased out elephants in just a handful of years. (Buffalo, Nashville, Riverbanks, Santa Barbara, Virginia and Woodland Park) There are plenty of other zoos that I didn't even mention. Examples include Calgary, Toronto, Greenville, Lee Richardson, Brookfield, Grant's Farm, Monterey, Baton Rouge, Niabi, etc. I think, on average, that it's about one North American zoo per year that no longer displays elephants.

Here's my list of 14 zoos that I think will not have elephants by 2031 (I looked up the year of birth of each elephant on The Elephant Database link):

The elephant database

Bronx - 2 elderly elephants (1970 and 1971)
Cameron Park - 1 elderly elephant (1977)
El Paso - 1 elderly elephant (1952)
Honolulu - 2 mature elephants (1985 and 1975)
Knoxville - 3 elderly elephants (1979, 1980 and 1983)
Little Rock - 3 elderly elephants (1960, 1969 and 1976)
Louisville - 3 elephants of two species (1970, 1985 and 2019)
Montgomery - 3 elephants (1982, 1984 and 2007)
Point Defiance - 1 elderly elephant (1964)
Roger Williams Park - 3 mature elephants (all 1985)
San Antonio - 3 elderly elephants (1960, 1969 and 1976)
Toledo - 2 elephants (1979 and 1985)
Topeka - 2 elderly elephants (1959 and 1971)
Utah's Hogle Zoo - 2 elephants (1986 and 2009)

There's a few more zoos on my list with 3 elephants than I expected, as I'd forgotten that Louisville has a youngster and all 3 of Little Rock's ex-circus elephants arrived in 2017. Of the 31 elephants on the list, 29 of them are 35 years of age or older...in some cases much older! Ten years from now, almost every elephant on the list will be a minimum of 45 years of age...if even still alive.

I've visited all 14 of the zoos and it's somewhat ironic that the Bronx Zoo's elephant exhibit is arguably the best of the lot. Every single other enclosure is at best adequate and in some cases brutally small judged by modern standards. The majority of those zoos exist in a fairly warm part of the United States, but the enormous cost of building a modern elephant complex and the scarce availability of elephants means that I really do think that all 14 zoos are on the precipice of not having elephants by 2031. Which zoos will step up to the plate and spend millions on a new elephant habitat? Any of them?
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I'd be surprised if Roger Williams phases out elephants by 2031. In 2031, their three girls would still be 46 years old, which is a reasonable age for African elephants. The zoo also included elephants in their 2016 masterplan with no mention of phasing them out. If they weren't getting a new director, I'd say there's almost no chance of them being phased out, but while I now see it as a slightly stronger possibility it is still not likely. Rhode Islanders are still griping about the zoo phasing out polar bears fifteen years ago (just ask @Nicholas LionRider), and I doubt the zoo wants to repeat this mistake with elephants. If push comes to shove, I wouldn't be surprised if the zoo got rid of the seal, giraffe, cheetah, crane, and zebra exhibits for an elephant exhibit, but wouldn't expect them to give up elephants (for better or for worse).
 
Neil chace said:
I'd be surprised if Roger Williams phases out elephants by 2031. In 2031, their three girls would still be 46 years old, which is a reasonable age for African elephants. The zoo also included elephants in their 2016 masterplan with no mention of phasing them out. If they weren't getting a new director, I'd say there's almost no chance of them being phased out, but while I now see it as a slightly stronger possibility it is still not likely. Rhode Islanders are still griping about the zoo phasing out polar bears fifteen years ago (just ask @Nicholas LionRider), and I doubt the zoo wants to repeat this mistake with elephants. If push comes to shove, I wouldn't be surprised if the zoo got rid of the seal, giraffe, cheetah, crane, and zebra exhibits for an elephant exhibit, but wouldn't expect them to give up elephants (for better or for worse).
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Plenty of zoos have included them in there master plan only to phase them out. Buffalo and Nashville being examples. Many zoos don't want to admit that down the road they don't see themselves holding different species, yet the lack of investment to meet ever increasing standards generally speaks for itself. If anything when zoos don't prioritize improving a species' housing (especially one as important as elephants) it speaks to the fact that they may not see it as a wise investment.
 
Neil chace said:
I'd be surprised if Roger Williams phases out elephants by 2031. In 2031, their three girls would still be 46 years old, which is a reasonable age for African elephants. The zoo also included elephants in their 2016 masterplan with no mention of phasing them out. If they weren't getting a new director, I'd say there's almost no chance of them being phased out, but while I now see it as a slightly stronger possibility it is still not likely. Rhode Islanders are still griping about the zoo phasing out polar bears fifteen years ago (just ask @Nicholas LionRider), and I doubt the zoo wants to repeat this mistake with elephants. If push comes to shove, I wouldn't be surprised if the zoo got rid of the seal, giraffe, cheetah, crane, and zebra exhibits for an elephant exhibit, but wouldn't expect them to give up elephants (for better or for worse).
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I could also see them building an "Elephant Trek" adjoining the Wetlands, basically being a fenced pathway that goes along the visitor path. As someone who does want to see elephants maintained in zoos that have space/resources, if they went that route (and also went the route of having a bachelor group of elephants), I think that would be the most logical way to go.
 
MonkeyBat said:
I decided to compose a similar list of places that have phased out their elephants (or a certain species) since 1991 just for comparison. I will try to include what species the zoos have lost and the date when the last elephant(s) were phased out, but may mess up, so correct me if the zoo had more than one species.

Abilene Zoo (TX) - African - 2007
Alaska Zoo (AK) - African + Asian - 2007
Blank Park Zoo (IA) (Not owned but temporarily displayed from a ranch) Asian - unknown but sometime after 2008
BREC'S Baton Rouge Zoo (LA) - Asian - 2013
Brookfield Zoo (IL) - African - 2010
Buffalo Zoo (NY) - Asian - 2018
Central Florida Zoo (FL) - Asian - 2011
Chehaw Wild Animal Park (GA) - African - 2004
Detroit Zoo (MI) - Asian - 2005
Dr. Juan A Riviero Zoo? (PR) - African - Unknown (Is this zoo sill open? A news report from 2017 says the elephant was moving to Georgia to live in a sanctuary.)
Erie Zoo (PN) - African, maybe Asian? - Unknown, I'm assuming after 1991 since a female lives in Cleveland)
Frank Buck Zoo (TX) - Asian - 1998?
Gladys Porter Zoo (TX) - African - 2006 or 2007
Grant's Farm (MO) - African - 2018
Greenville Zoo (SC) - African - 2014
Gulf Breeze Zoo (FL) - African - 2003
Henry Vilas Zoo (WI) - Asian - 2000
HolyWild Animal Park (SC) - Asian - 2006?
Jackson Zoo (MS) - African - 2010
Lee Richardson Zoo (KS) - African - 2015
Lincoln Park Zoo (IL) - African + Asian? - 2005
Lion Country Safari (FL) - African - 2006
Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo (LA) - Asian - 1999
Mesker Park Zoo (IN) - Asian - 1999
Nashville Zoo (TN) - African - 2015
Niabi Zoo (IL) - Asian - 2013
Philadelphia Zoo (PN) - African + Asian - 2007
Popcorn Park Zoo (NJ) - African - 2001
Racine Zoo (WI) - Asian? - Unknown
Riverbanks Zoo (SC) - African - 2019
Sacramento Zoo (CA) - Asian - c. 1991
San Francisco Zoo (CA) - African + Asian - 2005
Santa Ana Zoo (CA) (Seasonal) - Asian - 2011
Santa Barbara Zoo (CA) - Asian - 2019
Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden (NV) - Asian - 2005
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom (CA) - African + Asian - 2015 or 2016
Southwicks Zoo? (MA) (Seasonal) - Asian - Unknown, sometimes after 2016 (Do they still display them seasonally?)
Virginia Zoo (VA) - African - 2015
Wild Adventures (GA) - Asian - 2021
Woodland Park Zoo (WA) - African + Asian - 2015
York's Wild Kingdom (ME) (Seasonal) - Asian - 2011

Please correct me of any inaccuracies, and take this list with a pinch of salt, as I may be incorrect on some things.
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Southwick’s had an Asian and a African elephant until the mid 2000s when the African died and the late 2000s - early 2010s when their Asian died. From there they would rent elephants but only as ride animals and not an actual exhibit but they haven’t done this for a few years
 
Sorry to revive an old thread, but as circuses are becoming a thing of the past, is it possible some of those elephants will end up in zoos?
 
birdsandbats said:
Not likely. Circuses that sand their elephants away are sending them to sanctuaries because it's better PR.
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I mean, wasn't it a Ringling herd that White Oak acquired? It wouldn't surprise me if eventually some of those animals and/or their offspring are sent to other AZA facilities.
 
Neil chace said:
I mean, wasn't it a Ringling herd that White Oak acquired? It wouldn't surprise me if eventually some of those animals and/or their offspring are sent to other AZA facilities.
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Some former circus animals have trickled into the AZA; I recall a few ringing elephants being sent to Columbus and San Antonio in recent years (obviously no longer at the latter).
 
Neil chace said:
I mean, wasn't it a Ringling herd that White Oak acquired? It wouldn't surprise me if eventually some of those animals and/or their offspring are sent to other AZA facilities.
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Yeah, some might trickle in from White Oak. I know White Oak is AZA but they aren't really a zoo or publicly accessible, so it doesn't really feel like elephants going to White Oak is them entering into the zoo population.
 
elefante said:
Sorry to revive an old thread, but as circuses are becoming a thing of the past, is it possible some of those elephants will end up in zoos?
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Two of Ringling's elephants ended up with Lucky during her final years at San Antonio Zoo. After Lucky and Karen's deaths, their last elephant, Nicole, ended up at TES anyways.
 
The handful of small performing elephant acts left are "self retiring" their elephants. There is no more than 5 individual elephants left performing in the U.S. (with one exception)

Majority of the 10 or so small private owners have opened encounter facilities and rarely take the elephants off property

The exception is Carson and Barnes who still has about a half dozen performing elephants, as well as a breeding and encounter facility.
However there is speculation most of the Carson and Barnes elephants will be moving to a zoo in the near future
 
PSO said:
The handful of small performing elephant acts left are "self retiring" their elephants. There is no more than 5 individual elephants left performing in the U.S. (with one exception)

Majority of the 10 or so small private owners have opened encounter facilities and rarely take the elephants off property

The exception is Carson and Barnes who still has about a half dozen performing elephants, as well as a breeding and encounter facility.
However there is speculation most of the Carson and Barnes elephants will be moving to a zoo in the near future
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Considering Tulsa's building a facility for a multigenerational herd, that seems like a viable option...
 
pachyderm pro said:
Some former circus animals have trickled into the AZA; I recall a few ringing elephants being sent to Columbus and San Antonio in recent years (obviously no longer at the latter).
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Even more recently, the Memphis Zoo acquired three African Elephants from circuses - two in 2018 (Daisy and Bambi from Circus Pages) and one in 2022 (Kosti from Franzen Brothers Circus).
 
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