There's obviously going to be far more Africans due to the recent imports from South Africa in 2003 and 2016 respectively.
For the African population, around 73% are wild born which is quite a significant number.
Elephants in Major American Zoos
- Thread starter snowleopard
- Start date
For the African population, around 73% are wild born which is quite a significant number.
Nile Hippo Expert
Well-Known Member
For the Asian population, through looking at the 2024 population list, I discovered that 51.2% of Asian Elephants in North America are wild-born (105 out of 205).
Elephants are of course long-lived animals, so the fact these numbers are really high to some degree reflects the historic reality that, until the past few decades, most zoo animals were wild caught. For species like elephants, great apes, and orcas, the last living wild-caught individuals would've been alive in zoos for decades before their passing. There are still small numbers of wild-caught gorillas in zoos- and those captures stopped a good few decades before they did in elephants.
For African elephants, out of the 127 wild-caught individuals, 97, or 76% of them, are over 35 years old (born 1989 or earlier). For Asian elephants, the youngest wild-caught individual, Chendra at Oregon, is 31 years old (born 1993), with many of the individuals being decades older.
I began this thread less than 4 years ago, and already TEN ZOOS have phased out elephants since then.
El Paso
Hogle Zoo
Knoxville
Los Angeles
Louisville (later in 2025)
Oakland
Phoenix
Point Defiance
Roger Williams Park (in 2027)
San Antonio (but has plans for a new elephant exhibit)
And I suspect that more zoos will join the queue as phase-outs. Bronx (announced years ago), Cameron Park, Honolulu and Topeka are prime candidates.
El Paso
Hogle Zoo
Knoxville
Los Angeles
Louisville (later in 2025)
Oakland
Phoenix
Point Defiance
Roger Williams Park (in 2027)
San Antonio (but has plans for a new elephant exhibit)
And I suspect that more zoos will join the queue as phase-outs. Bronx (announced years ago), Cameron Park, Honolulu and Topeka are prime candidates.
Other than San Antonio, Brookfield Zoo's Master Plan includes the return of Elephants.
Nile Hippo Expert
Well-Known Member
This list here is all the zoos in @snowleopard and @Tim Brown 's personal top 80 which have phased out elephants since August 2021 (when the thread was created), and Brookfield's last elephant left back in 2010, so that is why it is not listed here.