Report on elephant husbandry and health in UK zoos

Thanks for posting the links Alan, and I will not go into some of the findings as discussions on elephants can be temperamental on this site. However, I was intrigued to see that in Belfast there is only a solitary female Asian elephant without companions, and that the highly regarded Chester Zoo now has 10 Asian elephants in a 2 acre exhibit. Coming at a time when there are countless zoos (North Carolina, Los Angeles, Oakland, National Zoo, Dallas just in the U.S.) that are building pahyderms habitats between 4-7 acres I feel that the Chester Zoo exhibit is far too small for the huge herd that occupies the space.
 
snowleopard said:
Thanks for posting the links Alan, and I will not go into some of the findings as discussions on elephants can be temperamental on this site. However, I was intrigued to see that in Belfast there is only a solitary female Asian elephant without companions, and that the highly regarded Chester Zoo now has 10 Asian elephants in a 2 acre exhibit. Coming at a time when there are countless zoos (North Carolina, Los Angeles, Oakland, National Zoo, Dallas just in the U.S.) that are building pahyderms habitats between 4-7 acres I feel that the Chester Zoo exhibit is far too small for the huge herd that occupies the space.
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Well, doesn't that take us back to the old argument: are three elephants with lots of space better than ten with less space? Is society more important or space? Well-adjusted or fat? Obviously, a fair sized herd in an over-sized exhibit is best, but there are usually trade offs to be made, so where would you make your decision?
 
Lets hope Chester gives it herd more space in the near furture as this is a very large zoo
 
@Zooplantman: my answer would be Chester Zoo's 10 Asian elephants in at least double the space that they currently have access to. I like the idea of a herd for companionship, but why not create something like the North Carolina Zoo and its 7 acres? Chester has been pouring millions of pounds into new exhibits for a decade now, is the most successful zoological collection out of hundreds in the entire United Kingdom, and 2 acres for elephants is sadly lacking in the 21st century. The era of puny pachyderm paddocks is coming to an end.
 
snowleopard said:
@Zooplantman: my answer would be Chester Zoo's 10 Asian elephants in at least double the space that they currently have access to. I like the idea of a herd for companionship, but why not create something like the North Carolina Zoo and its 7 acres? Chester has been pouring millions of pounds into new exhibits for a decade now, is the most successful zoological collection out of hundreds in the entire United Kingdom, and 2 acres for elephants is sadly lacking in the 21st century. The era of puny pachyderm paddocks is coming to an end.
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All true, but I was asking you to play the game of a zoo director with hard choices. You ducked my game! :p
 
MARK said:
Lets hope Chester gives it herd more space in the near furture as this is a very large zoo
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I wouldn't count on it anytime soon. The economic situation has mean't that chester are focusing on smaller developments.

I believe it was mentioned on here that in their "Natural vision" plans (which may or may not be on hold) that they planned to create another paddock for the elephants.
 
snowleopard said:
Thanks for posting the links Alan, and I will not go into some of the findings as discussions on elephants can be temperamental on this site. However, I was intrigued to see that in Belfast there is only a solitary female Asian elephant without companions,
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This soley because belfast is in a transistion period from having a herd to becoming a 'retirement home' having taken the decision not to maintain a breeding herd in its facilities , and relocated breeding animals into herds within the EEP new elephants are due in belfast soon, but it is held up due to ireland being blue tongue free!
 
Expanding of the current Elephant paddock at Chester is impossible so hopefully sometime in the near future, the new paddock will be given the go-ahead.
 
My girlfriend is studying Veterinary and on a trip to chester zoo they were asked by the zoo what the most important thing to elephants was, the answer being the rest of the herd over any other element. However, there has been talk of building a fence around an area next to the car park just behind the elephant house so that the elephants would have access to a grassed paddock as well as the area they have access to now. Whether this will go ahead with the current economic climate is to be seen but hopefully it will happen and soon.
 
snowleopard said:
Chester has been pouring millions of pounds into new exhibits for a decade now, is the most successful zoological collection out of hundreds in the entire United Kingdom, and 2 acres for elephants is sadly lacking in the 21st century.
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It is very true that Chester has had millions spent improving the zoo over the last decade but a great deal of those millions have NOT come out of the zoos money,although Chesters Elephants don`t have the biggest of ares they do have one of the best in the U.K and as a result always make an intresting exhibit.
 
Can´t help but stepping in and once again complain about the size of the bull enclosure at Chester. How big can it be? 1/10 of an acre at most? About 400 square meters with a hot-wired tree in the middle?

Other forumsters in other threads has pointed out that his indoor quarters are comparativley good, but still - what the hell?! The biggest animal in the world... 400 square meters? I find it disgusting and indefensible.
 
... and damn it, I also can´t help but to - once again - point out that the MINIMUM size for a bull elephant outdoor enclosure in my country, Sweden, is 4000 square meters (about one acre) or ten times that miserable enclosure at Chester.
 
I agree, I think it's bad for the bull too. And although the house is great, I just find the current paddock far too small. It just looks so crowded.
 
The bull facilities are much better know they have the house and yard outside the back. It also comes back to the fact that although chester's bull cannot be in the main enclosure all the time, atleast has contact with the rest of the herd.
 
I would also like to point out that this is not an ideal world. If it was then the animals would all have the best enclosure and would have more room than they would naturally roam.

However when it comes down to a cost benefit decision, chester now have it now spot on. And that is what most things come down to knowadays, do we like it no but thats life.
 
In a perfect world we probably wouldn't have zoos ;)
It's just sad that in a massive zoo like Chester, the elephants are in a substandard paddock.
 
ashley-h said:
In a perfect world we probably wouldn't have zoos ;)
It's just sad that in a massive zoo like Chester, the elephants are in a substandard paddock.
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Well yes, but I don't want to get into that arguement here. ;)

How can you say there elephants are in a substandard paddock,
1) there are no standards in UK that I know of.
2) their paddock is much better than anything else in the uk
 
Nah, I disagree; I think Whipsnade's is much better. The house is older, but the paddock is better in my opinion.
 
I forgot about Whipsande,

However apart from these two, the rest are a mile times worse. If were comparing against these two.
 
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