Phoenix Zoo disputes claims of elephant’s poor welfare in exhibit
Plans to close exhibit once Indu dies
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Phoenix Zoo says a recent report detailing the list of the worst zoos for elephants in North America is flat-out wrong but plans to close the elephant exhibit.
In Defense of Animals, an animal rights group, put the zoo at No. 10 on its 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants list for 2024.
The Phoenix Zoo is the country’s largest private zoo and was previously listed as the fourth-worst for elephants in 2021.
The report details that “Indu,” an Asian elephant, is forced to endure solitary confinement, which violates welfare standards, requiring at least three elephants for social interaction.
“If action isn’t taken soon, Indu will follow in Sheena and Reba’s footsteps with a painful decline and death in Phoenix Zoo, where glaring breaches of minimal welfare standards remain unaddressed,” Courtney Scott, elephant consultant for In Defense of Animals, said in a written statement.
The group said Indu was “wrenched” from her wild family and went through several “traumatic” zoo transfers, ending up at the Phoenix Zoo in 1998.
“At 59 years old, isolated Indu could still have many good years ahead if released to a sanctuary where she can experience friendships with other elephants, roam larger spaces, forage freely, and have a chance to reverse her premature decline. We urge Phoenix Zoo to do the right thing and give Indu the freedom and companionship she deserves,” Scott continued.
In a statement, the zoo said that a sanctuary isn’t the best place for Indu and said that while they are “aware of the recent list from IDA, there is no merit to this list” and that their “stance hasn’t changed since they named us in 2021.”
Zoo officials say they doubled the size of the exhibit before the 2024 list was made, making the exhibit to six acres.
However, In Defense of Animals said that’s too small to “satisfy the needs of far-roaming elephants.”
“It’s just time to give her the kind of life that she could enjoy in the last few years of her life in sanctuary,” said Scott.
Indu has been alone in the enclosure since Sheena, the zoo’s 50-year-old elephant, died in Nov. 2021.
But the zoo pointed to a recent radio interview with veterinarian Dr. Gary West in which he said Indu hasn’t been a “big fan” of other elephants and had a history of being aggressive to other elephants in her prior habitats.
“The Phoenix Zoo remains dedicated to providing a safe and enriching environment for all of our animals while providing the highest standards of care. Our focus remains on optimal well-being for all animals in our care,” Bert Castro, president and CEO of the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation/Phoenix Zoo, told Arizona’s Family.
A zoo spokesperson said Indu receives “amazing care” from her five keepers and a manager who solely cares for her and two greater one-horned rhinos.
The Phoenix Zoo told Arizona’s Family that the current elephant exhibit will end once Indu dies and be converted into an exhibit for only one-horned rhinoceros, which shares the space with Indu on rotation. A spokesperson said the decision is not connected to IDA’s list.
While Scott praised the decision, she urged the zoo to do more.
“While we celebrate a path to progress with many zoos shutting their elephant exhibits, some are missing the opportunity to give elephants a sanctuary retirement where they can live out their golden years with the companionship, space, and care they have been deprived of for so long. We urge the Phoenix Zoo to work swiftly to give Indu the chance to experience freedom and friendship in her lifetime in a sanctuary with other elephants,” said Scott.
When asked how IDA knows Indu’s current health, Scott said, “You know, I gotta be honest with you on that one. I’m not sure we did get medical records.”
A zoo spokesperson added the facility is “open to perhaps African elephants in the future.”
2024 List of the 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants:
- Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens, CA.
- Bronx Zoo, NY
- Edmonton Valley Zoo, Canada
- Cameron Park Zoo, Waco, TX
- Two Tails Ranch, Williston, FL
- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs, CO
- Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center, KS
- Little Rock Zoo, AR
- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, OH
- Phoenix Zoo, AZ
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