Captive elephant welfare has been extensively studied and consistently shows that even the best zoo facilities cannot meet the welfare needs of these highly intelligent, wide-ranging animals.
Elephant welfare in zoos represents one of the most studied and most concerning cases of the limits of captive animal welfare. Research has consistently found that zoo elephants — even in the best facilities — show compromised welfare: higher rates of stereotypic behaviour, poorer reproductive success, shorter lifespans, and higher prevalence of foot problems, arthritis, and herpesvirus infections than wild elephants. The fundamental problem is space: elephants evolved to walk 30-70km daily, and no zoo can provide this. Debate continues about whether the educational and conservation value of captive elephants justifies their welfare compromise.