Musth in male elephants is a natural hormonal state requiring careful welfare management in captivity.
Musth management in captive male elephants creates a welfare dilemma. The condition is a natural, cyclical reproductive state that wild bulls experience as part of their normal biology. In captivity, the inability to roam, locate females, and express normal reproductive behavior during musth creates frustration and redirected aggression. Hormonal suppression of musth eliminates natural reproductive biology. Isolation increases social deprivation. Modern elephant care emphasizes understanding musth as normal biology, building safe management protocols around it, and providing enrichment and space that allows some expression of heightened activity, rather than simply suppressing it.