Elephants in zoos present the most documented welfare challenge in the zoo world, with extensive evidence of shortened lifespans, stereotypic behavior, and inadequate social and spatial provision in most zoo environments.
Zoo elephant welfare has been the most extensively studied and most contentious welfare question in the zoo world. The evidence consistently shows that elephants — wide-ranging, highly social, cognitively complex animals — cannot have their welfare adequately met in typical zoo environments. The response of major zoos removing their elephants and transferring them to accredited sanctuaries with more space and appropriate social groups demonstrates that welfare evidence can drive institutional change. The welfare case against keeping elephants in zoos is now strong enough that many animal welfare scientists consider it settled, though conservation and educational justifications continue to be invoked.