Understanding musth in male elephants and the welfare implications of human responses to bull elephants in heightened hormonal states.
Musth management sits at the intersection of elephant welfare and human safety. From a welfare perspective, musth is a normal biological state that male elephants need to experience for hormonal health and natural behavior expression. Attempts to suppress musth pharmacologically in captive bulls have welfare costs and limited efficacy. The welfare challenge arises when musth behavior creates conflict with humans or other animals. In wild settings, translocation — capturing and moving musth bulls to reduce conflict — causes acute stress from the capture process and potential social disruption at the destination. In captive settings, managed separation with adequate space and reduced stimulation during musth episodes protects both keepers and the elephant, while respecting the biological process.