Understanding musth in male elephants — a periodic state of heightened testosterone and aggression — and the welfare implications of how zoos and sanctuaries manage bulls during this condition.
Musth management represents one of the most complex welfare challenges in elephant husbandry, requiring balancing the welfare needs of the bull in a peak physiological state with the legitimate safety concerns of handlers and other elephants. The welfare-positive approach to musth management recognizes it as a normal and important part of bull elephant biology rather than a pathological condition requiring suppression. Providing adequate space for natural movement and behavioral expression during musth, appropriate social management, and consistent but minimal necessary handling reduces welfare cost while maintaining safety. Facilities that routinely use hormonal suppression of musth as a management convenience rather than a welfare-indicated intervention may be compromising bull welfare and reproductive health for operational convenience.