Foot problems are the leading cause of euthanasia in zoo elephants, representing a significant and preventable welfare problem. Understanding foot care needs is essential for improving elephant welfare in captivity.
Elephant foot disease causes chronic, debilitating pain in affected animals and ultimately leads to euthanasia in many cases. The preventability of this welfare problem makes it particularly important to address - providing appropriate substrate, ensuring daily walking exercise, and implementing regular professional foot care can dramatically reduce incidence. The shift toward protected contact management and positive reinforcement training in modern elephant facilities has improved the quality and regularity of foot care by removing risk to keepers that previously limited how often feet could be examined. Zoo accreditation increasingly requires documented foot care protocols, recognizing that this issue is central to elephant welfare.