Elephants are highly social animals whose welfare in captivity is profoundly affected by social group composition, with inappropriate social environments causing chronic psychological distress.
Elephant social welfare represents one of the most complex challenges in zoo animal care. Wild elephant society is built on multigenerational female bonds, cooperative childcare, cultural transmission of knowledge from elder to younger animals, and complex communication systems including infrasound. A pair of zoo elephants, however well-maintained physically, cannot access most of the social experiences that define elephant life. The welfare costs of social deprivation in elephants are well-documented - stereotypic behaviors, reproductive problems, and behavioral abnormalities consistently correlate with inadequate social environments. The AZA Elephant Species Survival Plan has pushed for improved social management, but fundamental limitations of zoo space constrain progress.