Musth - a state of heightened testosterone and aggression in male elephants - presents significant welfare and safety challenges in zoo settings. Understanding musth biology helps improve elephant management.
Musth management is a genuine welfare tension in zoo elephant keeping. Bull elephants in musth have a natural biological drive to access females and may be frustrated by captive restrictions. At the same time, the safety of keepers and other elephants requires careful management during musth periods. Welfare-positive approaches include providing additional food, social access where safe, and environmental enrichment during musth periods. Some facilities manage musth through temporary contraception, though the welfare implications of hormonal suppression are debated.