Call to end elephant captivity

Pixabay

Animal rights activists are calling for an end of keeping elephants in captivity after yet another death at Zurich Zoo.

Over the weekend, a bull elephant died shortly after birth. An autopsy showed many internal organs hadn’t formed properly and the animal was never viable.

But in 2021, three elephant calves died due to a viral infection and in 2020 two youngsters died after being kicked by the others. 

The zoo says the most recent death is simply the cycle of life – and the zoo has a death of an animal almost every day. 

But the Fondation Franz Weber says it has a chronic problem with its elephants. It points out the mother of the calf that died is overweight, which can lead to reproductive problems.  

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