Elephants in Captivity

Doyle, Catherine

doi:10.1057/978-1-137-36671-9_12

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…There is no control of their reproduction, hence the 'semi-captive' definition of these animals. During their non-working time they can develop and express their natural behaviours without the stress of a captive and confined environment, known to be detrimental to elephant welfare 24,25 . Their diet is minimally supplemented (occasional fruit, salt and rice when…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Handler familiarity helps to improve working performance during novel situations in semi-captive Asian elephants

Liehrmann

Crawley

Seltmann

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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Working animals spend hours each day in close contact with humans and require training to understand commands and fulfil specific tasks. However, factors driving cooperation between humans and animals are still unclear, and novel situations may present challenges that have been little-studied to-date. We investigated factors driving cooperation between humans and animals in a working context through behavioural experiments with 52 working semi-captive Asian elephants. Human-managed Asian elephants constitute approximately a third of the remaining Asian elephants in the world, the majority of which live in their range countries working alongside traditional handlers. We investigated how the familiarity and experience of the handler as well as the elephant’s age and sex affected their responses when asked to perform a basic task and to cross a novel surface. The results highlighted that when novelty is involved in a working context, an elephant’s relationship length with their handler can affect their cooperation: elephants who had worked with their handler for over a year were more willing to cross the novel surface than those who had a shorter relationship with their handler. Older animals also tended to refuse to walk on the novel surface more but the sex did not affect their responses. Our study contributes much needed knowledge on human-working animal relationships which should be considered when adjusting training methods and working habits.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Handler familiarity helps to improve working performance during novel situations in semi-captive Asian elephants

Liehrmann

Crawley

Seltmann

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

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“…Elephants, both Asian ( Elephas maximus ) and African ( Loxodonta africana ) are considered to be highly social beings, with extensive, well‐defined, and multi‐tiered social networks (Archie et al . 2006b; Sukumar 2006; Doyle 2018). Herds are genetic units, led by a matriarch, with an individual's closest and most important social partners being their first‐degree maternal relatives; herds are described as being “female‐bonded” (Archie et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personality and behavioral changes in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) following the death of herd members

Rutherford

Murray

2020

Integr. Zool.

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Elephants are highly social beings with complex individual personalities. We know that elephants have a general interest in death, investigating carcasses, not just limited to kin; however, research does not explore in depth whether individuals change their behavior or personality following traumatic events, such as the death of a conspecific. Within a captive herd of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) housed at Chester Zoo, UK, we measured social behavior and proximity and personality using the Ten‐Item Personality Inventory, and found age‐related and relationship‐related changes in both behavior and personality following the deaths of herd members. Overall, the herd spent less time socializing and engaging in affiliative behaviors following the death of the adult female when compared to baseline data, yet spent more time engaging in these behaviors after the death of two calves. The death of the central female had a dramatic impact on her infant calf, resulting in increasingly withdrawn behavior, yet had the opposite effect on her adult daughter, who subsequently established a more integrated role within the herd. Emotional Stability fell in the motherless calf but rose in an adult female, who had lost her adult daughter, but had a new calf to care for. We suggest that the greater impact on the behavior and personality of surviving herd members following the deaths of calves, compared to an adult member, attests to the significance of the unifying role played by calves within an elephant herd.

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The Value and Ethical Status of Zoos

Vincelette

2024

Veterinary Medicine and Science

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Ethical concerns surrounding the existence of zoos have recently come to the fore. Some argue for the complete phasing-out of zoos, citing concerns about the limitations they impose on animal liberty and dignity, coupled with perceived minimal benefits to both humans and animals. However, these arguments tend to downplay the potential value that zoos offer in terms of human enjoyment, educational opportunities, research initiatives, and conservation efforts. Moreover, they overlook other significant benefits zoos provide such as the positive impact of human-animal interactions and opportunities to appreciate nature’s beauty. Finally, zoo critics often emphasize the negative effects of zoos on animals while neglecting the substantial efforts made by zoos toward animal welfare research and implementation. By accurately recognizing the multifaceted values that zoos can provide and ensuring the highest standards of animal care, a strong case can be made for their continued existence and importance.

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Elephants in Captivity

Cited by 4 publications

References 24 publications

Handler familiarity helps to improve working performance during novel situations in semi-captive Asian elephants

Handler familiarity helps to improve working performance during novel situations in semi-captive Asian elephants

Personality and behavioral changes in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) following the death of herd members

The Value and Ethical Status of Zoos

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