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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Elephants in the U.K. - ethical?

56 replies

Hiphopopotamus · 12/04/2019 18:29

Sort of following on from the bitten by a lion thread.

AIBU to think there’s an ethical way to see elephants in the U.K.?

Elephants are my absolute favourite animal and I’d love to see them in the wild one day. However I currently don’t have that kind of money. Are there any ethical ways to see them in the U.K.? I hate the idea of zoos and places that keep animals for entertainment when they should be in the wild - but are there any proper sanctuaries or places that will release them back to the wild? It’s so hard to read between the lines though as all zoos and places talk about al the good they do. So does anyone know if there is a way I can see elephants in the U.K. with a clear conscience?

OP posts:
NicoAndTheNiners · 12/04/2019 18:32

Whipsnade would probably be the best? Not that I've ever been but it's a safari type park rather than a zoo so they have more space I guess?

I believe London zoo no longer have elephants due to not enough space and they went to whipsnade instead. As a child I helped to weigh the elephants at London zoo and went in the enclosure with them.....would be a health and safety no no these days I guess.

Grumpbum123 · 12/04/2019 18:33

Longleat ot Paignton zoo

Boopeedoop · 12/04/2019 18:36

Whipsnade is lovely. Lots of room for them.

Veterinari · 12/04/2019 18:42

Whipsnade is lovely. Lots of room for them

It’s not just about space. For years whipsnade kept elephants in ‘free contact’ requiring punishment training and the use of ankuses.

Original poster
Hiphopopotamus · 12/04/2019 18:44

I’m sure they’re kept well at somewhere like Whipsnade with room and everything. I suppose I’m thinking more of why they are there instead of in their natural habitat. Is it just for our entertainment? I just couldn’t enjoy seeing them if they were only there for me to look at!

OP posts:
username8000 · 12/04/2019 18:46

Blair Drummond Safari Park in Stirling has elephants

bridgetreilly · 12/04/2019 18:47

I just couldn’t enjoy seeing them if they were only there for me to look at!

In that case, I think the ethical thing to do is not go and look at them. If people did not visit zoos or safari parks, then animals would not be kept in such place for that reason. If there are actual scientific reasons for keeping animals in captivity (though why you'd do it so far from their natural habitat I don't know) then they would continue without the tourist gawpers.

AssassinatedBeauty · 12/04/2019 18:48

Well they are there just to be entertainment. None of them have been rescued from anywhere in the UK these days, unless there are still a few circus elephants still going. They've all been bred in captivity or brought in from other settings.

I'd want to research the organisation that owned them. Are they just a private enterprise out to make money? Do they have links to charities that help elephants in the wild etc etc. As well as the treatment of the animals and the condition they are kept in.

Hollowvictory · 12/04/2019 18:50

Longleat has Anne the elephant who was rescued from a circus however she often hides inside.
I don't think UK zoos and safari parks release elephants to the wild 😂😂😂.
Go and see them in the wildd, I did that in South Africa safari. They were quite intimidating

DrWhy · 12/04/2019 18:50

Blair Drummond has a single elderly elephant who was rehomed from a zoo in Germany. There’s a notice to say that when she passes away they won’t get any more I believe becuase ideally elephants live in herds and that takes a huge space to accommodate.

Original poster
Hiphopopotamus · 12/04/2019 18:53

I don't think UK zoos and safari parks release elephants to the wild 😂😂😂

No need for all the laughter 🙄 I’m aware they don’t release elephants into the U.K. I meant more whether they have links to animal rescue charities or animals in the wild or whether they just take in elephants that can’t live in the wild

OP posts:
ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 12/04/2019 18:55

Blair Drummond Safari Park

Blair Drummond is going grim. I would not recommend bit to anyone who gives the tiniest shit about animal welfare.

cleomummy · 12/04/2019 18:59

Noah's ark in Somerset have them. It lost its status as a zoo though so don't know how ethical they are.

BarefootHippieChick · 12/04/2019 19:05

I believe Blackpool Zoo now has the best elephant facility in the UK. They have a breeding programme in place to ensure long term survival as elephants are becoming an endangered species.

Far2go46 · 12/04/2019 19:07

Depends what they're up to really

Yabbers · 12/04/2019 19:14

I hate zoos. I hate what they stand for. I hate they pretend to be about protecting species. What benefit is it to an endangered species to be bred in captivity and only ever exist in an unnatural habitat?

The only zoo I ever visited is one near us who only takes in and cares for animals which have been rescued from other zoos or parks around the world. Their care and attention to the animals is outstanding and they never try and breed or take on only the “popular” animals like penguins and pandas. Each animal has a story, many of which are harrowing to read. Were it not for the zoo, they would be destroyed.

I think keeping animals out of their environment for entertainment is barbaric.

Hollowvictory · 12/04/2019 19:27

Noahs ark have been prosecuted and regularly have animal rights protestors outside I would not recommend.

AssassinatedBeauty · 12/04/2019 19:59

Just looked up Noah's Ark... they are run by Christians who push creationism as part of the theme of the zoo. Another reason to avoid!

NicoAndTheNiners · 12/04/2019 20:00

@yabbers is that the Yorkshire one? I know they've rescued the lions and the polar bear which were kept in grim conditions elsewhere and I believe a lot of their other animals came from similar backgrounds. No elephants though.

TapasForTwo · 12/04/2019 20:08

YWP are breeding Amur leopards with leopards from other zoos with the intention of releasing them into the wild. They have rescued a lot of animals from grim conditions.

TarragonSauce · 12/04/2019 21:22

Possibly the best place would be Howletts in Kent, part of the Aspinall Foundation.
The elephants there have a very large enclosure, about 12 acres I think.
However, although no elephants have been released into the wild they have a solid history of releasing gorillas and have a couple of gorilla communities up and running in Africa.

youngestisapsycho · 12/04/2019 21:30

CHester zoo has a large elephant enclosure...

SimonJT · 12/04/2019 21:32

I really can’t stand zoos, they’re really cruel.

NicoAndTheNiners · 12/04/2019 21:35

I thought the elephant enclosure at Chester was awfully small and felt sorry for them. I think it's the weakest part of Chester zoo. They also have an ongoing problem with young elephants dying there which I appreciate is not their fault and they are ploughing money into researching this condition which is causing the deaths.

But it's been such a problem for Chester that it puts me off.

User165443456 · 12/04/2019 21:39

The elephant enclosure at Chester is tiny, it really lets the zoo down.
Check out the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, they have webcams of their rescued elephants in an amazingly huge habitat.

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