Elephants leave Kent zoo for the Kenyan savannah

[FfFfFfFF 58,113]

A herd of elephants born and raised in a Kent zoo are about to get on a plane to travel almost 4,500 miles (7,000km) to Kenya, in order to reintroduce them to the wild in a first-of-its kind operation.

The herd of 13, which includes three calves, were all but one born at Howletts Wild Animal Park, a private zoo near Canterbury. The mammoth mission to “rewild” the elephants is being carried out by the Aspinall Foundation, the Kenya Wildlife Service and Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

Although travel arrangements for the elephants are yet to be confirmed, the animals will probably travel fully conscious in transportation crates in a large aircraft, with help from South African specialists in elephant transportation. The elephants will spend time in the crates ahead of the journey, in order to get used to the spaces and reduce stress during the flight. They will be continuously monitored by a team of vets.

Damian Aspinall, the chairman of the Aspinall Foundation, said: “This is an incredibly exciting project and a genuine world first. As with any conservation project of this magnitude, there are obviously big risks, but we consider them well worth it to get these magnificent elephants back into the wild where they belong.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/05/elephants-leave-kent-zoo-for-the-kenyan-savannah-aoe

[bionic 50,111]

Goodbye! I love zoos but better for them to live in a real conservation area. Not everything is about my pleasure (surprise, I know).

 

I hope they live a long and happy life

[Horny Chicken 10,932]

Do elephants live longer in zoos or in the wild? 

[bionic 50,111]

Just now, iku said:

Do elephants live longer in zoos or in the wild? 

Wild elephants in protected areas of Africa and Asia live more than twice as long as those in European zoos, a new study has found.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/wild-elephants-live-longer-than-their-zoo-counterparts

[bambi96 1,555]

I was at this zoo last month; I'm glad they're getting the happy ending they deserve  

[huttont 6,006]

I’ve been following this story. I heard a lot of the details haven’t been thought out and the Kenyan government hasn’t been in the loop with their plans. I wish these elephants luck but seeing as none of them have been in the wild before, there is a major lack of knowledge and skills these animals haven’t developed. 

https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/07/aspinpall-plans-to-rewild-elephants-thrown-into-doubt-by-kenya

 

[sarahb 17,188]

1 hour ago, iku said:

 

1 hour ago, iku said:

Do elephants live longer in zoos or in the wild? 

 

1 hour ago, bionic said:

Wild elephants in protected areas of Africa and Asia live more than twice as long as those in European zoos, a new study has found.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/wild-elephants-live-longer-than-their-zoo-counterparts

 

I can't read the article but I've got to wonder how accurate the average captive lifespan still is and whether it's still shorter than the wild one. Elephants live a long time and were treated horribly in the early days of keeping them so that affects the average when those older individuals die prematurely from poor care. Does it also take into account infant mortality in zoos that aren't always recorded when it happens in the wild?

Edit: quoting is a pain in the ass on mobile

[uo111 5,282]

8 minutes ago, sarahb said:

I can't read the article but I've got to wonder how accurate the average captive lifespan still is and whether it's still shorter than the wild one. Elephants live a long time and were treated horribly in the early days of keeping them so that affects the average when those older individuals die prematurely from poor care. Does it also take into account infant mortality in zoos that aren't always recorded when it happens in the wild?

Edit: quoting is a pain in the ass on mobile

 

I would argue poor care should be factored into average lifespan considering how awful people are. 
 

I mean, we had a whole docudrama series about a man torturing big cats and the people around him, and literally the only thing anyone cared about was baseless murder claims. Animal welfare doesn’t matter to 99.99% of people, so mistreatment of animals isn’t an anomaly, it’s an inevitability. 

[sarahb 17,188]

16 minutes ago, uo111 said:

I would argue poor care should be factored into average lifespan considering how awful people are. 
 

I mean, we had a whole docudrama series about a man torturing big cats and the people around him, and literally the only thing anyone cared about was baseless murder claims. Animal welfare doesn’t matter to 99.99% of people, so mistreatment of animals isn’t an anomaly, it’s an inevitability. 

Yeah I'm just saying modern zoos shouldn't be barred from being able to take care of elephants if the average lifespan is brought down by poor care in bad zoos. 

[huttont 6,006]

3 hours ago, uo111 said:

I would argue poor care should be factored into average lifespan considering how awful people are. 
 

I mean, we had a whole docudrama series about a man torturing big cats and the people around him, and literally the only thing anyone cared about was baseless murder claims. Animal welfare doesn’t matter to 99.99% of people, so mistreatment of animals isn’t an anomaly, it’s an inevitability. 

As someone in the zoo field, I can say that Tiger King is an absolute nightmare to watch as a zookeeper. Places like his are not inspected and are not held to the same standard as many zoos. While his show shed light and opened a conversation, I believe it portrays all zoos in this manner which is untrue. 

Not quoting you to argue, just wanted to give more insight. The only thing I disagree is that mistreatment of animals is NOT inevitable. My animals receive better care than most humans and the caretakers pour their hearts and souls into their animals.