Elephant Deaths in Captivity Highlight Zoo Issues
Born Free is saddened and frustrated by recent tragic events involving elephants in zoos around the world.
September 2025 saw several reports of captive elephant deaths, serving as a sad reminder of the dangers faced by elephants in zoos.
These deaths are tragic, and serve to reinforce our frustration with the zoo industry for continuing to acquire or breed elephants for a lifetime of captivity and, in some cases, keeping these highly intelligent and social animals in solitary confinement.
- In Switzerland, four-month-old Zali at Zurich Zoo died on 11 September due to a twisted small intestine, two days after suffering a serious leg injury while playing in a pile of branches.
Such an irreversible complication can occur when an animal is under severe stress and in pain.
Author's summary: Elephant deaths in zoos raise concerns.