Two elephants euthanised in Denmark
Mai and Tanja, pictured above, were wild caught from Kruger Park in South Africa when they were just three years old in 1985. They spent their lives in the zoo and were only 42 years old at the time of their passing. Elephants in captivity do tend to die early – zoo-born elephants have half the life expectancy of those living in the wild, even when accounting predation.
According to the zoo, Tanja was euthanized due to very poor health. Whilst Mai also had some health issues, cited as arthritis in her foot, her euthanasia stemmed from the zoo’s belief that she could not be moved to another facility as integrating her into a new herd would be too stressful and traumatic. The alternative would be for her to continue living in the zoo in isolation which they did not want.
We recognize that the decision to euthanize both elephants must have been incredibly difficult for the team at Aalborg Zoo. This tragic event does however serves as a stark reminder of why Pangea is so desperately needed. Zoos that want to stop keeping elephants need an alternative that doesn’t involve waiting for their residents to die.
We know that many physical health issues faced by elephants in captivity, such as obesity and lameness, are alleviated by purposeful movement in spacious, natural enclosures. Many older elephants with health challenges have been successfully rehomed to sanctuaries within expansive, natural habitats and with elephants that they have not previously met. For instance:
- Mundi, wild-caught in 1984, spent 39 years living alone at Puerto Rico Zoo before finally being sent to the Elephant Refuge North America in 2023 where she bonded almost immediately with resident elephants, Bo and Tarra.
- Gandhi, also wild-caught in the 80’s, who was transferred between various zoos and mostly kept in isolation due to her struggles to socialize, has now become almost inseparable from Delhi at Elephant Haven in France.
- Mara spent five decades being shunted around zoos and circuses in Europe and South America, finally arriving at her lifelong home, Global Sanctuary for Elephants in Brazil in 2020. As a result of her time in captivity, she has some inevitable health issues, but she still spends most of her time outside grazing in the expansive habitat or socialising with her companions, Bambi, Mara, and Guillermina, none of whom she met before arriving at sanctuary.
These stories of resilience and adaptation are truly inspiring, and remind us why we need to forge ahead with our plans and create sanctuary space for Europe’s elephants in need.
