A More Empathetic Approach
For decades, elephants in captivity were managed through a system known as free contact. Caretakers and elephants shared the same physical space, and handlers maintained control through tools like bullhooks to establish dominance. However, the beginnings of a more compassionate style of elephant care began to take root in the early 1990s. Gail Laule, now a world-renowned animal behaviorist and Pangea’s Elephant Transition Coordinator, introduced the method known as protected contact.
Protected contact offered a completely different approach. Instead of removing barriers between humans and elephants, it introduced them. Caretakers and elephants remain separated by a sturdy protective wall or fence, and all interactions take place across it. Rather than being compelled, elephants are encouraged to participate through positive reinforcement involving food rewards, praise, or enrichment.
If an elephant walks away, the session ends. If she chooses to stay, the interaction continues. This small but crucial shift, the act of allowing choice, reshaped how elephants are cared for in sanctuaries and zoos across the globe.
Gail Laule trains elephant keepers in the protected contacted method. Photo credit: Basel Zoo
How the Method Works
Protected contact relies on the principles of operant conditioning, a well-established method in animal behavior science. You might have even used this same training method with a family pet in your own home. The idea is straightforward: reward the behaviors you want to see, ignore the ones you don’t.
For elephants, this means they can voluntarily:
- Present their feet for inspection and foot care.
- Allow blood samples to be taken.
- Open their mouths for dental checks.
- Position themselves for safe transport or medical procedures.
All of this is done without force. By breaking tasks into small, achievable steps and rewarding cooperation, elephants learn to participate willingly in their own care. Health procedures that were once difficult or frightening become more manageable and far less disruptive. It also provides a safer working environment by removing risks that come with standing unprotected next to such powerful animals.
Positive reinforcement training helps make procedures like foot care safer for caretakers and far less stressful for elephants. Photo credit: Global Sanctuary for Elephants
Adoption Around the World
When Gail and her colleagues first introduced the method, it was met with some skepticism. Many organizations were deeply invested in free contact and hesitant to change. But over time, the results spoke for themselves. Institutions using this new system saw a drop in caretaker injuries and observed calmer, less stressed elephants. By the late 1990s and early 2000s, major zoos in the United States and Europe began rapidly adopting protected contact. It is now considered best practice in many leading facilities. Through her innovative use of behavioral science in animal husbandry, Gail helped demonstrate that cooperation can replace coercion and safety does not have to come at the expense of welfare.
Today, Gail Laule’s pioneering efforts continue to influence a new generation of caretakers and sanctuaries, setting a standard for how humans and elephants can coexist in shared spaces. For sanctuaries like Pangea, protected contact is central to our philosophy of care—animals thrive when given safety, respect, and choice.
