AZA Elephant Conservation

Elephants in the News

©Oregon Zoo

Committed to saving elephants (Denver Zoo)
Elephants are under extreme pressure, living in fragmented populations as their habitat continues to dwindle. It is estimated that 100 elephants die each day as a result of illegal poaching for ivory, bushmeat, or conflict with humans.

These elephants are thriving (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom)
The park is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, placing it among the top zoos and aquariums in North America. AZA's rigorous accreditation standards require members to provide state-of-the-art veterinary, nutrition and behavioral enrichment programs for its animals; to support species conservation; and to educate the public.

When you stand up for zoos you stand up for elephants
When an elephant roams free, it gets shot . . . Elephants are dying in the wild at the rate of 100 every day.

Elephants Thriving in Zoos
Washington, December 12, 2006 – Comments filed yesterday by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveal new data that demonstrates elephants in accredited zoos are in very good health.

Louisville Zoo makes history with successful elephant birth
Louisville Zoo's 21-year-old African elephant Mikki gave birth to her first calf at 8:45 p.m. on Sunday, March 18. It is the first elephant born in the Zoo's 38-year history.

Elephants Leading Long Lives In Professionally Managed Zoological Facilities
Washington, September 29, 2004 – New research shows that elephants in professionally managed zoological facilities have life expectancies similar to elephants in the wild. The finding, published in the August edition of the journal Zoo Biology (Volume 23, Issue 4), refutes a 2002 study that claimed wild elephants typically live longer. The new research used a different testing methodology, which its authors say corrects these earlier findings.

African Elephant Born
Calf born to Rescued Herd at San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park
San Diego, March 12, 2006 – Sunday a 17-year-old African elephant, Litsemba (leet-SAMH-bah), gave birth at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. The male calf was born at 9:14 p.m. Litsemba, which means "the timid one" in the SiSwati language, and her calf will be slowly introduced to the rest of the herd. Keepers and researchers are monitoring the pair around the clock to ensure the first-time mother properly cares for the newborn.

Elephants Pregnant at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
The elephant herd at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is growing by two! Moja and Savanna, two of the Zoo's three female African elephants, are pregnant. In order to accommodate the growing elephant family, construction is underway to expand the elephant house to twice its current size. The new addition will be 80' by 60' with heated floors and plenty of room for the elephants. Visitors will be able to get nose-to-trunk with the elephants through large viewing windows.