Dear Minister Campbell,
A proposal has been put before you requesting permission to import Asian elephants from Thailand into several Australian zoos.
I believe that keeping elephants in captivity is cruel and must be stopped.
In the USA and Europe, zoos are recognising they cannot meet the complex needs of elephants and are closing their elephant exhibits. Yet Australian zoos are taking the backward step of seeking to increase the number of elephants in captivity. Why?
Importing elephants from Thailand will not help conserve this endangered species. Elephants have a poor record of breeding in captivity, with a high incidence of stillborns and infant mortalities. In fact, only 20% of zoo females breed at all, compared to almost 100% of female elephants who breed at least once in the wild.
To assist with the protection of these endangered animals, I implore you to ask Australian zoos to invest in conservation and rehabilitation programs instead of trying to breed these highly intelligent, social animals in captivity. Native conservation efforts will have a much greater impact, and certainly less cruel methodology, of protecting the future of these highly endangered animals.
The Australian Government had the foresight to establish the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 for precisely this type of request. Zoos and captive breeding programs do not meet the animal welfare and behavioural needs of elephants required by this Act.
I urge you to enforce the Act and refuse the request to import Asian elephants to Australia.
Sincerely,
[your name]