Urge AZA to End Captive Elephant Breeding

Right now, zoos across the US are forcibly breeding elephants under the guise of saving the species. But no elephant born in a US zoo has ever been released into the wild. These births don't help elephants. They help zoos maintain exhibits.

At the heart of this practice is the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and its captive elephant breeding program. Under this program, elephants are stripped of their freedom and dignity. Male elephants are restrained and subjected to painful and invasive semen collection procedures. Female elephants are artificially inseminated, forced to give birth in sterile zoo enclosures, and made to raise their calves in the same unnatural, confined conditions.

Behind every birth announcement is a system that treats these emotionally complex, highly social beings like commodities. They are transported across the country, separated from companions, and denied the right to live on their own terms.

The AZA calls this conservation. But true conservation doesn't involve lifelong captivity, forced reproduction, and emotional trauma. True conservation respects and protects elephants' freedom.

It's time to end this cycle.

Sign the petition to urge AZA President and CEO Dan Ashe to end the captive breeding of elephants in AZA-accredited zoos. Let's stop the harm before another elephant is born into a life behind bars.