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Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 08/30/2011 12:12 PM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 08/30/2011 12:13 PM
Expires: 01/01/2016 12:00 AM
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Victory For Captive Elephants!~by Pat Darby
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) board of directors has approved new standards that will maximize occupational safety of elephant care professionals at AZA-accredited and AZA-certified facilities. The recent release of this new policy by AZA is a giant first step toward maximizing the physical and psychological health of the elephants as well. The new policy states: "As soon as possible, and no later than September 1, 2014, elephant care providers at AZA facilities with elephants shall not share the same unrestricted space with elephants. . . and by September 1, 2013. . . train their elephant care professionals to manage and care for elephants with barriers and/or restraints in place that provide employee safety."....
The archaic management of elephants by zoos that have been using the Free Contact system, has been the focus of controversy between AZA and animal welfare organizations, as well as many zoo professionals who advocate the use of Protected Contact management, a safer and kinder approach to elephant management.
Free Contact allows elephant keepers and handlers to share the same space with the elephant while using the cruel weapon known as the bullhook, the ankus, or the "guide", to control the animal and to protect the handler. This system has caused injury and death to keepers and considerable suffering to elephants. Protected Contact requires that keepers work with the animal behind barriers and eliminates the use of any weapon or punishment for the elephant. It is a system that ensures the safety of the keeper and the welfare and comfort of the elephant.
Since PAWS' inception 27 years ago, we have advocated eliminating the use of bullhooks, and other weapons, in the care and handling of all captive elephants. Ed and I have never allowed bullhooks near the elephants in our care, and PAWS' elephants have been managed with no punishment since the arrival of our first elephant, 71, in 1986.
When the Protected Contact program was developed in the early 1990s as an alternative to Free Contact management, Ed and I were elated and became staunch advocates of the new system, urging all AZA facilities to switch. The intransigence of the advocates of Free Contact within AZA facilities has been a constant source of friction between PAWS and many zoos. In the past decade, the collaborative efforts of almost all animal welfare organizations and individual activists too numerous to mention, has informed the public and the media about the cruelty inherent in the use of bullhooks in elephant management.
AZA's decision is a remarkable testament to the efficacy of cooperation among all who strive for better conditions for captive wildlife, particularly elephants. Kudos to AZA for this controversial, but progressive, decision!
Congratulations to Oakland Zoo, San Diego Zoo, Detroit Zoo, North Carolina Zoo and the many other AZA facilities who advocated for this necessary, and long-awaited, step toward enhanced animal welfare and safety for dedicated elephant care professionals.
Pat Derby, PAWS President
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