Brewer 1

Kyra Brewer
Independent Research I Pd. 3
Mrs. Curtin
18 May 2017
Primary Analysis Data Collection
Interviews:
Each of the interviewees represent their organization and profession that address and
connect to the following points: elephant enclosure and health issues as a result, that mental
capacity of elephants and their families, and the process and effectiveness of legislation in
protecting captive elephants.

The first interviewed subject, Susan Mikota, is the co-founder director of veterinary
programs and research for Elephant Care International (ECI). Mikota is a member of the Asian
Elephant Specialist Group and just finished her second book on the healthcare of elephants. After
creating the worlds largest elephant bibliographic database on elephant healthcare, her work
with Sumatran elephants, and published the first elephant formulary with Donald C. Plumb,
Pharm D., she received a Guggenheim Fellowship.

The second interviewed subject, Rachel Bale, is a reported for National Geographic and
has a broad range of knowledge of different animals and issues. She reports on wildlife crime
and exploitation for Wildlife watch and National Geographics Special Investigations Unit and
the environment for the Center of Investigative Reporting. She has a bachelors degree in
political science and a masters degree in journalism.

The last interviewed subject, Melissa White, is the youth campaigns correspondent for
PETA2. She worked with PETA when she realized her love for animals and has worked with
many different topics and issues. As a youth campaigns correspondent, she learns about certain
issues and spreads information with students about animal treatment and welfare.

The purpose of these interviews is to learn about the details of elephant care in captive
environments and what aspects of an elephants life in zoos seem more important and urgent to
different professionals. The aspects I knew to be the most harmful to elephants and should be
addressed immediately is the type and size of walking space elephants have, forced breeding and
artificial insemination, and the mental care elephants require from interactions with familiar
elephants. What aspects of an elephants habitat negatively affect elephant mental and physical
health the most? As a result of inadequate enclosures, unspecific regulations, and interactions
with humans and other elephants, the mental and physical health of elephants in zoos are
extremely damaged.
 Brewer 2

These interviews supported and refuted my hypothesis in different ways. When asked
what are the most harmful/important aspects of an elephant enclosures, the interviewees simply
stated that none are more important than the others and there isnt just one thing that can
immensely help the elephants in zoos. This topic refuted and supported my hypothesis because it
highlighted the aspects of an enclosure I had already found but also stated that all of them are
equally important and harmful. This is because all of the small and large problems in a zoo need
to fixed for elephants in order to mimic their natural habitat, not just one, small piece. Another
point that was emphasized in the interviews was that even though all zoos are bad, the treatment
of elephants and their lifestyle in zoos is highly dependent on staff and funds. This point was
expanded upon in my document analysis, but it was new to me during my interviews. This point
refuted my hypothesis because legislation is somewhat adequate for elephants but the authority
of the associations that enforce the legislation and the staff/funds that enforce it within zoos have
proven insufficient. The rest of the information ,especially the common health-medical issues of
elephants, presented in my interviews were proven by my secondary research and supported my
hypothesis.

Documents:
The first document supported my hypothesis because the infant mortality rates and
overall lifespan data supported my reasons why elephants in the wild are better off. The data was
basic yet informative and showed how captivity does not lengthen life span of the animals in it.
The second document did not refute or support my hypothesis but did support it in a more
general way than my previous research. The second document explained the role
communication, regulations, and staff play in a zoo. I have been looking at the general
regulations for all zoos while this document goes into more depth. If the regulations are
sufficient and adequate for the animals, in this case elephants, it may not matter because the
proper data isnt being recorded or the animals are receiving the exact care outlined in the
rules/regulations. Overall, these documents supported my hypothesis, but also expanded on it
and allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of that research I had already obtained.