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Isabel Hueramo

Hegarty

English 2010

11 February 2023

Elephants have been around over 55 million years and are one of the largest land animals

to exist. There are three different species of elephants that exist. These three are the African bush

elephant, African forest elephant and the Asian elephant. These elephants come from Africa and

Asia. They are known to weigh more than a vehicle because of how big their body is. They can

weigh up to 7 tons and grow up to 4 meters high.

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An elephant's habitat is either the Savannas or the Rainforest. Where they live and how their

habitat is usually depends on which country they come from. In the savanna the weather is more

dry, compared to the rainforest. The grass and trees are also dryer in the Savannas. In the

Rainforest the weather is more humid and wet. Ponds and other areas that contain water are

common in Rainforests. Elephants that live in the Rainforest love playing with the water and

bathing in it. Elephants in the wild and in their habitat have a lot of room to move around and

explore like shown in the picture above.

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The diet of elephants includes grass, plants, tree bark and bushes. Elephants are known to be

herbivores and very big ones. They can eat from 330 lbs to 375 lbs of food a day. In the image

above we can see that the elephants are enjoying the food being produced by the tree.

Many zoos have elephants that are held captive. The amount of living space being provided to

these elephants is not enough compared to their habitat in the wild. Elephants are made to be out

in the wild. In the zoo elephants are not getting the sufficient space they are required (Plumb

Colleen). In the image above we can see how small and inconsiderate the living space of this

elephant is.
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Elephants that are held captive are found to have health issues relating to their diet and exercise

(My Animals). Many elephants suffer from obesity due to the amount of exercise they practice.

This is caused by how small their living area is and how much they can move around. The image

provided above shows the amount of space they have including all four elephants. It has also

been recommended that elephants are not fed fruits or grains since it can also affect their health.

The concrete floors from the zoos are causing elephants to have sore feet. It has been proven that

the sore feet have been caused by the floor in their habitat (Atlay, Kemal). Elephants are big and

heavy animals. This means that they are standing all day carrying around their weight having to

walk on flat concrete ground in their homes. The sore feet can then cause a disease in these
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elephants and put their health at risk. Elephants are suffering from this pain because of the living

condition at zoos.

The reproduction of elephants in zoos is causing death among the baby elephants being born.

This is affecting the population and increasing the death rates (The Independent). After an

elephant is born it is usually taken away for training. The separation from the baby elephant and

the mother is causing these animals stress. This stress then puts young elephants in danger and

can cause health issues or death. Zoos should not be separating baby elephants from their mother

knowing that they need them after being born. The separation can cause many problems just

from some “training”.

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Many elephants that are held in captivity suffer from mental health issues. Some of these health

issues are depression, aggression, anxiety and some can become neutriotic (PETA). This is

caused by the denial of what their life is supposed to be like. They are denied from being in the

wild and living the life they were meant to have. Elephants suffer from these problems and have

a hard time living at zoos.

Elephants are also held in captivity for circuses and the entertainment of people. Many elephants

suffer from being mistreated and caged up. Elephants are trained to do tricks and learn abilities

for circuses that are not meant for elephants to do. When learning these tricks they are mistreated

by being hit and abused (PETA). They are also always caged up since circused tend to travel

when having shows. This causes elephants to suffer from many different health issues.
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Learning that elephants are best suited in the wild is important. These animals deserve to be

happy and live the life they were given. They should have the freedom and space wild animals

are meant to have. Elephants should not be caged up or have to suffer from any health issue

because people want to “learn” about animals when attending zoos.

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Works Cited

“African Elephant Facts.” Elephants For Africa,

https://www.elephantsforafrica.org/elephant-facts/. Accessed 11 February 2023.

“All About Elephants - Diet & Eating Habits.” SeaWorld.org,

https://seaworld.org/animals/all-about/elephants/diet/. Accessed 13 February 2023.

Atlay, Kemal. “Sore feet? Elephants in captivity have sad experience with that.” SBS, 5 October

2016,

https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/science/nature/article/2016/10/05/sore-feet-elephants-capt

ivity-have-sad-experience. Accessed 13 February 2023.

“Captive Elephants: Broken Spirits.” PETA,

https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-in-entertainment/circuses/elephants-broken-spirits/.

Accessed 13 February 2023.

“Captive elephants dying out due to stress of young being taken from mothers for training.” The

Independent, 27 March 2019,

https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/elephants-captivity-asia-myanmar-e

ndangered-species-tourism-a8840416.html. Accessed 13 February 2023.

Plumb, Colleen. “Thirty Times a Minute.” Center for Humans and Nature, 15 September 2014,

https://humansandnature.org/times-minute/. Accessed 3 March 2023.

“What Elephants Eat in Captivity: Understanding for Better Health.” My Animals, 22 December

2022,

https://myanimals.com/animals/wild-animals-animals/mammals/what-elephants-eat-in-ca

ptivity/. Accessed 13 February 2023.