Elephants Elephants - Wildpro - Twycross Zoo

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disadvantages include the negative effects of physical punishment and
negative reinforcement (acute and chronic); consequences of being
‘dominated’ by the keeper, such as reduced fertility; transient relationships
between elephant and keeper (due to high staff turnover and limited working
hours); and health problems induced by training ‘power behaviours’ (e.g.
head stands; hind-leg stands). Protected contact is said, at least by some, to
encompass most of the pros of traditional training, but with the added
advantages of allowing elephants to choose whether or not to participate in
training sessions (cf. traditional training where 100% compliance is required);
not using physical punishment and improving the behaviour of problem
animals. It has been argued, however, that not all veterinary procedures can
be undertaken and elephants do not gain sufficient physical exercise. No
contact systems are rare, but could potentially provide the most naturalistic
form of care. Such systems negate the use of punishment as no training is
undertaken, however, veterinary procedures cannot be undertaken without
the use of anaesthesia and some say that elephants do not get sufficient levels
of physical exercise or mental stimulation, said to occur during training. These
purported pros and cons of different management regimes need to be
investigated to quantify the effects of each system on elephant health,
behaviour and reproduction. In addition, the response of elephants to their
keepers in these different regimes should be determined, particularly in
traditional systems, to try and determine whether elephants really do respond
to their keepers as another group member (or indeed group leader).
Foot and joint problems: incidence, severity and risk factors
Foot and joint problems appear to be very common in zoo elephants, although
their incidence does not yet appear to have been quantified. Aspects
suggested to be associated with these problems include: hard, unyielding
substrates; long periods of chaining; nutrient deficiency; excessive body
weight; the performance of ‘power behaviours’ (e.g. head stands; hind-leg
stands); stereotypic behaviour and general stress. Factors thought to alleviate
them include regular foot care (which may differ in different management
systems); regular exercise and access to mud wallows and natural substrates.
The influence of these various factors on foot and joint health needs to be
investigated, in addition to quantifying the incidence and severity of these
problems in zoo elephants.
Stereotypic behaviour: incidence, frequency, source behaviours and risk
factors
The stereotypic behaviour of zoo elephants has not received much attention,
but from the data that are available, 40% of elephants studied showed these
behaviours to some degree, albeit at a generally low frequency. Research on
orphaned elephants suggests the behaviour stems from restricted movement
and possibly impaired social interaction. Due to the possible link to welfare,
the incidence and severity of stereotypies needs to be scientifically quantified,
possible causal factors identified and investigated.