Honolulu Zoo

Experienced animal welfare researchers and elephant managers at zoos are developing a study of elephant welfare utilizing the entire population of North American zoo elephants. This project is for a planning phase that will incorporate all 78 elephant-holding zoos into the study, and bring together the ten project staff to design it. This is in preparation for a project that will develop assessment tools for elephant management styles, physical and social environments, elephant temperament and behavior, and handler attitudes and behavior in zoos across the United States.