Association of Zoos and Aquariums

• Member Login
• Animal Management
• Conservation
• Elephant Conservation
  • Conservation Projects
  • Accreditation Matters
  • Working With Congress
  • Elephant FAQ
  • Elephants Thrive in Zoos
• Education
• Conferences and Meetings
• Professional Training
• Resource Center

• Find a Product or Service
• Post an RFP
• List a Job Online

©Judith Pew

Help us save wildlife!

Donate to AZA's Conservation Endowment Fund and help us save wildlife around the globe.

AZA Elephant Conservation

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is comprised of caring, trusted experts committed to ensuring that elephants are part of the world's future.

Through our conservation, education and research programs, elephants in our care play an essential role in the survival of the species in Africa and Asia. AZA advocates on behalf of elephants with a unified and consistent voice and collaborates with others committed to the long-term survival of elephants.

Today, 284 elephants live in 79 AZA-accredited zoos. About one half are Asian elephants and half are African elephants. They are cared for daily by professional zookeepers and veterinarians, who dedicate their lives to these magnificent animals.

Our commitment to elephants is strong and growing. Sixty-one AZA-accredited zoos have or are planning to significantly upgrade or completely rebuild their elephant facilities. Three of these zoos built new facilities that brought elephants to their collections either for the first time or for the first time in more than ten years.

Elephant News From AZA-accredited Zoos

• Committed to saving elephants (Denver Zoo)
• These elephants are thriving (Six Flags Discovery Kingdom)
• When you stand up for zoos you stand up for elephants
• Louisville Zoo makes history with successful elephant birth
• African Elephant Born to Rescued Herd at San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park
• Elephants Thriving in Zoos
• Elephants Pregnant at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

Elephants Under Threat

Elephants in Africa and Asia face critical threats, including intense poaching, disease, predation, and dramatic loss of habitat. In the past 25 years in the wild, the African elephant population has fallen from 1.6 million to less than 500,000 - a decline of more than 100 elephants each day. The number of Asian elephants in the wild has diminished to an estimated 30,000, scattered throughout several countries.

The reality is that what has been called 'the wild' in Africa and Asia has many unresolved human-elephant conflicts. Increasingly, there is diminishing room for elephants. As wild space continues to decline, there will be few places on earth where humans do not manage elephants in some way. Some national parks in Africa are completely fenced to prevent conflict between wildlife and people. Many of these parks now require the kind of intensive wildlife management practiced by zoos.

Under increasing population pressures, elephants need the particular support and expertise of AZA researchers, biologists and population managers. AZA-accredited zoos provide the majority of support for the International Elephant Foundation and support more than 85 projects in elephant conservation and research, including field-based training, habitat restoration, reduction of human-elephant conflict, ecotourism and community-based initiatives.

• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• Contact AZA
• A-Z Site Index

Search Conservation and Science:

© Copyright 2008 Association of Zoos and Aquariums. All Rights Reserved.