Canada to ban the use of captive elephants and great apes in entertainment


By  Dr. Tim Sandle
DIGITAL JOURNAL
December 18, 2024

An elephant in the street is now a common sight for Chinese residents of the animals' home territory on the Myanmar-Laos border, where a recovering elephant population is being squeezed into ever-shrinking habitat - Copyright AFP Hector RETAMAL

Canada is set to enact its first-ever countrywide ban on use of captive elephants and great apes in entertainment, bringing an end to the mistreatment of these animals in the circus setting.

The bill is likely to be ‘historic’ from a global perspective, since the legislation would make Canada a trailblazer in captive animal welfare. This news follows Bill S-15 passing its Third Reading in the Senate and it now moves onto the House of Commons.

The campaign group Humane Society International/Canada is calling on Members of Parliament to urgently pass this government-sponsored bill before the next election.

Bill S-15 aims to protect elephants and great apes by prohibiting their breeding, possession, or use for entertainment, and by restricting their import and export to ethically justified cases.

In a build up to the legislation and in recognition of the cruelty inherent in elephant captivity, zoos around the world, including the Toronto Zoo and the Calgary Zoo, have retired their elephants, and 22 global elephant experts expressed their support for banning elephant captivity in Canada.

If passed, the legislation would mark significant progress for wild animal protection in Canada, building upon the 2019 passage of Bill S-203, legislation to end the captivity of cetaceans for entertainment as well as their trade, possession, capture and breeding, and the federal government’s historic 2023 ban of elephant ivory and rhinoceros horn trade.

Approximately 30 great apes and over 20 elephants remain in captivity in Canada, including Lucy, a lone elephant at the Edmonton Valley Zoo who has languished in isolation since 2007. While elephants in the wild form lifelong familial bonds, captive elephants are often isolated or live in artificial social units, with bonds frequently broken when moved between facilities.

It also stands that the average lifespan of a wild elephant is 60-70 years, while captive elephants rarely survive past 40 years due to chronic health issues like tuberculosis, arthritis, and foot abscesses.

Similarly for apes. Heart disease, due to poor diet and lack of activity, is the leading cause of death for captive apes, killing over 40% of male gorillas in North American zoos.

Kelly Butler, senior campaign manager at HSI/Canada, states: “There is overwhelming evidence that it is impossible to meet the complex biological, psychological and social needs of great apes and elephants in captivity. Accordingly, Bill S-15 was put forward to end future captivity of these majestic animals and bring government policy in line with the best available science and Canadian values. We applaud the Senate for passing this bill and urge the House of Commons to prioritize its rapid progression.”

There are many reasons to support the ban, not least because elephants and great apes are exceptionally intelligent and social animals who require large areas to roam, extremely high levels of stimulation, opportunities to form social relationships, and appropriate climates. Zoos in Canada are fundamentally unable to fully meet these requirements, leading to significant physical and psychological distress for these species in such facilities.