Do Elephants Belong in Zoos?

This article reports on the position of zoos and animal welfare advocates on the issue over elephants in captivity in the U.S. in 2006. Critics say zoos lack space to house elephants. Zoos argue that they are expanding and improving exhibits, and that elephants live better in captivity than in the wild with disease, drought, habitat loss, poaching, and conflicts with people. Bob Jenkins, animal care and conservation director at the San Francisco Zoo, ponders the loss of elephants from the city-owned zoo. This dispute has led several zoos to eliminate or phase out their elephant programs.