Sec. 2. Findings; purpose

322 words·~1 min read·/bill/119/hr/3456/ih/section-2

A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

Congress finds the following: Elephants live in a matriarchal hierarchy where a lead female leads a large herd in the wild and migrates, traveling hundreds of miles every year. African and Asian elephants have been demonstrated to possess, amongst other things, intentional communication and learning, memory, and categorization abilities. An Emory University experiment showed that a female elephant seemed to recognize herself in a mirror, a result attributed to self-awareness only seen otherwise in humans, dolphins, and chimpanzees.

Captivity does not provide for the needs of normal elephant behavior and reproduction. As a result, captive elephants suffer both physical and emotional trauma including hernias, arthritis, mental degradation, and high calf mortality. The average lifespan of a captive elephant is 17 years; in the wild, elephants can live for 50 years or more. It is estimated that the cost of caring for an elephant in captivity can be up to $100,000 per year. In 2004, the Detroit Zoo became the first major American zoo to shut down its elephant exhibit on ethical grounds.

In 2006, the Bronx Zoo announced that it would close its exhibit once its three elephants died. Since the early 1990s, more than 22 zoos have shut down their elephant exhibits or announced that they were phasing them out, including those in Seattle, San Francisco, and Chicago. The United Kingdom phased out all circuses featuring wild animal performances by 2020 and announced its intention to ban the captivity of elephants in zoos and safari parks. Dozens of other countries around the world have similar prohibitions, including Austria, Greece, Israel, Mexico, Peru, and Singapore.

India bans the keeping of elephants in circuses and zoos. The purpose of this Act is to ban the display, husbandry, and breeding of African elephants and Asian elephants in zoological parks and safari parks in the United States and transfer existing African elephants and Asian elephants in zoological parks and safari parks to authorized wildlife sanctuaries.