Elephants should be free.
In zoos across the US, elephants are being imprisoned and exploited for human gain. Help us expose the reality of elephant captivity in the US zoo system and bring it to an end.
Using the map below and the elephant index on this site, learn about the over 250 elephants who are currently held captive in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and how they are suffering.
- Alabama
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- Dickerson Park Zoo
- Kansas City Zoo
- St. Louis Zoo
The St. Louis Zoo currently holds 8 Asian elephants in captivity. The key issues at this facility include an ongoing active captive breeding program and a lack of space for the elephants in their care.
Featured Elephant: Jade
Jade is a female Asian elephant who was born in February 2007 at the Saint Louis Zoo. Her mother Rani lived her short 27-year life confined in zoos until she died at the Saint Louis Zoo in 2023 under bizarre circumstances. Jade’s father Raja was born at the Saint Louis Zoo and has been held captive there his entire life. Jade’s birth marked the beginning of another generation of elephants born into captivity at the zoo—not for their own benefit or for the conservation of their species, but to fulfill the Saint Louis Zoo’s breeding and exhibition goals. Jade’s entire life has been confined to just a few acres of space within the walls of a zoo. Her days are shaped not by freedom or choice, but by human control. Jade is confined with 7 other elephants, who all suffer from lack of sufficient space and from being unable to engage in their natural behaviors.
Take Action Today
Free to Be Elephants is dedicated to raising awareness of the realities of elephant captivity, but our work doesn’t end there. Elephants are depending on us to correct the grave injustice of their imprisonment. Please take action today to help us secure freedom for elephants in the US.
