On Tuesday, nonprofit organization In Defense of Animals put Phoenix Zoo at No. 10 on a list of the top 10 worst zoos for elephant well-being and encouraged the zoos on the list to send their elephants to sanctuaries.
In a press release, IDA elephant consultant Courtney Scott said, "If action isn’t taken soon, Indu will follow in Sheena and Reba’s footsteps with a painful decline and death in Phoenix Zoo, where glaring breaches of minimal welfare standards remain unaddressed.
"At 59 years old, isolated Indu could still have many good years ahead if released to a sanctuary where she can experience friendships with other elephants, roam larger spaces, forage freely, and have a chance to reverse her premature decline. We urge Phoenix Zoo to do the right thing and give Indu the freedom and companionship she deserves.”
An In Defense of Animals investigator visited the Phoenix Zoo in late 2024.
Courtesy of In Defense of Animals
Phoenix Zoo vehemently denies that it is providing inadequate care.
Zoo spokesperson Linda Hardwick said in an email response, "It's unfortunate that IDA continues to promote falsehoods regarding the Phoenix Zoo's elephant, Indu as their claims are baseless, false, inaccurate and without merit. ... We have one elephant, Indu, who has shown for years that she acts aggressively toward other elephants, therefore prefers to be on her own. She has a large, expansive habitat with two pools for her use. She has two neighboring companions, greater one-horned rhinos Chutti and Bhotu, whom she is able to see, hear and interact with from a distance, and shows her keepers that she enjoys their company.
"At this time, we will continue to house Indu at the Phoenix Zoo while she ages gracefully (she is 59 years old, median age for elephants is 47), as trying to move her to a sanctuary is not in her best interest. Recently, there have been a few zoos who moved their elephants to the sanctuary, only to have them pass away days to months after arrival. Indu receives the highest level of specialized care from her keepers and to separate her from what she knows is not in her best interest."
In an interview with local NPR affiliate KJZZ on Tuesday, Dr. Gary West, senior vice president of animal health and living collections at the Phoenix Zoo, told radio host Lauren Gilger that the current plan is to keep Indu in her habitat until her passing, after which her space will be occupied by the zoo's rhinoceroses.
When asked what the future is for elephants at Phoenix Zoo, West told KJZZ, "If we got back into elephants down the road, you know, African elephants probably would be a better fit for the desert and for our climate, but it would take a huge investment. And we'd have to look at space and where that would be at the zoo or on the property of the zoo. So, that's just been sort of a pie-in-the-sky discussion, but there really isn't any plans for elephants right now."
In Defense of Animals has put Phoenix Zoo on this list before; it ranked No. 4 in 2021. The 2025 list in full is:
- 1. Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Calif.
- 2. Bronx Zoo, N.Y.
- 3. Edmonton Valley Zoo, Canada
- 4. Cameron Park Zoo, Waco, Texas
- 5. Two Tails Ranch, Williston, Fla.
- 6. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs, Colo.
- 7. Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center, Kan.
- 8. Little Rock Zoo, Ark.
- 9. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Ohio
- 10. Phoenix Zoo, Ariz.
