Railing Against Elephants as Entertainment in the U.S.
We investigate zoos and circuses, expose welfare failures from the inside out, and build the educational tools that turn awareness into action.
The problem
Why This Work Exists
~400
Elephants held in U.S. captivity
1 in 4
Captive calves die before age five
0
Successful reintroductions from U.S. breeding programs
Roughly 400 elephants are held in zoos, circuses, and private facilities across the United States — confined to spaces a fraction of the size of their natural home ranges, separated from the complex social structures they evolved to depend on, and subjected to training methods that often rely on pain, domination, and coercion.
The science is clear: captivity harms elephants. Captive elephants experience high rates of chronic foot disease, arthritis, tuberculosis, and stereotypic behaviors such as swaying, rocking, and pacing — widely recognized indicators of psychological distress. Many die significantly younger than their wild counterparts.
Captive breeding programs, often promoted as conservation, have failed to create self-sustaining populations or contribute to meaningful reintroduction efforts — one in four elephant calves die before age five. Meanwhile, oversight systems meant to protect elephants routinely set minimal standards and fail to enforce them.
This is not a series of isolated failures. It is an industry-wide system that prioritizes exhibition and profit over elephants' physical and psychological well-being.
What We Do
Every investigation, every classroom packet, every advocacy push starts with the same conviction: elephants don't belong in entertainment.
Investigate
We conduct facility-specific investigations into zoos, circuses, and roadside attractions — gathering insider testimony, analyzing public records and inspection reports, and documenting conditions on the ground. Every campaign is built on evidence, not rhetoric.
Educate
We create research-backed resources for families, classrooms, and communities — from K–12 curriculum materials to our Bearing Weight podcast, which features sanctuary founders, scientists, and former industry workers. We help people understand what happens behind the scenes before they buy a ticket.
Advocate
We track every captive elephant in the U.S. by name and facility, push for state and local performance and breeding bans, and hold accrediting bodies accountable for conflicts of interest in their own oversight. We support sanctuary transfers and mobilize public pressure that turns awareness into action.
What You Need to Know
“The Indian elephant is known sometimes to weep. Sir E. Tennent, in describing those which he saw captured and bound in Ceylon, says, some 'lay motionless on the ground, with no other indication of suffering than the tears which suffused their eyes and flowed incessantly'.”
- Charles Darwin, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals