End the captivity of elephants in Switzerland!

16 elephants are still living in captivity in Switzerland, at the zoos in Basel, Zurich and Rapperswil.

However, the scientific knowledge is now unequivocal: no zoo enclosure can meet the needs of an animal as intelligent, social and far-ranging as an elephant. The hard surfaces cause irreversible damage to their feet, the size of the facilities prevents natural movement, social groups are artificial and the psychological distress is profound.

For more than fifty years, Fondation Franz Weber (FFW) has been committed to the protection of elephants, in Switzerland and around the world, with a simple conviction: elephants must be protected where they live − in situ, in their natural environment.

Launched in Argentina, Project ELE has supported a historic transition towards the gradual phasing out of elephant captivity in the country, particularly through the relocation of several elephants to the Elephant Sanctuary Brazil. The sanctuary is far better equipped to meet the physical, mental and social needs of elephants.

Today, FFW is advancing this initiative in Switzerland: to immediately improve the living conditions of the elephants still in captivity, end planned breeding and transfers between zoos, support their relocation to sanctuaries, and, over time, a gradual end to captivity. The existence of two sanctuaries in Europe is an ideal opportunity.

Because each elephant is an individual who deserves more than a life of boredom and chronic physical and psychological suffering. They deserve to live the life of an elephant.