"My name is Aung Bo, I am a 22 year old male Asian elephant and I have lived in cages all my life. I was recently shipped from the UK to live in a zoo in Ireland. They call this place Dublin Zoo, but I call it another cage, another nightmare.

This is not the first time I have been moved by my captors. I was born in Germany, before being moved to Spain, and then shipped to England in 2012, where I lived for 10 years with my daughters. Oh, I miss my daughters!

I heard humans here say that two of my new cage mates had just died from a virus and now two other elephants have it too. Does that mean I will catch it? Will I die too? Or will I be moved again?"

The virus that has killed these elephants, and made others sick, is the Elephant endotheliotropic herpesviruses (EEHV), also known as elephant herpes. EEHV is a real threat to elephants in captivity, and although it is present in wild elephants, deaths occur much more frequently in elephants held in captivity. 

But why? Sadly, this virus is made worse by the common stresses of captivity. Like the stress that comes from being caged and unable to express your true emotions or instincts, or from being separated from family and forced to live with strangers, as Aung Bo has endured. 

The 12th of August sees World Elephant Day, a day when we can celebrate these incredible animals. But it is also a time when we can add weight to the campaign to end the keeping of elephants in zoos. 

A report commissioned by the UK government in 2010, and submitted to DEFRA in 2021, spells out clearly that elephants suffer in zoos. This is now echoed by the sad deaths of these individuals. More must be done to protect them all from harm. When will the government take action and end this cruelty?

That is why I'm writing to you today. Will you send a gift so we can continue campaigning, and keep up the pressure on the government to end the keeping of elephants in zoos both here AND in Ireland? 

I know you feel as I do, that elephants don't belong in captivity. No animal does! 

You can help elephants today and help keep up the pressure on the government to finally take action. The keeping of elephants in zoos must end. All breeding and importation of elephants must STOP immediately.

This is a very achievable goal for animals in captivity and one that we won't stop fighting for. 

Thank you as always for your continued support. It may be elephants this time but next time we could be banning the captivity of polar bears, big cats, apes and finally all animals. No more zoos!

For the animals,


Laura Walton
Campaigns Manager
Freedom for Animals

P.S. Please, send a gift of £5 or more today to help ensure we can continue the fight to end the zoo industry and the cruel imprisonment of animals.