Phoenix Zoo takes issue with being ranked among worst zoos for elephants

PHOENIX – Phoenix Zoo officials say a new list that ranks their venue as one of the nation’s worst facilities for elephants has “no merit.”

Animal rights group In Defense of Animals (IDA) recently placed Phoenix at No. 10 on its annual list of the worst zoos for elephants in North America.

“While we are aware of the recent list from IDA, there is no merit to this list. … The Phoenix Zoo remains dedicated to providing a safe and enriching environment for all of our animals while providing the highest standards of care. Our focus remains on optimal well-being for all animals in our care,” Bert Castro, president and CEO of the Arizona Center for Nature Conservation/Phoenix Zoo, said in a statement Tuesday.

The Phoenix Zoo, which is located in Papago Park, is home to one Asian elephant, Indu, who arrived in the Valley in 1998 and celebrated her 59th birthday last month.

Why Indu is the only elephant at Phoenix Zoo

Indu’s two longtime enclosure mates died in recent years. Reba, 51, was euthanized because of a variety of health issues in 2020, and 50-year-old Sheena died of natural causes in 2021.

Courtney Scott, elephant consultant for IDA, warned that Indu could face the fate of her former companions if she remains alone in Phoenix much longer.

“If action isn’t taken soon, Indu will follow in Sheena and Reba’s footsteps with a painful decline and death,” Scott said in a press release Tuesday.

IDA is urging Phoenix officials to let Indu live out her remaining years in a sanctuary with other members of her species.

“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,” Scott said.

Although Indu isn’t going anywhere, the Phoenix Zoo isn’t planning to acquire any other elephants.

Dr. Gary West, the zoo’s senior vice president of animal health and living collections, told Phoenix radio station KJZZ on Tuesday that Indu’s exhibition space will be used for one-horned rhinoceroses after she dies.

Phoenix Zoo was on IDA list once before

IDA has been releasing its list of the worst zoos for elephants for 20 years. Phoenix, the nation’s largest privately owned zoo, appeared on it one previous time, in 2021, after Sheena’s death left Indu alone.

Heather Wright, the zoo’s elephant manager, told Fox 10 that it was “very hurtful” to see the her facility on the list for the first time.

“We go above and beyond every day to try and keep her as happy and healthy as we can. … She’s happy here, and it’s hard reading that,” Wright told the Phoenix TV station in March 2022.

What other places are ranked as worst zoos for elephants?

Here’s IDA’s full 2024 list of the 10 worst zoos for elephants in North America:

1. Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens, California
2. Bronx Zoo, New York
3. Edmonton Valley Zoo, Alberta, Canada
4. Cameron Park Zoo, Waco, Texas
5. Two Tails Ranch, Williston, Florida
6. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Colorado Springs, Colorado
7. Topeka Zoo & Conservation Center, Kansas
8. Little Rock Zoo, Arkansas
9. Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Ohio
10. Phoenix Zoo

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