Imagine spending your entire life confined behind bars, with strangers staring at you day after day.

 No freedom to roam, no family bonds, no natural surroundings – just concrete enclosures and a life of monotony. 

This is the silent suffering endured by many wild animals in South African zoos, being caged for our entertainment. 

It’s time to ask: at what cost do we keep animals behind glass and bars for our fleeting amusement?

For many years, the ethical debate has raged over the captivity of wild animals in zoos, much like the criticism of using animals in circuses. 

Any compassionate person must question why, despite decades of public outcry and mounting evidence of animal suffering, zoo officials continue to ignore the pleas of animal welfare organisations and concerned citizens.

Once again, the plight of three elephants held in captivity at the Johannesburg Zoo has resurfaced, now with the added weight of legal support from Harvard Law School scholars advocating for their release.

A legal application is currently before the High Court in Pretoria against the Johannesburg Zoo, which is owned by the City of Johannesburg and managed by Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo.

The elephants – Lammie, Mopane, and Ramadiba are confined in conditions that experts argue cause severe mental, emotional, and physical distress. 

Renowned elephant specialists insist that any urban zoo, no matter how well-resourced, fails to meet the complex needs of these intelligent and deeply social creatures.

Concerns have also been raised about the qualifications of those charged with their care. 

According to the Conservation Action Trust, those responsible include an animal reiki healer, a handler with self-proclaimed “minimum training”, and an enrichment officer trained by a pet association. 

Offers of assistance from international elephant experts have reportedly been ignored by the zoo, which has previously come under fire for its lack of experience in proper elephant management.

The Johannesburg Zoo has defended itself, claiming that the elephants receive appropriate care and attention. 

But scrutiny has intensified as Conservation Action Trust reported that the zoo spent R1.5 million to acquire  Mopane and Ramadiba from Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve – far more than the usual R150,000 per elephant and that these elephants were initially captured from the wild and subjected to a captive management programme, making their current moated enclosure wholly unsuitable.

Charlie’s story

The issue has also gained traction in the wake of Charlie’s story – the last elephant at Pretoria’s National Zoological Gardens, who was recently relocated to a sanctuary. 

Charlie endured a lifetime of hardship. Captured in Hwange, Zimbabwe, 44 years ago, he was trained for the Boswell Wilkie Circus before being moved to various parks and eventually to the Pretoria Zoo in 2001. 

There, he languished alone, having witnessed three companions die prematurely and losing his infant daughter. His release to a sanctuary in 2024 came after years of campaigning.

The EMS Foundation has proposed a similar solution for Lammie, Mopane, and Ramadiba: relocation to the Shambala Game Reserve in the Waterberg. 

This sanctuary offers secure, spacious surroundings where the elephants can undergo a gradual reintegration into a natural habitat, overseen by experienced veterinarians and animal welfare professionals.

Opal the orangutan

Then there is the heartbreaking case of Opal the orangutan, held at the Natal Zoological Gardens outside Pietermaritzburg.

At 45 years old, Opal, one of the most intelligent primates, spends her life alone on a barren patch of grass with only a crude “jungle gym” made of poles. 

Her only company: curious humans staring at her in silence. Once, she had a mate and a baby boy, but her son died of tuberculosis. Now, her only response to this constant public display and emotional deprivation is to fling her faeces at the gawkers.

Despite public concern, the late Brian Boswell – of the notorious Boswell Wilkie Circus – insisted Opal “did not suffer” and refused to rehome her to a sanctuary that would have offered a significantly improved quality of life.

Public sentiment is shifting. Social media has become a powerful platform for voicing outrage, particularly in light of the City of Johannesburg’s ongoing financial and service delivery crises. 

More and more South Africans are questioning the morality of funding animal captivity when humane alternatives exist.

These animals, who share our capacity for emotion, memory, and suffering deserve far more than a life behind walls. 

If we claim to be a compassionate society, then the time has come to stand up – not just for our own rights, but for those who cannot speak for themselves.

IOL Lifestyle

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