The neural cruelty of captivity: Keeping large mammals in zoos and aquariums damages their brains
- Written by Bob Jacobs, Professor of Neuroscience, Colorado College
Photograph of an elephant brain. Dr. Paul Manger/ University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, CC BY-ND
Hanako, a female Asian elephant, lived in a tiny concrete enclosure at Japan’s Inokashira Park Zoo for more than 60 years, often in chains, with no stimulation. In the wild, elephants live in herds, with close family ties. Hanako was...