Historically, elephants have never bred well in captivity and, consequently, a continuous supply of elephants captured from the wild was needed to maintain or increase the captive stocks. Once in captivity, the animals are withheld forever from the wild gene pool. Today, we’re going to take a look at these tiny but very fast animals to understand more about their life expectancy and how long they can live in captivity vs in the wild. Quick Facts. ... they live with as many as 100 other elephants. According to BBC Nature, a bowhead can survive for over two centuries because he has a very low body temperature — and the lower an animal's body temperature, the longer it can live. In our opinion a natural life for the the species is only possible in the wild. The needs and behaviour patterns of the highly intelligent and sensitive grey giants are not being met in captivity; the conditions do not meet the animals’ needs. One reason is the lack of family interaction. Wild vs Captivity for cetaceans like dolphins, belugas, whales, and sharks. This species of whale can live for over 200 years. Circus and zoo elephants are forced to live in close proximity with other species which they would rarely associate with in the wild. Many cetaceans have been violently captured from the wild, with no hope of ever being reunited with their families. They provide little insight to how the capture of wild elephants might affect their long-term well-being in captivity. Elephants … We are fundamentally against the practice of keeping elephants in captivity. ... but there’s a long way to go. The females can weigh up to 9,000 lbs (4,090 kg) and the males up to 17,000 lbs (7,727 kg) and grow to be over 10 feet in height. Zoos and animal welfare advocates differ over elephants in captivity. Elephants travel over large distances in the wild, but are confined to tiny enclosures in captivity for about 9 months of every year and only slightly larger ones for the rest. The wild lion’s age compares with that of a domestic cat; larger breeds of dogs have shorter life spans than smaller ones; and a Shetland pony can outlive a regular horse. The first elephant to be brought to the United States was a … How long do squirrels live? Critics say zoos lack space to house elephants. Abstract. In fact, he’s only middle-aged at that point in his astoundingly long life. The off take of Asian elephants from the wild was historically so great that elephant populations on the subcontinent of India were locally depleted. Zoos argue that they are expanding and improving exhibits, and that elephants live better in captivity than in the wild with disease, drought, habitat loss, poaching, and conflicts with people. Our elephants are Asian and do not grow that large. Our elephants live in Florida on a ranch built just for elephants! Here’s the Truth About the Lives of Animals in Captivity Versus the Wild 4.8K Views 1 year ago. Elephants live longer in captivity. Nearly one in three Asian elephants live in captivity – about 15,000 in all. This just proved the point that animals who live in captivity do not live as long as animals living in the wild. When it comes to elephants in captivity, we need to look at what could be causing them to have a shorter life expectancy than their wild counterparts. Home >> What We Do >> Keep You Informed >> Legal Arena >> Elephants in Captivity in the United States. However, larger animals, as a rule, do live longer in the wild than smaller ones. Let’s begin.