A life of abuse and brutality! Elephants in Captivity, Assam, India

From the archive record

An elephant tries to release its front foot which is tightly tethered with a chain, to a rock. It doesn't seem to be happy at all. Elephants in captivity are in most cases Asian elephants captured in the wild. Selective breeding of elephants is impractical due to their long reproductive cycle, so there are no domestic breeds. African bush elephants and African forest elephants are less amenable to training. There are estimated to be 15,000 to 20,000 elephants in captivity,[1] of a total population of 40,000 to 50,000. The majority of elephants in zoos are taken from their homes and families in the wild. They are sometimes confined in small enclosures, with hard surfaces, where they stand for hours. As a result of this, elephants suffer from joint problems and foot diseases such as cracked