WHAT'S BEHIND ILLEGAL ELEPHANT TRADE? ZOOS

"International wildlife experts called this week for bans on the trafficking of endangered Asian elephants, warning that demand from zoos and theme parks is driving the illegal trade from countries such as Thailand." There are some choice quotes here from Vivek Menon, executive director of the Wildlife Trust of India, who says that "elephant captive breeding programs in zoos do not work and do not have any conservation value. 'Western zoos claim their breeding programs will save the endangered Asian elephant, but nothing could be further from the truth,' Menon said. 'Captivity does not equal conservation. Research shows elephant captive breeding programs fail, and in the rare event a zoo elephant produces a calf, it cannot be released back into the wild.'" Finally, she says: "The best way for these zoos... to assist with the future conservation of this species is to support field conservation programs in Asia." Damn straight.