Worst Zoos Named

In Defense of Animals, an international animal protections organization, has released it annual list of the 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants in North America. Now in its 12th year, the list exposes the places allegedly keeping Earth's largest land mammal captive in small, inadequate zoo exhibits that cause a lifetime of misery and can lead to premature death.

In 2015, four more zoos in North America closed their elephant exhibits, three of which appeared on the 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants list in previous years.

Despite this encouraging trend, three United States zoos are still allegedly planning to import young elephants from the African wild for their zoo displays. These are the Dallas Zoo, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo in Nebraska and the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas. These three zoos have tied for first place on the worst zoos list.

Although the zoos claim that the elephants will be imported for conservation purposes, In Defense for Animals has reported that the three zoos have colluded to import 18 young elephants that were kidnapped from their mothers and families in Swaziland. The zoos will put these elephants on display in a bid to boost attendance.

Once in captivity, these elephants would likely to face a range of captivity-caused problems such as chronic pain, obesity, high infant mortality rates, infanticide, psychological trauma and behavioral disorders, infertility, tuberculosis and often-fatal foot disease and arthritis, according to In Defense of Animals.

The complete list of the 10 Worst Zoos are as follows:

1. Dallas Zoo, Texas, Henry Doorly Zoo, Nebraska, and Sedgwick County Zoo, Kansas

2. Natural Bridge Zoo, Virginia

3. Oklahoma City Zoo, Oklahoma

4. Wildlife Safari, Oregon

5. Buttonwood Park Zoo, Massachusetts

6. San Antonio Zoo, Texas

7. Oregon Zoo, Oregon

8. Monterey Zoo, California

9. Buffalo Zoo, New York

10. Southwick's Zoo, Massachusetts

Hall of Shame

Bronx Zoo, New York

Dishonorable mention

Edmonton Zoo, Alberta, Canada

In Defense of Animals President, Dr. Marilyn Kroplick, said 'if you want to help protect elephants, don't visit the zoo.' Kroplick encourages people that instead of visiting zoos, people should support real conservation efforts that keep wild animals in the wild where they belong.