Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42477019›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

Temporal improvements in elephant longevity challenge the notion of compromised survival in zoos.

Fiona Sach, Johanna Staerk, Hannah Jenkins, Dalia A Conde, Morgane Tidière, Malcolm Fitzpatrick, Fernando Colchero

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Fiona SachZoological Society of London, Regents Park, London, UK. fiona.sach@zsl.org.
Johanna StaerkDepartment of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, 5230, Denmark. johanna_staerk@eva.mpg.de.
Hannah JenkinsZoological Society of London, Regents Park, London, UK.
Dalia A CondeDepartment of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, 5230, Denmark.
Morgane TidièreDepartment of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, 5230, Denmark.
Malcolm FitzpatrickZoological Society of London, Regents Park, London, UK.
Fernando ColcheroDepartment of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.

Funding

Species360 research data extraction grant GR-98487
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The global debate over the ethics and purpose of elephants in zoos has resulted in proposed legislation to cease keeping them, unless zoos can demonstrate the species' needs are met. Outdated analyses that fail to provide a current and robust appraisal of elephant survival in zoos fuels the debate. We analysed changes in life expectancy and lifespan equality in zoo elephants between 1960 and 2024, and compared these to wild or semi-wild populations. We found an increase of up to 21% in female zoo elephant life expectancy over time, and up to 44% for males. Lifespan equality increased by up to 14% in both sexes. Improvements in care have resulted in comparable or higher survival measures of zoo elephants compared to evaluated wild populations. Our findings provide information to guide zoos to ensure elephants live long meaningful lives that are, at a minimum, comparable to wild counterparts.

Indexed as

Animals, ZooElephantsLongevityAnimalsFemaleLife ExpectancyMaleAfrican elephantAsian elephantLife expectancyLifespan equalitySurvival

Identifiers

PMID42477019
PMCPMC13385760

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.