To achieve our goal of providing the best possible care for our elephants, member facilities have been subjected to independent scrutiny that includes the application of a scientific assessment model developed by scientists of the Ethics Laboratory for Veterinary Medicine, Conservation and Animal Welfare at Padua University, Italy.

Assessment includes scientific research into the elephants’ well-being through functional testing and through observation of their behaviour - the results of which provide us with the elephants’ perspective on their lives.

The researchers also study visitors’ and keepers’ experiences through statistically significant numbers of completed questionnaires.