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End Cruel Solitary Confinement for Elephants in Zoos

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Sponsor: The Animal Rescue Site

Miyako has spent 50 years alone in a barren zoo enclosure after being taken from her family as a baby. Call on the zoo to give her freedom!

End Cruel Solitary Confinement for Elephants in Zoos

Miyako was only 6 months old when she was taken from her family in Thailand and brought to Utsunomiya Zoo in Japan. For about 50 years, she has lived without the company of another elephant.1

Elephants are intelligent, social animals who form deep family bonds, care for their young, and rely on companionship for emotional health. Miyako has been denied that basic need for nearly her entire life.2

A Barren Enclosure Cannot Meet Her Needs

Reports describe Miyako in a small concrete enclosure with little stimulation. She has been seen swaying, biting a steel bar, and trying to interact with visitors across a dangerous ditch.3

Animal advocates have raised concerns about her physical health, including overgrown nails, poor cuticles, possible swelling, fatigue, stiff joints, and signs of discomfort. Elephants need soft ground, enrichment, expert veterinary care, and room to move.4

Japan Needs Stronger Zoo Laws

Miyako’s case is not only about one elephant. It shows the danger of weak zoo oversight. Without strong licensing rules and enforceable standards, highly social animals can be left in conditions that deny their natural needs for decades.5

Authorities in Japan must require all zoos to meet clear standards for housing, veterinary care, enrichment, and social needs. Those standards must prohibit the social isolation of elephants and other highly social animals.6

Sign the petition to urge Japanese authorities to strengthen zoo laws and stop highly social animals like Miyako from being kept alone.

More on this issue:

  1. PETA, PETA (n.d.), "Behind Bars for 50 Years: Miyako the Elephant Needs Your Help."
  2. Elephants in Japan, Elephants in Japan (n.d.), "An Urgent Update: Miyako the Solitary Captive Elephant."
  3. The Animal Reader, The Animal Reader (8 April 2024), "Elephant Miyako’s 50-Years of solitude sparks urgent call for change in Japan."
  4. The Animal Reader, The Animal Reader (28 August 2022), "Elephant Miyako living alone for 49 years in Japan INTERVIEW."
  5. Jordi Casamitjana, Vegan FTA (3 March 2024), "Pressure Mounting for Japanese Zoo to Free Miyako the Lonely Elephant."
  6. Rebecca Manzi, greenMe (21 May 2025), "Fifty years alone the heartbreaking story of Miyako the elephant in a Japanese zoo."

The Petition

Dear Japanese Lawmakers, Ministry of the Environment Officials, Tochigi Prefecture Officials, Utsunomiya City Leaders, and Relevant Animal Welfare Authorities,

I am writing to urge you to develop and enforce stronger zoo legislation in Japan that protects elephants and other highly social animals from isolation, inadequate housing, and substandard care.

Miyako the elephant has spent about 50 years alone at Utsunomiya Zoo after being taken from Thailand as a baby. Elephants are not solitary animals. They live in complex social groups, form lasting family bonds, care for their young, and depend on companionship for their mental and emotional well-being. Keeping an elephant alone for decades in a barren enclosure cannot meet those needs.

Reports from animal welfare advocates describe Miyako in a small concrete environment with little stimulation. Concerns have also been raised about her feet, nails, joints, fatigue, and overall comfort. She has reportedly tried to interact with visitors across a ditch that poses a safety risk. These conditions show why stronger oversight is urgently needed.

Japan should require all zoos to be licensed and subject to clear, enforceable standards. These standards should include species-appropriate housing, regular veterinary care from qualified specialists, enrichment, safe enclosure design, soft ground for animals such as elephants, public transparency, and meaningful enforcement when facilities fail to meet basic care requirements.

Most importantly, the law should prohibit zoos from keeping highly social animals, including elephants, in social isolation. No elephant should be forced to live year after year without companionship simply because a facility lacks the will, space, or resources to provide appropriate care.

This request is grounded in humanity and compassion. Captive animals depend entirely on human decisions. When those decisions deny their most basic social, physical, and emotional needs, government has a responsibility to intervene.

Please act now to create zoo legislation that prevents more animals from suffering as Miyako has suffered. Stronger standards will protect vulnerable animals, guide responsible facilities, and show that Japan values humane care over outdated confinement.

These actions will ensure a better future for all.

Sincerely,

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