Fuko is a female Asian elephant who has lived at Chausuyama Zoo for more than 40 years. She has been completely alone since her companion, Dumbo, died in 2008.
As part of Elephants in Japan’s latest investigation into the welfare of solitary elephants in Japan, we returned to Chausuyama Zoo to see whether Fuko’s life had improved since our original 2017 investigation. She now has more freedom to move between her indoor and outdoor enclosures. But nearly a decade later, most of the serious welfare concerns we found in 2017 remain.
On the day of our visit, Fuko only had access to one indoor stall, despite the facility containing two separate indoor enclosures.
Fuko repeatedly paces the exact same route around her small indoor enclosure, from corner to corner, over and over again. This disturbing repetitive behavior is often seen in captive elephants suffering from long-term stress, boredom, and frustration. Inside, Fuko has little to occupy her: a bare, hard concrete floor, little natural light, and almost nothing to keep her mind active. During our visit, a keeper was also seen carrying a bullhook, a tool traditionally used to control elephants through pressure and pain.
Most importantly, Fuko is still alone. Asian elephants form deep relationships that can last a lifetime and need the company of other elephants. Fuko has now spent nearly two decades without that companionship, living alone in the same deprived environment.
In May 2025, Elephants in Japan delivered a petition to the zoo signed by more than 270,000 people around the world calling for a better life for Fuko. Yet years after we first raised the alarm about her welfare, Fuko’s life has changed very little.
Day after day, Fuko continues to pace the same small space, with little to do and no other elephant by her side. This is no life for an elephant. After nearly two decades alone, Fuko deserves so much better.
