Lala is a female African elephant who lives at Tohoku Safari Park. She has been completely alone since the death of her elephant companion, Sunny Boy, in 2018.
As part of Elephants in Japan’s latest investigation into the welfare of solitary elephants in Japan, we visited Tohoku Safari Park to see how Lala was living. What we found was deeply concerning. Of all the elephants assessed in our investigation, Lala’s living conditions failed to meet the greatest number of welfare standards.
ASSESSMENT OUTCOMES: Lala has the highest number of non-compliant welfare standards of all the elephants assessed.
Lala lives behind large steel barriers in an enclosure made up mostly of concrete, with only small patches of grass and soil. There is no pool and no shade or shelter from the sun. There was no hay or other food for her to search for, and nothing was provided to keep her active or interested. Her indoor area appeared dark, poorly ventilated, and unprotected from extreme temperatures.
One of the only things that breaks up Lala’s day is the arrival of cars. Visitors are encouraged to feed her as they drive past, with no keeper present to supervise. When a car stopped, Lala reached out her trunk as if begging for food. With no other elephant to interact with and almost nothing else to do, her days have been reduced to waiting for the next car to arrive.
Between cars, Lala repeatedly swung her head from side to side, a behavior often seen in elephants living with long-term stress, boredom, and frustration. At other times, she appeared tired and inactive. We also observed concerns about her weight and possible problems with her feet.
African elephants are deeply social and intelligent animals with complex physical and emotional needs. Yet year after year, Lala wakes up alone behind steel barriers, with almost nothing to do but wait for passing cars. Of all the elephants we assessed, her living conditions failed to meet the most welfare standards. Lala is a living, feeling elephant. She deserves to be far more than a roadside attraction.
Lala reaches her trunk through the steel barriers towards passing visitors in search of food—one of the few forms of stimulation in her daily life.
