Mito is a female Asian elephant who arrived at Kyoto City Zoo from Malaysia in 1979. For many years, she lived alongside another female elephant, Tomo. When Tomo died in 2001, Mito was left without another elephant companion for almost 14 years.
In 2014, four young elephants arrived at Kyoto City Zoo from Laos. The zoo tried to introduce them to Mito, but the relationship did not go well. Mito was much older, and after so many years alone, she appeared to have difficulty accepting the younger elephants. She was eventually kept apart from them in a separate enclosure.
When elephant biologist Dr. Keith Lindsay visited on behalf of Elephants in Japan’s original 2017 investigation, Mito was still essentially solitary. He observed her standing and repeatedly swaying her head from side to side, a behavior often associated with long-term stress, frustration, and a lack of stimulation. In contrast, the younger elephants were active, vocal, and regularly interacting with one another.
In the years since our original investigation, the zoo has continued working to introduce Mito to the younger elephants. More recent photographs, videos, and a 2022 behavioral study show Mito sharing space and living as part of the female group. Based on this evidence, Elephants in Japan no longer classifies Mito as a solitary elephant.
After almost 14 years alone, having the company of other elephants is an important improvement for Mito. But it does not mean that her overall living conditions, or those of the other elephants at Kyoto City Zoo, meet all of their complex physical and emotional needs. Our 2017 investigation identified serious limitations in the elephants’ environment and daily lives, and we have not conducted a new independent assessment to determine how those conditions have changed.
Mito’s story shows why elephants need other elephants, but companionship alone is not enough. Elephants need space, choice, stimulation, and an environment that allows them to live as elephants. While we welcome the end of Mito’s long social isolation, bringing more elephants into captivity is not the answer. Our hope is for a future where no elephant is forced to live a life that cannot meet their needs.
Mito together with the four juvenile elephants at Kyoto City Zoo. © Kyoto City Zoo, 2020 – used with kind permission.
