Teru is a female Asian elephant who arrived at Yuki Park Zoo from Laos in 1980 at around two years old. She arrived together with another young elephant, Mimi, and the two grew up side by side. When Mimi died in 2000, Teru was left alone. She has now lived without another elephant for more than 25 years.
Teru was one of the elephants at the heart of Elephants in Japan’s original 2017 investigation. When elephant biologist Dr. Keith Lindsay visited on our behalf, he found her living alone in a small, outdated, concrete enclosure with almost nothing to keep her active or interested. Teru repeatedly swayed and bobbed her body, behaviors often seen in elephants struggling with long-term stress and boredom.
His assessment was clear: “There is simply no justification for keeping elephants under these conditions.”
Since our investigation brought international attention to Teru’s situation, there have been some encouraging signs of progress. The zoo and local university students have introduced new ways to keep Teru better engaged, including feeding devices that encourage her to search for food and a sand area where she can dig and dust bathe.
Teru could not be visited as part of Elephants in Japan’s latest investigation because Yuki Park Zoo was closed to the public for a major redevelopment that includes her enclosure. Plans show a larger, more open space with a pool, sand for digging and dust bathing, and more opportunities to search for food and stay active. The zoo is expected to reopen in 2027.
Concept drawing showing proposed improvements to Teru’s enclosure as part of the zoo’s redevelopment project. © Kofu Yuki Park Zoo.
While we do not yet know how much these changes will improve Teru’s day-to-day life, we welcome the steps being taken to give her a better environment. No renovation, however, can replace the companionship Teru has been missing for more than 25 years.
Importantly, the zoo has said it will not bring in another elephant after Teru dies. We welcome this commitment and hope more zoos will make the same responsible choice rather than continuing the cycle of keeping elephants in captivity in conditions that cannot meet their needs.
Teru’s story shows both how much progress is possible and how much has already been lost. A better home may make her remaining years more comfortable, but it can never give back the decades she has spent alone since losing the companion she grew up with. Our hope now is that the planned improvements give Teru a better life, and that when the time comes, she will truly be the last elephant kept in captivity at Yuki Park Zoo.
