About the report and why you should read it

Solitary Elephants in Japan: Still Alone — A Current Assessment

In 2017, Elephants in Japan revealed the hidden lives of solitary elephants living in Japanese zoos, bringing international attention to a welfare issue few people knew existed. Eight years later, we went back. This report revisits the elephants we first documented, investigates those who have become solitary since, and asks a simple question: Have their lives improved? The answer is complicated.

See what we found

Read the key findings and recommendations from our latest investigation.

KEY FINDINGS & RECOMMENDATIONS

After visiting zoos across Japan, elephant welfare consultant Georgina Groves found many elephants still spending every day alone in environments that cannot meet their most basic physical and social needs. Some have become solitary for the first time. The report also shows that change is possible. Since our original investigation, some zoos have made meaningful improvements to the lives of their elephants, demonstrating the impact that continued advocacy and public awareness can have. But for many others, little has changed. Drawing on expert welfare assessments and firsthand observations from zoos across Japan, this report reveals where progress has been made, where it has stalled, and why the need for meaningful change remains as urgent today as it was when we began this work. The japanese version of this report will be available soon.

2026 Report Cover: EIJ Still Alone: A Current Assessment
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Georgina Groves, author of the report Solitary Elephants in Japan - A Current Assessment

The Author

Georgina Groves

Georgina Groves is an animal welfare specialist best known for her work improving the welfare of captive wild animals globally. With over two decades of experience, her work has focused particularly on the zoo sector, where she has helped advance welfare standards and practices across a wide range of institutions. Georgina has worked with organisations including the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA), the World Association of Zoos and Aquaria (WAZA), and the Southeast Asian Zoos Association (SEAZA), and is a co-founder of Wild Welfare, an organisation dedicated to improving the lives of captive wild animals.

In recent years, Georgina has worked as an independent animal welfare consultant, advising on welfare strategy, standards, and capacity building worldwide. She is a member of the UK Government’s Zoos Expert Committee and the ZSL Animal Welfare and Ethics Committee, Chair of Crustacean Compassion, and an advisor to a range of animal welfare organisations.