Trusted sources indicate that Busch Gardens may be moving to expand its elephant herd before the end of 2026. We're urging the decision-makers who control where these animals go to say no.

Every elephant transfer in an accredited zoo runs through the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) and its Species Survival Plan (SSP) committee. They decide which elephants move, and where. That means the choice to send more elephants to Busch Gardens — or not to — rests with them.

The concerns here aren't rumor, they're documented. Keepers have filed welfare reports with both the AZA and the USDA. The elephant care team is chronically understaffed. And former keepers have reported that required standards haven't been met, including PEM training not being completed on schedule. These are the people who worked directly with these animals, going on record.

The timing makes it worse. Busch Gardens is due for its AZA inspection for accreditation renewal at the beginning of 2027. Bringing in more elephants in the months right before that inspection — while these staffing and welfare concerns are unresolved — is exactly backward.

It's also worth remembering what kind of place Busch Gardens is: an amusement park of roller coasters and fireworks. Elephants have some of the most sensitive hearing of any land animal, and moving elephants from another zoo into that environment would subject them to constant novel stressors they've never had to endure.

The responsible direction for Busch Gardens is to phase out its elephant program, not expand it. Add your name and tell the SSP committee and AZA leadership: reconsider any transfer of elephants to Busch Gardens, and choose to phase out rather than grow.