An Invitation for Honolulu Zoo to Join the Movement to End Elephant Captivity
Around the world, zoos and communities are choosing a new future for elephants. Honolulu has an extraordinary opportunity to join this growing movement—and help create a new chapter for Mari and Vaigai.
Since 1991, 43 North American zoos have closed or are closing their elephant exhibits. Internationally, Argentina, Pakistan, and other communities have demonstrated how public advocacy, government leadership, legal action, and sanctuary partnerships can bring meaningful change.
For Honolulu, the opportunity is about more than ending elephant captivity. It is an invitation to reimagine how the zoo can better serve animals, people, and the land it occupies.
A New Vision for Honolulu Zoo
Honolulu Zoo welcomed new director John Berry in June 2026, bringing extensive experience in wildlife conservation and zoological leadership.
In an interview with Hawaiʻi Public Radio, Berry shared his dream of making the zoo a place that “refreshes your soul and refreshes your heart.”
A September 2026 Honolulu Civil Beat article highlighted his ambitions to strengthen wildlife conservation, protect endangered Hawaiian species, and renew aging zoo facilities.
These aspirations offer a meaningful foundation for transformation.
We invite the Honolulu Zoo and its leadership to take a defining step toward realizing this new vision by ending elephant captivity and creating a future that honors the wellbeing of elephants.
Imagine a zoo recognized for compassionate leadership, innovative conservation, ecological restoration, and its commitment to the wellbeing of all living things.
Learning From Zoos That Have Chosen Change
Honolulu is invited to join the movement of zoos transforming.
In 2016, Buenos Aires closed its historic zoo and began transforming the property into an ecological park dedicated to conservation, education, and wildlife rehabilitation. Following years of advocacy and government action, Argentina reached a historic milestone in 2025 when its last captive elephant was relocated to sanctuary.
In Pakistan, public advocacy and legal proceedings led to a 2020 court decision directing the relocation of Kaavan and other animals from Islamabad’s Marghazar Zoo. Kaavan was transferred to sanctuary in Cambodia, and the zoo closed.
In the United States, Detroit Zoo ended its elephant program in 2005, retiring its elephants to PAWS sanctuary. Oakland Zoo followed in 2024, transferring its last elephant, Osh, to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.
Each story demonstrates a different pathway, united by a willingness to place elephants’ wellbeing at the center of decision-making.
Mari and Vaigai: A Time for Change
Mari and Vaigai, two wild-born Asian elephants, have spent nearly their entire lives in captivity.
Mari arrived at Honolulu Zoo in 1982. Vaigai followed in 1992. Together, they have spent decades living within a limited enclosure, far removed from the extensive landscapes and complex social environments of wild Asian elephants.
The zoo’s caregivers have devoted years to their care, and zoo leadership maintains that the elephants are well cared for. Ending elephant captivity means taking off the blinders and acknowledging that elephant wellbeing cannot be established in any zoo setting.
Scientific understanding lays it out. Even a well-maintained zoo enclosure cannot provide the freedom, social complexity, and opportunities for natural behavior that elephants need.
On November 9, 2026, the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in the Nonhuman Rights Project’s habeas corpus case concerning Mari and Vaigai’s liberty.
The legal process is one pathway toward change. But the City and County of Honolulu can also explore a voluntary, carefully planned transition to sanctuary, regardless of the outcome of the proceedings.
Learn about Mari and Vaigai’s legal case
A Pathway to Sanctuary
A responsible transition begins with collaboration, and experienced elephant sanctuary leaders are already willing to help.
Renowned elephant conservationist Lek Chailert, founder of Save Elephant Foundation and Elephant Nature Park in Thailand, has expressed her support for Mari and Vaigai’s release and her willingness to help.
Working with experienced sanctuary leaders, Honolulu could take the next steps toward independent veterinary and welfare assessments, identifying an appropriate sanctuary, and developing a comprehensive plan for safe transportation and lifelong care.
The expertise and willingness to help are already there. The opportunity now is for Honolulu to take the next step.
The goal would be to create the best possible future for Mari and Vaigai, guided by their individual health, wellbeing, and needs.
Reimagining the Land and Its Purpose
Honolulu Zoo occupies approximately 42 acres within Kapiʻolani Park, land connected to a historic public charitable trust intended to preserve a place of natural beauty and recreation for the community.
Ending elephant captivity could open new possibilities for how this land serves future generations.
Imagine native Hawaiian habitat restoration, expanded wildlife rehabilitation, permaculture regenerative landscapes, and welcoming spaces that reconnect people with nature.
An Invitation to Lead
This is an invitation to Honolulu Zoo leadership, the City and County of Honolulu, animal care professionals, conservation organizations, and our community to explore a different future.
The examples exist. The sanctuary expertise exists. The opportunity for collaboration exists.
Honolulu can honor the care Mari and Vaigai have received while choosing something more for the remainder of their lives.
And in doing so, the zoo can take a meaningful step toward becoming the place its new director envisions—one that refreshes the soul, inspires compassion, and helps restore the relationship between people, animals, and the natural world.
The movement to end elephant captivity is underway. We call on Honolulu Zoo leadership and the City and County of Honolulu to commit to ending elephant captivity and work with experienced sanctuary partners to develop a safe, compassionate plan to retire Mari and Vaigai to sanctuary.