Elephants to leave London Zoo

London Zoo's three elephants, involved in the recent crushing to death of a keeper, are leaving the capital, ending a 170-year presence at the Regent's Park site. The trio, which includes Dilberta, the female animal who trampled on keeper Jim Robson 11 days ago, are being transferred to the zoo's sister enclosure Whipsnade Wild Animal Park in Bedfordshire, as soon as new facilities have been completed.

The decision means there will be no elephants at London Zoo for the first time since 1831 and raises serious questions over the future of Victorian-era animal attractions. Many of London Zoo's buildings date from a period when animal welfare was less of a consideration than spectators' convenience and are listed, making modernising or expanding them difficult.

Critics of the zoo claim that the entire site is too small for the number of animals it accommodates. Animal rights campaigners have long argued that keeping wild animals in captivity is cruel and unnatural, helping to forge new public opinion and forcing zoo owners to either close or provide more space.

Larger animals such as primates, including gorillas, are said to suffer from a form of depression as a result of being kept in a confined space. Keepers at the zoo have in the past become concerned at the behaviour of the enclosure's sloth bear, Lanka, which exhibited a strange "rocking" behaviour.

London Zoo claimed today's decision to move Dilberta, Mya and Layang-Layang to the more open Whipsnade site was taken before the fatal tragedy and was not because of a lack of space. However, for some of the zoo's critics the move will be regarded as proof that conditions were by no means ideal. The RSPCA said there was growing concern about the keeping of elephants in captivity and the "hands-on" policy of some zoos where keepers attempt to become part of the herd.

RSPCA spokeswoman Ann Grain said such a "closed environment cannot provide for the elephant's natural needs". She said the society would be unlikely to support the move to Whipsnade. "We believe wild animals should be maintained in their natural habitat." The RSPCA has commissioned experts at Oxford University to carry out a study on the welfare of elephants in zoos and says it will lobby for change if evidence comes to light that captivity is damaging.

A zoo statement said the three elephants would join the four existing elephants at Whipsnade when it was "appropriate".

Michael Dixon, director general of the Zoological Society of London which governs the zoo, said the move had been a long-standing plan and that building work to extend Whipsnade's enclosure had commenced at the beginning of the year.

Mr Dixon said keepers looking after the new group would monitor their well-being and ensure they are not integrated too quickly. "Even though the move cannot take place immediately, we feel it right to make this announcement now because of the high level of current interest following the tragic death of our colleague, Jim Robson," said Mr Dixon.

He said the London Zoo elephants would have a breeding bull and two pregnant companions to socialise with. When they first arrived in London, visitors were allowed to ride the elephants to enjoy an Indian safari giving them a taste of the Raj. The most famous and popular resident was Jumbo - an African bull which arrived in 1865.