No longer living in chains, elephants at Hanoi Zoo can comfortably scratch their feet.

On August 18th, after a long period of suffering in chains at the Hanoi Zoo, two elephants were finally free to roam within their enclosure. Opinions from the Animals Asia Foundation and public opinion helped to "untie" the elephants and bring them closer to their natural habitat.

Mr. Le Si Dung, General Director of Hanoi Zoo One-Member Limited Company (Thu Le Park), said that after replacing the damaged fence in the elephant enclosure, the two Banang and Thai elephants were unchained from their legs starting yesterday (August 17).

"We have purchased new electric fence devices to replace the old, broken ones. Previously, because the fence was damaged, the zoo had to temporarily chain the elephants' legs to ensure the safety of both the elephants and the zookeepers. In principle, the electric fence will numb the elephants and keep them away from the fence," Mr. Dung said.

The Hanoi Zoo leadership revealed that after nearly two days of being unchained, the two elephants have adapted very quickly to their new living space. Even when they get close to the fence and stand next to each other, they do not conflict or become aggressive.

Previously, the two elephants were restrained by their legs with chains about 3-5 meters long and were only allowed to move within a specific area.

The elephants' legs show many marks from being chained for a long time. The zoo management has now purchased new electric fence devices, which are currently undergoing testing. If the devices work effectively, it will be possible to completely remove the chains from the two elephants.

The electric fence surrounding the elephant enclosure has 4 wires, is 2 meters high, and has a total installed length of 180 meters. It was installed by staff from Animals Asia, volunteers, and zoo employees to ensure the safety of the elephants and visitors, as well as to allow the elephants to move freely in the semi-wild enclosure.

This morning, a large number of tourists visited the zoo after hearing the news that two elephants had been "released." Many were happy that the zoo's leaders had listened and created better living conditions for the elephants.

According to the mahouts, after being removed from their chains, the two elephants became more active and began to exhibit natural behaviors such as scratching their legs and playing with the mahouts and tourists.

The mahout also shared that he had witnessed elephants suddenly becoming aggressive on many occasions while seemingly normal. Therefore, after removing the chains, the mahouts are on duty 24/7 in the enclosure to care for the two elephants and ensure they do not conflict with each other.

Ms. Tran Hien (Ba Dinh district, Hanoi) shared that it had been 20 years since she last visited the zoo, so witnessing the two elephants with their legs chained and unable to move freely filled her with sorrow.

"My children love animals so much that when they saw the elephants with their legs chained like that, they asked me questions and I didn't know how to answer. Fortunately, the zoo's management listened to public opinion and unchained the two elephants so they could be freer," Ms. Hien shared.

Many tourists took the opportunity to capture the moment the elephants were unchained and allowed to roam freely within their enclosures. Many still maintain the view that elephants should be returned to nature reserves, rather than being kept in zoos like this.

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