Friday, 28 August 2020

Elephants Gone to Pot?

 


Warsaw Zoo is, apparently, going to give its 3 African elephants medical marijuana in an attempt to reduce their 'stress' (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/27/stressed-elephants-at-warsaw-zoo-to-be-given-medical-marijuana). This preparation has been used for similar purposes on horses and other animals. The only point that I would make is, that 'stress' is a complex concept and is often a product of inappropriate living conditions and/or disturbance. The drug might well hide the animal's distress but it doesn't eliminate the causes of the condition. A drugged elephant is necessarily a happy elephant.

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