Most Americans have visited a zoo or aquarium at some point in their lives. They spend all day outside with their friends and family observing all the animals around the world. For most people, zoos are the only way to see these amazing animals in person. However, an animal that lives in zoos across the country might not be there in a few years. The number of African and Asian elephants in North American zoos is declining due to numerous medical problems. A new disease has recently been discovered and it is now further hampering elephants' ability to survive. This is a major problem because, according to Science Magazine, in 1997 there were only 291 Asian elephants and 193 African elephants left in North American zoos. Since this survey was conducted, this number has decreased significantly. It is now estimated that for every elephant born in a zoo, three others die. In the wild, female elephants are constantly pregnant or lactating. This is natural for them because their instincts tell them that they must maintain their numbers in the wild or else they will fall prey to extinction. In zoos this is much more difficult to achieve. Because there are so few elephants in North American zoos, it is difficult to form breeding pairs without inbreeding. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums or AZA is an organization that manages and oversees all zoos and aquariums in North America. Even though elephants are only distant cousins, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums will not allow them to breed. This is to prevent the occurrence of diseases and other problems. Zoos also cannot bring in new blood to breed with their elephants because the new elephants are no longer... middle of paper ......rint.Richman, Laura K., Richard J. Montali, Richard L. Garber, Melissa A. Kennedy, John Lehnhardt, Thomas Hildebrandt, Dennis Schmitt, Douglas Hardy, Donald J. Alcendor, and Gary S. Hayward. “New endotheliotropic herpesviruses deadly to Asian and African elephants.” Science February 19, 1999: 1171-176. Print. Schmitt, Dennis L., Douglas A. Hardy, Richard J. Montali, Laura K. Richman, William A. Lindsay, Ramiro Isaza, and Gary West. “Use of famciclovir for the treatment of endotheliotrophic herpesvirus infections in Asian elephants (Elephas Maximus).” Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine 34.4 (2000): 518-22. Print. “Studies from the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology in the field of cytomegalovirus described. » Scientific letter 2409 (2011): n. page. Print.Thompson, Jackson. “Dickerson Park Zoo Keeper.” Personal interview. 2013.