A new Scientific Reports paper is arguing that zoo elephants are living longer than in previous decades, challenging the idea that elephant survival is inherently compromised in zoos. However, the reported average estimated life expectancy ranges from 30 years (African male savannah elephant) to 40 years (Asian female elephant). To echo the words of the zoo industry, elephant welfare was even worse in the mid-to-late 1900’s than it is today, therefore the baseline for elephant zoo longevity was set incredibly low to begin with. The observed ‘improvement’ in longevity should not be taken in isolation and must be considered in combination with other assessments of elephant welfare. This risks turning a tragedy of human pressure on wild elephants into a misleading benchmark for elephant longevity in captivity.