Sanctuaries, not captivity

Having watched Blackfish last night, and then waking to the news of an elephant's death at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, I have to wonder: Instead of throwing money away on larger cages/pens/tanks (and breeding programs!), why not put it towards more sanctuaries where all of these animals should be allowed to live out the rest of their miserable lives? I'm appalled by the callous human desire to keep sentient beings like elephants and whales captive. It's criminal.