From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Co-founded in 1995 by Executive Director, Carol Buckley, and Operations Director, Scott Blais, The Elephant Sanctuary is a non-profit organization licensed by both the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). As a member accredited by The Association of Sanctuaries (TAOS), the sanctuary follows guidelines stipulated by TAOS, one of which is that none of the elephants be bred. ^[1]

At over 2700 acres, The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, consists of three separate and protected, natural habitat environments for Asian and African elephants; a 2200-acre Asian facility, a 200-acre quarantine area and a 300-acre African habitat. The goal is to retire 100 elephants from zoos and circuses to the sanctuary.

Carol Buckley's personal elephant companion, Tarra was the inspiration for the sanctuary. After 15 years working in the circus Tarra needed a place to retire with her own kind with lots of space.

Contents 1 History 2 Facilities 3 Elephant Population 4 Non-Invasive Research 5 Elephant Conservation Projects 6 References 7 External links

In 1995 The Elephant Sanctuary was started on 220 acres with one elephant, Tarra.

An internship program was established to train elephant caregivers in 1996.

A 9,000 sq ft barn was added in 1999.

In 2001 a 700-acre section of land with a 25-acre lake was acquired.

Another 1840 acres was purchased and the sanctuary expanded to 2700 acres in 2003.

In 2004 the first two African elephants were accepted into the new African habitat.

The existing herd of Asian elephants was relocated to a new 2200-acre habitat to accommodate eight incoming elephants who needed to be quaratined in 2005. This new area includes a 22,000 sq ft barn and 20,000 sq ft hay barn which is able to hold up to 35,000 bales of hay.

The development of the Sanctuary was done in several stages. It was originally built in phases and then expanded whenever funding was available or the elephants needed more space or accommodation. Twenty miles of double fencing encloses The Elephant Sanctuary's 2700 acres. In accordance with TWRA regulations and TAOS guidelines the quarantine area has a hot wire fence.

• It started in March 1995 with Phase I that included a heated barn, a 200-acre steel pipe and cable elephant corral, and a 222-acre perimeter "people" fence.

• More land, buildings and lakes were added until November 2004, when Phase I and Phase II were combined and remodelled to create a Quarantine Facility for sick elephants.

• In January 2006 the new Asian elephant house was completed^[2]

Currently, the Elephant Sanctuary is home to fifteen Asian elephants and three African elephants.

November 23, 2003, Delhi, formerly owned by Hawthorn Corporation, was the first elephant to use the quarantine facility. She was confiscated by the USDA.

November 17, 2004, it became home to two Asian elephants named Lota and Misty who came from the Hawthorn Corporation, a company that trains and rents elephants to circuses, now widely known and fined for providing poor care for its elephants. Both Lota and Misty were diagnosed with a human strain of tuberculosis, a disease that was prevalent in the Hawthorn herd.

Lota died on February 9, 2005 of advanced tuberculosis.

On January 30, 2006 the first two of eight more Asian elephants arrived at the Sanctuary. Minnie and Lottie were joined in subsequent days by Queenie, Liz, Debbie, Ronnie, Billie and Frieda. Unfortunately, Sue died December 30, 2005 before she reached the Sanctuary. The additional eight elephants came from the Hawthorn Corporation.

On July 21, 2006 Winkie, a female Asian elephant, knocked down and stepped on Joanna Burke, 36, Winkie's caregiver for 6 years, while Joanna was going to look at a sting to one of Winkie's eyes. Joanna was killed instantly. Winkie also injured director Scott Blais who was trying to intervene. Winkie had a reputation as a dangerous animal while she was living in a zoo but it was clear by her actions that Winkie was not acting out aggressively any more than trying to indicate she had pain from the sting and the subsequent treatment. On July 25, it was released that Winkie will not be euthanized as per Joanna's wishes. A statement released by the Sanctuary stated the following: "Joanna made it perfectly clear in word and deed that no harm should come to any elephant no matter their action. She shared the Sanctuary's philosophy that Winkie will not be punished for her actions but managed in a way that keeps another innocent caregiver out of harm's way." Burke was laid to rest on the grounds of the Sanctuary on July 26, 2006, as per her wishes.

On July 25, 2006 the Sanctuary announced it will be adjusting its protocol with regard to any elephants who are affected with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). The Sanctuary protocols are a set of standards of elephant care and management the Elephant Sanctuary staff follow when dealing with their elephants. Currently, two of the elephants at the Sanctuary, Winkie and Flora, have been diagnosed with PTSD. "In respect of their condition, caregivers will adjust how they physically interact with the elephants".^[3]

On October 17, 2006, Jenny passed away from an undetermined illness. She was thirty-four.^[4]

• Amboseli Trust for Elephants - Researcher, Cynthia Moss

• The Elephant Listening Project - Researcher, Katy Payne

• Elephant Voices - Researcher, Joyce Poole

• PTSD and elephants - Researcher, Gay Bradshaw

• Social trauma in elephants - Researcher, Gay Bradshaw, et al

• EleAid - Asian Elephant Conservation Charity
• Elephant Nature Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand

• The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Tsavo East National Park, Nairobi, Kenya, Africa

1. ^ Care Guidelines for Captive Elephants. TAOS. Retrieved on February 3, 2007.
2. ^ The New Asian Elephant House: Our Members Made It Happen. Trunklines. Retrieved on May 30, 2006.
3. ^ Media Corrections. Newsroom. Retrieved on August 3, 2006.
4. ^ Jenny Passes. What's New. Retrieved on October 19, 2006.

• The Elephant Sanctuary's official website
• "Girls, Girls, Girls" - Bunny, Jenny and the 'Girls' of the Elephant Sanctuary Quietly Redefine the Model for Captive Elephant Care (June 2002)

• Rescue the Elephants - This site was created by an international group of individuals devoted to the welfare of captive elephants.

• Sanctuary Days - This site features screen captures of the Asian and African elephants retired to The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, TN, U.S.A.

• Elephant Information Repository - An in-depth resource on elephants

• Tragic accident
• In Memory of Joanna Burke
• Winkie's story