Portugal's last circus elephant adapts to life in new sanctuary, gaining 100kg
After almost four months, Julie, the first resident of an elephant sanctuary created in the Alentejo, in southern Portugal, has begun to settle into her new home. It is an extensive enclosure that covers 400...
After almost four months, Julie, the first resident of an elephant sanctuary created in the Alentejo, in southern Portugal, has begun to settle into her new home. It is an extensive enclosure that covers 400 hectares between Vila Viçosa and Alandroal, in the district of Évora.
"Julie [when she arrived] was shy, it is like anyone who comes to a new place, who does not know anyone and does not know the surroundings. Slowly, about a week later, she began to trust and to decide what she wanted to go outside. There are many trails, so she has been tidying up the house and, in this case, making it her own home," said elephant keeper Johnny Nascimento, speaking to the Associated Press.
According to the Pangea sanctuary, Julie was the last circus elephant in Portugal and moved to the Alentejo in June after a voluntary agreement with the Victor Hugo Cardinali circus. Since then, she has already put on weight and can now move around as she pleases. One of her favourite pastimes is wallowing in mud pools.
'She has free access 24 hours a day'
"She has been with us for just over three months and has already gained about 100 kilos in that time, which is perfectly normal. Where she was before, she did not really have the opportunity to exercise, she was just in a shed most of the time. Whereas now she has free access 24 hours a day, she can be in the shelter, she can be in any habitat, she literally owns everything, she makes her own choices," explained Ryan Hockley, manager of the Pangea Sanctuary, to AP.
Julie was captured in Africa about 40 years ago. She arrived in Portugal when she was still very young and joined the Cardinali circus in 1988.
In 2018, Portugal banned wild animals from circuses, but the law only came into force in 2024, to give circuses time to adapt and find solutions for where to send the animals.
This is part of the reason behind the sanctuary, to be a new home for elephants in need coming from zoos, circuses and other places. It is estimated that there are more than 600 elephants in captivity across Europe.
"I think it is extremely important that someone has done what we are doing, that someone has created an elephant sanctuary. There are more than 600 elephants in Europe, Asian and African, and a proportion of those elephants are not in ideal conditions," lamented the head of the sanctuary.
'I think Portugal is the ideal choice'
The Portuguese region of the Alentejo was chosen for its warm climate, which can recreate conditions similar to those of the African continent. "If we were to choose anywhere in Europe, I think Portugal is the ideal choice, the climate gives me that feeling of being in Africa," said Hockley, drawing parallels between the Alentejo region and the landscapes of Tanzania or Kenya.
From now on, Pangea's goal is to keep expanding so that it can take in more animals in the future, with total capacity to house between 20 and 30 elephants.
"We are certainly the first large-scale elephant sanctuary in Europe, there is a sanctuary in France, but the enclosure they have is not as big as the one we have here, we have an incredible piece of land," he stressed in comments to AP.
Julie will not be alone for much longer. Another elephant from a circus in Belgium is expected to arrive at the sanctuary as early as November. Kariba, another African female, was also captured in the wild.
She should already have been transported to the sanctuary, but a series of infections prevented her from travelling safely. The animal had to be treated and only once all the conditions are in place will she be transported to Portugal.
For the time being, the sanctuary will remain closed to visitors, "providing Julie and future residents with the space and tranquillity they need to adapt".
