Elephant Sanctuary, Hohenwald
Encyclopedia
The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee
, founded in 1995, is a non-profit organization licensed by 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. Its founders are former CEO, Carol Buckley, and former Operations Director, Scott Blais.
In 2010 the sanctuary was featured on the children's show FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman
.
At over 2700 acres (11 km²), the sanctuary consists of three separate and protected, natural habitat environments for Asian
and African elephants; a 2200 acres (9 km²) Asian facility, a 200 acre (0.809372 km²) quarantine area and a 300 acres (1.2 km²) African habitat. The goal is to retire 100 elephants from zoos and circuses to the sanctuary.
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.
An internship program was established to train elephant caregivers in 1996.
A 9000 square feet (836.1 m²) barn was added in 1999.
In 2001 a 700 acres (2.8 km²) section of land with a 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) lake was acquired.
Another 1840 acres (7 km²) was purchased and the sanctuary expanded to 2700 acres (11 km²) 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 acres (9 km²) habitat to accommodate eight incoming elephants who needed to be quarantined in 2005. This new area includes a 22000 sq ft (2,043.9 m²) barn and 20000 sq ft (1,858.1 m²) hay barn which is able to hold up to 35,000 bales of hay.
s and two African elephants. The goal is to accommodate 100 elephants.
November 23, 2003, Delhi was the first elephant to use the quarantine facility. She was the first of 16 elephants to be confiscated by the USDA from Hawthorn Corporation
a company that trained and rented elephants to circuses, and which became widely known and fined for providing poor care for its elephants.
Tina, born at the Oregon Zoo in 1970, arrived at the sanctuary on August 11, 2003, from Vancouver. She died the following July.
November 17, 2004, it became home to two Asian elephants named Lota and Misty who came from the Hawthorn Corporation. 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, Minnie and Lottie were the first two of eight more Asian elephants to arrive at the Sanctuary from the Hawthorn Corporation. They were joined in subsequent days by Queenie, Liz, Debbie, Ronnie, Billie and Frieda. Unfortunately, Sue died December 30, 2005, before she reached the Sanctuary.
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, as per Joanna's wishes, Winkie would not be euthanized. 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 interred 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".
On October 17, 2006, Jenny died from an undetermined illness. She was 34.
Dulary, from the Philadelphia Zoo
, arrived on May 1, 2007.
A long campaign to have Mona
, the sole elephant at the Birmingham Zoo
in Birmingham, Alabama
moved to the Elephant Sanctuary ended when she was euthanized at the zoo on June 21, 2007.
On March 11, 2008, Delhi died at age 62 (+).
Queenie died on March 29, 2008, 18 days after her friend, Delhi. Both were formerly owned by the Hawthorn Corporation.
Lucy aka Skanik of the Edmonton Valley Zoo
, born circa 1975, has a standing invitation to retire to the sanctuary because she suffers from a respiratory infection, chronic foot infections and arthritis.
Hohenwald, Tennessee
Hohenwald is a city in and the county seat of Lewis County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,754 at the 2000 census. The name "Hohenwald" is a German word that means "High Forest". The town was founded in 1878 and later merged with a town named "New Switzerland" to the south. New...
, founded in 1995, is a non-profit organization licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency is an independent state agency of the state of Tennessee with the mission of managing the state's fish and wildlife and their habitats, as well as responsibility for all wildlife-related law enforcement activities...
(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. Its founders are former CEO, Carol Buckley, and former Operations Director, Scott Blais.
In 2010 the sanctuary was featured on the children's show FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman
FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman
FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman, sometimes shortened as FETCH!, is a children's television series for children ages 6–12 on PBS during the PBS Kids GO! block of educational programming. It is a game show/reality show that is hosted by an animated anthropomorphic dog who dispenses challenges to the show's...
.
At over 2700 acres (11 km²), the sanctuary consists of three separate and protected, natural habitat environments for Asian
Asian Elephant
The Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Three subspecies are recognized — Elephas maximus maximus from Sri Lanka, the Indian elephant or E. m. indicus from mainland Asia, and E. m....
and African elephants; a 2200 acres (9 km²) Asian facility, a 200 acre (0.809372 km²) quarantine area and a 300 acres (1.2 km²) African habitat. The goal is to retire 100 elephants from zoos and circuses to the sanctuary.
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.
History
In 1995 The Elephant Sanctuary was started on 100 acre (0.404686 km²) with one elephant, Tarra.An internship program was established to train elephant caregivers in 1996.
A 9000 square feet (836.1 m²) barn was added in 1999.
In 2001 a 700 acres (2.8 km²) section of land with a 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) lake was acquired.
Another 1840 acres (7 km²) was purchased and the sanctuary expanded to 2700 acres (11 km²) 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 acres (9 km²) habitat to accommodate eight incoming elephants who needed to be quarantined in 2005. This new area includes a 22000 sq ft (2,043.9 m²) barn and 20000 sq ft (1,858.1 m²) hay barn which is able to hold up to 35,000 bales of hay.
Facilities
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 (11 km²). 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 (0.809372 km²) steel pipe and cable elephant corral, and a 222 acre (0.89840292 km²) 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. The Quarantine Facility has a barn for TB exposed elephants and a completely separate area for TB positive elephants.
- In 2005 the Elephant Health and Welfare Institute headed by Dr. Susan Mikota was established.
- In January 2006 the new Asian elephant house was completed.
- In May 2007 Phase I of the Learning Center started with the purchase of two buildings in Downtown Hohenwald. These buildings have been designated as the Welcome Center.
- The Elephant Health and Welfare Institute (EHWI) is now a fully functioning veterinary medical facility.
- More fencing has been added and a separate area has been created for Flora.
Population and History
Currently, the Elephant Sanctuary is home to thirteen Asian elephantAsian Elephant
The Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Three subspecies are recognized — Elephas maximus maximus from Sri Lanka, the Indian elephant or E. m. indicus from mainland Asia, and E. m....
s and two African elephants. The goal is to accommodate 100 elephants.
November 23, 2003, Delhi was the first elephant to use the quarantine facility. She was the first of 16 elephants to be confiscated by the USDA from Hawthorn Corporation
a company that trained and rented elephants to circuses, and which became widely known and fined for providing poor care for its elephants.
Tina, born at the Oregon Zoo in 1970, arrived at the sanctuary on August 11, 2003, from Vancouver. She died the following July.
November 17, 2004, it became home to two Asian elephants named Lota and Misty who came from the Hawthorn Corporation. 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
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
.
On January 30, 2006, Minnie and Lottie were the first two of eight more Asian elephants to arrive at the Sanctuary from the Hawthorn Corporation. They were joined in subsequent days by Queenie, Liz, Debbie, Ronnie, Billie and Frieda. Unfortunately, Sue died December 30, 2005, before she reached the Sanctuary.
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, as per Joanna's wishes, Winkie would not be euthanized. 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 interred 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
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
(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".
On October 17, 2006, Jenny died from an undetermined illness. She was 34.
Dulary, from the Philadelphia Zoo
Philadelphia Zoo
The Philadelphia Zoo, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the west bank of the Schuylkill River, was the first zoo in the United States. Chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on March 21, 1859, its opening was delayed by the American Civil War until July 1, 1874...
, arrived on May 1, 2007.
A long campaign to have Mona
Mona (elephant)
Mona was a 7,800 pound Asian elephant on exhibit at the Birmingham Zoo in Birmingham, Alabama . Mona's age was contested. According to zoo officials, she was born in the wild around 1947...
, the sole elephant at the Birmingham Zoo
Birmingham Zoo
The Birmingham Zoo is a zoological park that opened in 1955 in Birmingham, Alabama . The zoo is home to almost 800 animals representing over 200 species, including many endangered species from six continents....
in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
moved to the Elephant Sanctuary ended when she was euthanized at the zoo on June 21, 2007.
On March 11, 2008, Delhi died at age 62 (+).
Queenie died on March 29, 2008, 18 days after her friend, Delhi. Both were formerly owned by the Hawthorn Corporation.
Lucy aka Skanik of the Edmonton Valley Zoo
Valley Zoo
The Edmonton Valley Zoo is a zoo located in the heart of Edmonton, Alberta's river valley. The Edmonton Valley Zoo is owned and operated by the City of Edmonton and is open 364 days a year, only closing on Christmas...
, born circa 1975, has a standing invitation to retire to the sanctuary because she suffers from a respiratory infection, chronic foot infections and arthritis.
Non-Invasive Research
- 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.
Elephant Conservation Projects
- EleAid - Asian Elephant Conservation Charity
- Elephant Nature ParkElephant Nature ParkElephant Nature Park is a sanctuary and rescue centre for elephants in the Northern Thailand, Chiang Mai Province, approximately from Chiang Mai City. Founded in the 1990s, the project's aim is to provide sanctuary for distressed elephants from all over Thailand...
, Chiang MaiChiang MaiChiang Mai sometimes written as "Chiengmai" or "Chiangmai", is the largest and most culturally significant city in northern Thailand. It is the capital of Chiang Mai Province , a former capital of the Kingdom of Lanna and was the tributary Kingdom of Chiang Mai from 1774 until 1939. It is...
, ThailandThailandThailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the... - The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Tsavo East National Park, Nairobi, Kenya, AfricaTsavo East National ParkTsavo East National Park is one of the oldest and largest parks in Kenya at 11,747 square kilometres. Opened in April 1948, it is located near the village of Voi in the Taita-Taveta District of Coast Province. The park is divided into east and west sections by the A109 road and a railway...
External links
- The Elephant Sanctuary official website
- 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
- In Memory of Joanna Burke
- Statement by Joanna's father Open letter to Bill O'Reilly who had characterized Burke as an elephant "trainer."
- Winkie's story