The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee
Begins the Largest Rescue of
Needy Circus Elephants in U.S. History:
"The Caravan to Freedom"
Hohenwald, Tennessee
(January 26,2006) - Scheduled to start this Sunday, or
at the latest Monday, the first of 8 elephants whose relocation was mandated
by the USDA, will begin the 12-hour journey from the Hawthorn Corporation in
Richmond, Illinois to The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. The entire
group will be moved, two at a time, during the course of the next two weeks.
The move was prompted by a US Department of Agriculture action against the
Hawthorn Corporation. The move to The Elephant Sanctuary, which is the nation's
largest natural habitat refuge for African and Asian elephants, is the culmination
of a two year effort to rescue this herd of elephants.
Dubbed the "Caravan to Freedom" these ex-circus elephants will
travel in a custom built, chain-free trailer donated and specially refurbished
by UPS. The elephants travel in pairs according to which have formed the closest
friendships. As an acknowledged "favorite" amongst the elephant
set, Sanctuary co-founder Scott Blais will make each of the four 650 mile trips
with the herd in order to assure that they remain calm and safe during their
journey.
The Sanctuary's Elephant Health and Welfare Institute was created as
result of the rescue of this herd of elephants which have been exposed to the
human strain of tuberculosis while at the Hawthorn facility. The Institute
will collect data and conduct non-invasive research to develop diagnostics
and treatment for captivity induced ailments, specifically osteomyelitis and
the human strain of tuberculosis. In fact, the Institute recently became
involved in research for a new method of detecting TB, which could eventually
allow screeners to use one test to diagnose the sickness across various species—including
human. As Carol Buckley of The Elephant Sanctuary states, "Saving
these elephants has an added benefit, the information they provide about their
disease may one day help save us."
Although The Elephant Sanctuary made an offer to take in all of Hawthorn's
female elephants in May of 2005, the actualization of the rescue has been a
difficult and lengthy process due to the fact that the entire herd had been
exposed to the human strain of tuberculosis. Two elephants tested positive
for the disease several years ago, exposing the entire herd, which at one time
numbered 18, to the deadly disease.
Seeing the urgency of the situation, the Sanctuary's founders, Carol
Buckley and Scott Blais, raised an initial $3 million to build a new state-of-the-art
barn to make room for the TB-exposed herd in order to speed the rescue along.
This was done, even before an agreement had been reached.
The final barrier to the rescue of these elephants fell on November 1, when
the Hawthorn Corporation contacted The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee with
an offer to donate nine of their remaining female elephants. Sadly, Sue, one
of the elephants to be rescued, died before she could be moved to the Sanctuary.
Operating on 2,700 acres in Hohenwald, Tennessee, The Elephant Sanctuary has
been developed specifically to meet the needs of endangered African and Asian
elephants. The nonprofit organization, licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, is designed specifically for old,
sick or needy elephants that have been retired from zoos and circuses. A
true sanctuary, The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee is not intended to provide
entertainment; resident elephants are not required to perform for or entertain
the public. Instead, they are encouraged to live like elephants. As
stated by Phil Snyder, former regional director of the Humane Society of the
United States, "The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee represents the future
of enlightened captive elephant management."
While the Sanctuary has raised a portion of the funds needed for the transfer,
the organization estimates that it will need an additional $65,000 to complete
the transfer. This amount does not include the antibiotics that each
infected elephant will require for her yearlong course of treatment for tuberculosis,
estimated to cost $200,000, nor the standard expenses of regular medical care;
hundreds of pounds of fruits, vegetables and grain daily; eight semi trailer
loads of hay annually; and trained caregivers. The annual cost to care
for these eight elephants is estimated to be $2 million.
To find out more about The Elephant Sanctuary in its continued care of these
elephants, and what you can do to help, please visit http://www.elephants.com/lota/rescueLota.php.
To find out more about The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee visit www.elephants.com.
For more information,
contact
Staci Smith stacigsmltd@earthlink.net
917-345-5157
