Elephant Sanctuary is Founded

The Elephant Sanctuary is founded on 110 acres in Hohenwald, Tennessee. Tarra, a former performing elephant, is the first resident. Construction of the first barn is also completed.

Jenny Arrives

Thanks to an emergency fundraising campaign, elephant Jenny is brought to The Sanctuary from a Nevada animal shelter.

Shirley and Jenny Reunited

Elephant Shirley arrives on July 6, 1999. After 25 years apart, Shirley and Jenny immediately recognize one another from their previous lives as circus elephants.

Bunny Arrives

Bunny retires to The Sanctuary from Meskar Park Zoo.

Sissy Arrives

Labeled a dangerous elephant, Sissy arrives at The Sanctuary after a public outcry regarding her treatment at the El Paso Zoo.

Elephant Documentary Airs

PBS airs The Urban Elephant featuring Shirley and Jenny's reunion story. The piece is later awarded an Emmy and goes viral on YouTube.

Tina Arrives

Elephant Tina journeys 3,000 miles to The Sanctuary from Vancouver, B.C.

Sanctuary Welcomes First African Elephants

Upon completion of a barn and fencing for African elephants, Tange and Zula arrive from Chehaw Wild Animal Park in Albany Georgia, and Flora is retired by her owner, David Balding. These three elephants became the first African elephants to retire in Tennessee.

Lota and Misty Arrive

Elephants Lota and Misty arrive at The Sanctuary after USDA orders their transferal from the Hawthorn Corporation, a company that leased animals to circuses.

Eight New Elephants Arrive!

Lottie, Minnie, Queenie, Liz, Debbie, Ronnie, Billie, and Frieda are retired to The Sanctuary in the largest-ever government-sanctioned transferal of circus elephants.

In a tragic accident, Caregiver Joanna Burke died from injuries sustained by an elephant.

Dulary Arrives

Dulary is retired to The Sanctuary from the Philadelphia Zoo, and makes fast friends with Tarra, Misty, and Delhi.

Sanctuary Welcomes Ned

USDA confiscates elephant Ned and places him in the sanctuary to recover from his medical ailments. The first and only bull elephant at The Elephant Sanctuary to date, his health condition was so severe, he passed away six months after retiring to The Sanctuary.

Welcome Center Opens

The Welcome Center on Main Street in Hohenwald opens to the public. Administrative staff moves into office space built to LEED standards.

Billie Allows Her Chain To Be Removed

Billie allows care staff to remove the last remnant of circus life from her body: a chain around her ankle.

Shirley Turns 65

The third-oldest Asian elephant in North America, Shirley turns 65. The Sanctuary throws her a birthday party––celebrated jointly via the Internet with those who knew her in Monroe, Louisiana (her former zoo home).

Picoult Novel Inspired by Sanctuary is Published

New York Times-bestselling author Jodi Picoult releases Leaving Time, a novel that describes a fictional sanctuary whose elephants are based on the true stories of those residing at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.

Hadari Arrives

On September 24th, Hadari—a 33-year-old African retires to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee from the Nashville Zoo, joining Flora and Tange in The Sanctuary’s Africa habitat.

Africa Habitat Expansion Opens

Africa Habitat’s 60-acre expansion—East Habitat—was opened to the elephants on August 4, thanks to the generous support of our donors who gave to the 2015 Year-End Appeal. The expansion area gives all the elephants access to new trails, mud wallows, forested areas, and the opportunity to choose how and where they spend their time.

The Sanctuary is Certified by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums

The Elephant Sanctuary is proudly certified by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums for demonstrating a commitment to exemplary animal care and welfare, educational and inspiring guest experiences, and AZA’s mission to conserve our world’s wild animals and wild places. Through certification by the AZA, The Elephant Sanctuary hopes for expanded conversation and collaboration opportunities with other elephant care professionals to promote and share best practices on issues of conservation and welfare impacting all elephants. The Elephant Sanctuary is the first facility of its kind to be dually recognized by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries and the AZA.

Shirley Turns 70

For Shirley’s milestone 70th birthday, July 6th, Caregivers pulled out all the stops—creating a gigantic ‘70’ out of bamboo, strung with fresh flowers and produce and baking a vegan carrot cake layered with hay. The biggest surprise of all, however, was a visit from Shirley’s former Caregiver, Solomon James—his first visit since 1999.

Prior to her retirement at The Sanctuary, Shirley lived at The Louisiana Purchase Zoo and Gardens, where she was the sole elephant resident for 22 years. As Shirley aged, the zoo staff decided she needed more space and the companionship of other elephants. Her primary caretaker, Solomon James, accompanied Shirley on her journey to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. Her arrival was captured by Argo Films and became part of the documentary, The Urban Elephant.

The Elephant Discovery Center Opens to the Public

Increasing public knowledge is key to creating a world where elephants no longer live under constant threat of poaching, habitat loss, conflict, or capture. The Elephant Discovery Center, located at 27 E. Main Street, Hohenwald, Tenn., expands the learning opportunities available for visitors. The Elephant Discovery Center offers hands-on self-guided exhibits and educational programming that explores the many ways elephants shape our world.

The Sanctuary Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary

The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee celebrates a quarter century of providing sanctuary — a safe, expansive natural space for elephants to explore and rediscover what it means to be an elephant with others of their own kind.