Rewilding giants: captive elephants rehomed in Europe’s first sanctuary | Animal welfare
toEurope’s first large-scale elephant sanctuary, opened to provide a more natural environment for some of the 600 animals currently held in captivity across the continent, will welcome their first arrival.
Portugal’s last circus elephant, Julie, will be handed over to animal charity next month PangeaMulti-million pound sanctuary in Alentejo, 200 km (124 miles) east of Lisbon, close to the Spanish border.
He will join Kariba, another female African elephant in her 40s who has been moved from the Belgian zoo where she lived alone.
“Kariba and Julie will live in a large natural habitat where they can roam freely, bathe and socialize in harmonious groups,” said General Manager Kate Moore. Pangea. “That autonomy is really critical, but they will also have specialist care. Elephants are one of the most sensitive and intelligent animals on Earth, and so they have very complex needs.”
The sanctuary will initially cover 28 hectares (70 acres), with further fundraising required to expand the former cattle farm’s 405 hectares. The sanctuary’s priority is to provide the elephants with as natural a life as possible and it will not be open to the public.
Yes 36 elephants They live in isolation in zoos across Europe, and around 40 are still required to perform in circuses. Many of them, including Kariba and Julie, were captured in the wild and brought to Europe in the 1980s to end their lives.
Captive elephants are confined to smaller herds than in the wild, have greatly reduced circulation (in the wild they walk tens of kilometers each day), and are susceptible to disease and lameness.
Britain’s last circus elephant, Anne, was reintroduced to Longleat safari park in 2011. He is now in his 70s and lives alone. In 2022, Paignton zoo decided to stop keeping elephants because they could no longer keep them. meet their complex needs.
Studies have found reduced life expectancy and increased infant mortality rates among captive elephants. One study found that African women live an average of 17 years in zoos, compared to 56 years in the wild when human-caused deaths are excluded.
Another study first year mortality rate The proportion of Asian elephants born in captivity in North America and the EU is approximately 30%. Wild African elephants have a first-year mortality rate of 10-15%.
Although the use of wild animals in circuses is now banned in most EU countries (except Germany, which has regional restrictions but no national ban), many circuses have difficulty releasing large animals such as elephants because they lack shelter. Similarly, governments cannot seize animals from circuses if they have nowhere to go.
In Portugal, the ban on wild animals in circuses came into full force in 2025, and Julie became the last wild animal to be rehomed following a voluntary agreement between the Cardinali circus and Pangea.
Vítor Hugo Cardinali, director of the circus, who has cared for Julie since taking her from a German zoo in 1988, said: “This has not been an easy decision as she has been a much-loved member of our family for decades, but we believe it is the right decision for Julie. Working closely with Pangea on her transition to her new home was a critical factor in our negotiations.”
Moore said: “Circuses and zoos across Europe are reaching a point where it is no longer possible or appropriate to keep elephants, whether through changing legislation, the loss of a companion or the decision to move on. As with the Cardinali family, working in partnership with owners to find the right solution is at the heart of how we operate. Relocating elephants is complex and their ongoing involvement is invaluable.
“Our priority is to provide space for elephants in isolation in circuses or zoos, but we are more than happy to work with anyone who wants to get away from elephants.”
The sanctuary, which took 10 years to develop, is located on the site of a dilapidated cattle farm, and elephants are also expected to play a role in the restoration of nature. The area was once home to straight-tusked elephants that trampled the Iberian peninsula 40,000 years ago.
“It’s really important to have a diverse environment for them,” Moore said. “We’ve put a lot of effort into helping nature recover on a degraded cattle farm by following basic rewilding principles. We know that elephants can normally strengthen ecosystems if we get the stocking density of elephants right. This gives us a really interesting opportunity to see how elephants respond to the land and how elephants respond to the land.”
When the reserve is expanded to 405 hectares, it will be able to accommodate 20 to 30 elephants who live, roam, graze and wallow “naturally” in the lakes.
