Elephant in South Africa zoo released into the wild after 40 years of captivity
The elephant from South Africa was released into the wild after 40 years of captivity
The elephant named Charlie in South Africa’s zoo has been released back to the wild after being in a cage for 40 years.
The elephant was captured in 1984 and taken to Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park when he was two years old.
He was trained to perform tricks at Boswell Wilkie Circus in South Africa. In the 2000s, he was again relocated to the country’s only national zoo.
Animal welfare groups put forward their concerns regarding the elephant’s deteriorating health and suggested putting him back into the wild.
EMS Foundation, which advocates for the rights of wildlife, announced that after “a nail-biting four-hour trip to freedom,” the elephant has found his new home at the Shambala Private Reserve in Limpopo province.
This profound event took years of effort and negotiation with the South African government. It was made possible after the EMS Foundation and its associates provided scientific evidence proving that elephants suffer in zoos.
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In the zoo, the elephant Charlie witnessed the death of four other elephants, including his calf, who was just an infant.
In 2019, it was observed that Charlie was displaying distressed behaviour similar to other animals in captivity.
The South African National Biodiversity Institute, which supervises the zoo, said it was the activities taught to him during his circus days that Charlie never really unlearned. The EMS Foundation said this was an inaccurate explanation.
Josef Pfabigan, Four Paws chief executive, said, “Together with our partners, we have been working tirelessly to end the loneliness of Charlie to see him thrive in his new species-appropriate home.”
The elephant’s assigned home is a 10,000-hectare reserve, with a prosperous population of elephants, known to successfully reintegrate animals returning to the wild.
There, Charlie will be under the supervision of veterinary and behavioural experts.
“We dream that at his own pace, Charlie will learn to be the elephant he was always meant to be, and that soon, he will meet up and integrate into the existing elephant community on Shambala,” the EMS Foundation said.
(With inputs from agencies)
