The glitz and glamor of a circus show might make it appear as if an elephant’s life with the troupe is a joyous one, but nothing could be further from the truth. After an elephant is domesticated and trained (aka – ‘has its spirit broken’), it spends the majority of its days in chains, is poked and prodded to perform crowd-pleasing feats, and often suffers injuries which result from living in abnormal conditions. Additionally, it’s not unusual for circus beasts to be beaten by their trainers.
Every now and again, fortunately, elephants made to perform for the purpose of entertaining humans are removed from the circus and relocated to sanctuaries. There, they are able to live among their kind and enjoy life on their terms. And now that the first elephant sanctuary in all of Latin America has opened, this is likely to become a reality for many more of the gargantuan land mammals.
Elephant Sanctuary Brazil will be located on a 2,800-acre plot of land. Located in Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso, the sanctuary will host 50 rescued circus animals. Animal rights activists secured the location for $1 million and are actively seeking elephants to take in.
According to GoodNewsNetwork, the first two elephants to find sanctuary were Guida and Maia, who are believed to have been rescued from Thailand where they performed in circuses. While the sanctuary will not be available to the public, it will post updates about the well-being of rescued elephants via Facebook and through the Global Elephant Sanctuary website.
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