Alentejo elephant sanctuary welcomes first resident

The first resident has arrived at the Pangea sanctuary in Alentejo, presented as Europe’s first large-scale elephant refuge. Julie, Portugal’s last circus elephant, had long been waiting for a proper home. Julie is already roaming under controlled freedom and has even enjoyed her first mud bath. This elephant is the first resident of the Pangea elephant sanctuary, located between Vila Viçosa and Alandroal, in the district of Évora. This female was also the last circus elephant in Portugal. After the ban on wild animals in circuses in Portugal came into force, she remained in the care of her owner, the Victor Hugo Cardinali circus. Julie was captured in Africa around 40 years ago. She arrived in Portugal when she was still very young and joined the Cardinali circus in 1988. For now, it is impossible to know how much longer she will be able to enjoy the freedom she has just been given. “We cannot be sure; elephants in the wild live for more than 70 years. Unfortunately, elephants born in captivity have half the life expectancy of an elephant born in the wild, so we cannot know exactly how much time she has left. She has had a hard life, but I must say she has been very energetic at Pangea this week, so we remain hopeful,” said Kate Moore, Pangea’s director-general, speaking to the Associated Press. In the first update after her arrival, the sanctuary said that the elephant “is adapting very well” and that “she is quickly feeling comfortable enough to choose how to spend her day in her new environment”. Portugal banned the presence of wild animals in circuses in 2018, but the law only took effect in 2024, to give circuses time to adapt and find solutions. Putting the law into practice can be challenging, and Julie has only now found a suitable place to live, as her owner had nowhere to send her. “Julie is not only Pangea’s first elephant, she is also the last circus elephant in Portugal; in fact, the last wild animal in any circus. That is extraordinary, and it just shows how important it is to connect legislation with sanctuaries, because there has to be a solution, a place to send these animals. I think this is just one more piece of evidence of what we are trying to do: everyone needs to come together, look at the bigger picture and make sure these animals have somewhere to go,” she explained. Once all the necessary conditions had been met, the new sanctuary in the Alentejo was finally able to receive her, under a voluntary agreement with the circus. “Our experience with Victor Hugo Cardinali has been incredibly positive. I think that, once we reached that agreement, we focused solely on Julie’s welfare and on trying to achieve the best outcome for her. I believe this is an excellent basis to show that this is how we want to work from now on,” said Kate Moore. A place for Europe’s captive elephants For the time being, Julie is the sanctuary’s only inhabitant. Covering 400 hectares and with capacity for 30 animals, the site is expected to welcome, later this year, Kariba, another African elephant, also captured in the wild and around 40 years old, who currently lives alone in a zoo in Belgium. The female should already have been transported to the sanctuary, but an abscess on one of her feet prevented her from travelling safely. She had to be treated and will only be moved to Portugal once all the necessary conditions are in place. The sanctuary set up in Portugal (source in Portuguese) presents itself as “Europe’s first large-scale elephant sanctuary” and “a compassionate solution for zoos, circuses and European governments seeking lifelong homes for elephants in need”, according to the organisation’s website. According to the organisation, the site “follows the model of large-scale facilities already operating in Asia, Africa and the Americas”, where the animals taken in “can roam, forage and socialise freely in a natural, wide-ranging habitat, while also receiving specialist, individual care”. Pangea, a UK-based foundation, opened the sanctuary with funds from various organisations and donors, including comedian Ricky Gervais. The organisation says the sanctuary will remain closed to visitors for the time being, “giving Julie and future residents the space and tranquillity they need to settle in”.