In the heart of the Portuguese Alentejo, about 200 kilometers from Lisbon, a project has taken shape that could change the fate of elephants held in Europe. It is called Pangea and it is the first large European sanctuary designed exclusively to host elephants from zoos and circuses. Not a visitable park, nor a tourist attraction, but a space built around animal welfare, away from the noise of shows and cages.
The first guests will be Julie and Kariba, two African elephants with very different stories behind them but united by their long lives spent in captivity. Julie was Portugal’s last circus elephant, while Kariba, orphaned in Zimbabwe during the poaching campaigns of the 1980s, lived for four decades in European zoos, the last of which was in Belgium. In Pangea they will finally be able to move freely, immerse themselves in the water, socialize and live in compatible groups.
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Kariba’s transfer
Kariba, in particular, brings with it a very harsh history. Born in Zimbabwe in the 1980s, she was orphaned after her herd was exterminated by poachers during a campaign linked to ivory trafficking. Moved to Europe when she was still very young, she spent around forty years living in zoos, the last of which was in Belgium.
His arrival in the Portuguese sanctuary was scheduled for the end of this month, but the transfer was temporarily postponed after the discovery of an abscess on his foot, a common pathology in elephants raised in captivity. The vets are following the necessary treatments and Pangea has confirmed that Kariba will leave only when she is completely recovered and ready to face the journey towards her new life in semi-freedom.
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Elephants suffer in zoos and circuses
Elephants are among the most intelligent and sensitive animals on the planet, with extremely complex social and physical needs. In the wild they travel tens of kilometers every day and live in large groups. In captivity, however, spaces are limited and social relationships are often limited or absent.
The most recent studies show worrying data: African females in zoos live much less on average than wild specimens and infant mortality rates are also increasing. For this reason, more and more European facilities are choosing to stop holding elephants, even if the main problem remains finding suitable places to transfer them.
A sanctuary that also aims at rewilding
Pangea was born on a former degraded ranch and will initially cover 28 hectares, with the aim of reaching over 400 hectares in the future. The project not only aims to recover animals, but also to regenerate the local ecosystem through rewilding practices. The elephants will in fact have an active role in the natural restoration of the area, including pastures, lakes and vegetation. According to Kate Moore, general director of the sanctuary, the aim is to offer the animals a life as similar to a wild one as possible, without invasive contact with the public.
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