NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. — From the big top to the boonies; 30 elephants retired from Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus will call Nassau County home.
The circus phased out animal acts due to concerns over the treatment of these animals. Staff at White Oak Conservation say these elephants are not equipped to be returned to the wild. That's why they are creating a great living space for these 30 elephants that will look and feel like their native habitat.
The 30 elephants will be moving to a 2,500-acre wildlife refuge currently under construction at White Oak Conservation.
Osgood, also known as Ozzy the elephant is 21 years old. Another elephant, Cora, was born in 1963.
“For these elephants that are coming to White Oak Conservation, this is their first opportunity to make their own choices every day, where are they going to go to eat. Are they going to rest or drink and swim? Who do they want to hang out with?” Michell Gadd, chief of conservation for Walter Conservation, White Oak’s parent company said.
Within White Oak Conservation’s 17,000 acres, nine interlinked areas will be opened for elephants with a variety of habitat types including wetlands, meadows and woods.
“We’re excited to see how they respond to all these freedoms. We’re trying to give them the room and time to make those choices on their own,” Gadd added.
She says due to continued habitat threats, poaching and new trades for elephant skin and ivory, Asian elephants are endangered.
“There are only an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 left in the wild — could be as low as 20,000. The numbers are not totally reliable, and this is down from an estimated 100,000 a century ago — a catastrophic decline,” Gadd said.
Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Baily supports the move according to a release from White Oak Conservation.
“We are proud of our partnership with White Oak to transfer the elephants in our care to their facility to further expand their endangered species conservation efforts,” Kenneth Feld, CEO of Feld Entertainment said.
Gadd says most of these elephants have been under human care most of their lives. Nineteen of the elephants were born in the United States.
“We try to emphasize the best place for animals is in the wild and we’re going to make the best of the opportunity of these gentle giants coming to reside with us to raise awareness about the plight of elephants in Asia,” Gadd said.
Gadd expects the elephants could arrive sometime in the first quarter of 2021.
More information can be found here.