On Tuesday, the EMS Foundation, which advocates for wildlife rights, announced that after a “breathtaking four-hour journey to freedom,” the elephant had reached its new home at Shambala Private Reserve in Limpopo province.
The “historic event” came after years of negotiations with the South African government after the EMS Foundation and its partners provided scientific evidence showing elephants were suffering in zoos.
At the zoo, Charlie the elephant reportedly witnessed the deaths of four other elephants, including his own calf, who was less than a month old.
In 2019, concerns were raised that elephants were showing signs of distress commonly seen in captive animals.
South Africa's National Biodiversity Institute, which runs the zoo, denies this, saying it is a learned behaviour from years of circus life and something they will never fully forget. The EMS Foundation said this was “inaccurate”.
On Tuesday, animal welfare organization Four Paws, in partnership with the EMS Foundation, said the elephant's “retirement is not only a significant milestone for Charlie the Elephant, but also for better animal welfare in South Africa.”
“Together with our partners, we have worked tirelessly to end Charlie’s loneliness and ensure he thrives in a new, species-appropriate home,” said Josef Fabigan, CEO of Four Paws.
The elephants' new home is a 10,000-hectare sanctuary that is home to a large population of elephants and is known for successfully reintegrating the animals into the wild.
While he's there, Charlie will be closely monitored by veterinarians and behaviorists.
“Our dream is for Charlie to learn, at his own pace, to become the elephant he was always meant to be, and to soon meet and integrate into the existing elephant community of Shambhala,” the EMS Foundation said.
Dr Amir Khalil, the vet who led the elephant's relocation, told the BBC that despite the lingering effects of abuse in captivity, “there is always a chance of recovery”.
As for concerns about how Charlie would adapt to his new surroundings, he said he was already seeing positive signs of adaptation and that Charlie was “very happy to hear from other elephants from afar” and had begun communicating with them.
Dr. Khalil said it would take time for the elephant to become independent, but added: “We must not forget that Charlie was born in the wild. He spent almost two years living freely with his mother.”
He said the elephants were undergoing a rehabilitation and feeding program and there were plans to release them into a wider area in the coming months.
“We are confident that he will gradually get used to all these new experiences.”
EMS Foundation director Michelle Picover told AFP there were also three elephants at the Johannesburg Zoo.
“We are taking legal action against Johannesburg,” she said.
According to South Africa's parks agency SANparks, there are more than 25,000 wild elephants in South Africa.
African elephants face threats from poachers, with thousands killed illegally each year for their tusks, and habitat loss due to the expansion of human settlements.
