World May 07, 2026 · 1 min read

Rewilding giants: captive elephants rehomed in Europe’s first sanctuary

Julie, once a circus elephant, and Kariba, from a Belgian zoo, are to be moved to a former ranch in PortugalEurope’s first large-scale elephant sanctuary, which is opening to offer a more natural environment for some of the 600 animals still held in captivity across the continent, is to receive its...

TH
The Guardian
by Patrick Barkham
Rewilding giants: captive elephants rehomed in Europe’s first sanctuary

Julie, once a circus elephant, and Kariba, from a Belgian zoo, are to be moved to a former ranch in Portugal

Europe’s first large-scale elephant sanctuary, which is opening to offer a more natural environment for some of the 600 animals still held in captivity across the continent, is to receive its first arrivals.

Julie, Portugal’s last circus elephant, will be moved next month to the animal charity Pangea’s multimillion pound sanctuary in the Alentejo, 200km (124 miles) east of Lisbon, close to the border with Spain.

Continue reading...
TH
Source

This article was originally published by The Guardian and written by Patrick Barkham.

Read original article on The Guardian
Back to Discover

Reading List