2 circus elephants immediately bond after being separated for 22 years:
Shirley & Solomon James, & Jenny.
“There’ll be no more chains.”
She’s free at last:
Get ready to cry (in a happy way):
In 2000, “The Urban Elephant” brought viewers the touching story of Shirley and Jenny, two crippled elephants reunited at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee after a 22-year separation. The bonding was immediate, intense and unforgettable between the two former circus elephants. But long after the cameras were turned off, the wondrous moments would continue.
Bonus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXySXSM904E&feature=related
More about Jenny and Shirley from the Elephant Sanctuary’s website.
Shirley stayed in the woods until Jenny passed. She didn’t eat for two days. “It was very hard and especially hard on Shirley. Shirley’s whole life was about taking care of baby Jenny. It was like a mom losing her baby.”
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elephants.com. A truly remarkable place for these wonderful creatures.
No tourists/visitors means the elephants can live their lives as elephants. They’re provided with heated barns, but many elephants choose to sleep/live outside and wander the acreage. The staff have ATVs and seek out each elephant with meals every single day.
No tourists/visitors mean they rely solely on donations (no government funding either). They send you some great stuff like t-shirts and calendars with a small-ish donation… consider it!
If you shop at smile.amazon.com, you can choose it as your charity and they will give .5% of your purchase.
Relephant:
Please don’t pay for experiences where you ride the elephants. The goal is to let them be as wild as possible. The only reason for anyone to ride an elephant is if (s)he has been raised to have mahouts (handlers) riding them around and directing them. Releasing these individuals would be a bad a idea.
If you want to experience and help these creatures, try Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mai. No, I do not work for them, I have just spent time in Thailand (my mother’s birthplace) and done enough research to conclude that they are the best organization. It’s hard work but an unforgettable experience.
Elephants do not want to be ridden or do work for humans. Here is a video displaying what is really the only way to get an elephant to submit to humans like that.
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