Julie, believed to be the last elephant in Portugal and the last wild animal left in a Portuguese circus, has become the first resident of a new elephant sanctuary in the Alentejo region, Africanews reports.
She arrived in June under a voluntary agreement with the Víctor Hugo Cardinali circus. Portugal banned wild animals in circuses in 2018, with the law taking effect in 2024, but the circus had nowhere to send her. Staff say she was shy at first but now roams freely and has gained about 100kg, mostly muscle.
The 1,000-acre site, run by the UK-based Pangea trust across the municipalities of Alandroal and Vila Viçosa, aims eventually to house 20 to 30 elephants from zoos and circuses across Europe. A second elephant, Kariba, is due from a Belgian circus in November. The sanctuary will not be open to the public.
Source: Africanews
