Freedom for Flora

    The audience in the circus tent goes quiet. 

    It’s May 2000 in St. Louis, Missouri. The show is about to begin. Red curtains part. The crowd cheers. Finally, here’s the famous performer everyone came to see: Flora the elephant!

    The huge creature walks into the center of the tent. She catches a flying bowling pin with her trunk. Acrobats jump 8 feet into the air over her body. 

    After about two hours, Flora waves goodbye with her trunk. The crowd claps and cheers as she leaves. And why wouldn’t they? To most people, it seems like Flora has just put on an amazing show. 

    But a closer look might have found a sad look in her eyes, a nervous swish of her tail.

    To anyone who knows elephants, the signs are clear: Something is wrong with Flora.

    The crowd in the circus tent goes quiet.

    It’s May 2000 in St. Louis, Missouri. The show is about to start. Red curtains part. The crowd cheers. Finally, here’s the big star everyone came to see: Flora the elephant!

    The huge creature walks into the center of the tent. She catches a flying bowling pin with her trunk. Acrobats jump over her body.

    After about two hours, Flora waves goodbye with her trunk. The crowd claps and cheers as she leaves. And why wouldn’t they? To most people, it seems like Flora has just put on an amazing show.

    But is there a sad look in her eyes? A nervous swish of her tail?

    If you know elephants, the signs are clear: Something is wrong with Flora.

    The audience in the circus tent goes quiet.

    It’s May 2000 in St. Louis, Missouri, and the show is about to begin. Red curtains part. The crowd cheers. Finally, here’s the famous performer everyone came to see: Flora the elephant!

    The enormous creature walks into the center of the tent. She catches a flying bowling pin with her trunk. Acrobats leap 8 feet into the air over her massive body.

    After about two hours, Flora waves goodbye with her trunk. The crowd claps and cheers as she leaves. And why wouldn’t they? To most people, it simply appears that Flora has put on a spectacular show.

    But a close observer might have noticed a sad look in her eyes, a nervous swish of her tail.

    To anyone who understands elephants, it’s obvious: Something is wrong with Flora.

    Elephants have been dazzling Americans for more than 200 years. Starting in the late 1700s, these majestic creatures were taken from their homes in Africa and Asia. They were shipped by boat to the United States. There, they were brought from town to town. People paid to see the largest land animal on Earth.

    In the early 1800s, the first circuses opened in the U.S. Elephants became one of the big attractions. They could be trained to do amazing tricks. They balanced on tightropes and held humans in their trunks!

    Between 1800 and 2000, hundreds of elephants were taken from the wild and put in circuses. Flora was one of them.

    Flora was born in 1982. At first, she lived with her herd in Africa. But when Flora was 2, her mother died. Flora was taken to the U.S. That’s when she met David Balding.

    Balding wanted to open a circus. He thought Flora could be a star. He bought and trained her. By 1985, she was performing. The circus was called Circus Flora.

    Elephants have been dazzling Americans for more than 200 years. Starting in the late 1700s, these majestic creatures were taken from their homes in Africa and Asia and shipped by boat to the United States. There, elephants were brought from town to town. People paid to get a look at the largest land animal on Earth.

    Then, in the early 1800s, the first circuses started opening in the U.S. Elephants quickly became one of the most popular attractions. These gentle beasts could be trained to perform astonishing tricks, like balancing on tightropes and holding humans in their trunks!

    Between 1800 and 2000, hundreds of elephants were taken from the wild and put to work in circuses. Flora was one of them.

    Born in 1982, Flora had spent her early days eating leaves and stomping through grass with her herd in Africa. But when Flora was 2, her mother died. Flora was taken to the U.S., where she met David Balding.

    Balding dreamed of opening a circus and thought Flora could be his big star. He bought Flora and began training her. By 1985, Flora had started to perform in shows across the U.S. as part of a circus called Circus Flora.

    As Flora was delighting crowds, worries about circus elephants were growing.

    In the wild, elephants walk many miles. They eat different kinds of plants. But in the circus, they often live alone. They are chained in small rooms. They are fed unhealthy foods. Many trainers poke elephants with sharp sticks to get them to do tricks.

    This stress can make elephants sick—or worse. Research shows that elephants in the wild live longer than those in captivity.

    Flora was lucky. Her caretakers treated her pretty well. They rarely chained her up. They made sure she spent most of her time on soft grass, not hard concrete.

    But by 2000, Balding knew that circus life was not right for Flora. She often seemed lonely or bored. At times, she kept lying down when Balding asked her to stand up.

    Even as Flora was delighting crowds, worries about circus elephants were growing.

    In the wild, elephants walk many miles and eat a variety of plants. But in the circus, elephants often live alone. They are chained in small rooms and fed unhealthy foods. Many trainers poke elephants with sharp sticks to get them to do tricks.

    This stress can cause many elephants to get sick—or worse. Research shows that an elephant living in the wild will have a considerably longer life than an elephant in captivity.

    Fortunately for Flora, her caretakers treated her pretty well. They rarely chained her up. And they made sure she spent most of her time on soft grass, not hard concrete.

    Still, by 2000, Balding realized that performing in a circus wasn’t the right life for Flora. The elephant often seemed lonely or bored. At times, Flora would keep lying down—even when Balding asked her to stand up.

    Flora needed a new home. But where could she go?

    Balding wasn’t the only one with this problem. By the early 2000s, many circuses began to retire elephants. Most of these animals couldn’t go back to Africa or Asia. They had learned to count on humans for food. They couldn’t survive in the wild.

    Enter the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. A team of experts opened it in 1995 to give elephants from circuses and zoos a natural home.

    Balding visited the sanctuary. He loved it. It had grassy hills. It had ponds and forests. People would help Flora if she got hurt.

    When Flora arrived in 2004, there were 11 other elephants living there.

    Flora needed a new home—but where could she go?

    Balding wasn’t the only person asking such a question. By the early 2000s, many circuses began to retire elephants. Most of these animals could not be sent back to Africa or Asia. After years of depending on humans for food and companionship, the elephants couldn’t survive in the wild.

    Enter the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. A team of experts opened it in 1995 to provide a natural home for elephants from circuses and zoos.

    When Balding visited the sanctuary, he was very impressed. It was big and had grassy hills. It had ponds for elephants to swim in and forests to explore. Caretakers would come to Flora’s aid if she got sick or hurt.

By the time Flora arrived in 2004, 11 other elephants were already living there.

    At first, Flora’s new life wasn’t easy for her. The problem was the way she grew up. She had never learned basic elephant skills. She was rough around the other elephants, which scared them away. 

    Slowly, however, Flora started to adjust. The caretakers taught her to stay calm by rewarding her with treats like popcorn. They helped her explore by hiding her favorite foods around her new home. 

    Soon Flora was introduced to other elephants, like Tange (TAN-jee). Tange had lived in an animal park for many years. She had arrived at the sanctuary right before Flora. 

    The caretakers put Flora’s and Tange’s homes next to each other. They started feeding them together. 

    Soon Flora and Tange started to play by wrapping their trunks together.

    Everyone was happy. Flora had finally found an elephant friend.

    At first, Flora’s new life was hard for her. She had never learned basic elephant skills. She was rough around the other elephants. She scared them.

    But things got better. The caretakers taught her to stay calm by rewarding her with treats. They helped her explore by hiding food around her new home.

    Flora was introduced to other elephants, like Tange (TAN-jee). Tange had lived in an animal park for many years. She had come to the sanctuary right before Flora.

    The caretakers put Flora’s and Tange’s homes next to each other. They started feeding them together.

    Flora and Tange began playing together. Everyone was happy. Flora had an elephant friend.

    At first, Flora’s new life wasn’t easy for her. Because she had grown up in a circus, not in a herd, she had never learned basic elephant skills. She was rough around the other elephants, which scared them away.

    Slowly, however, Flora started to adjust. The caretakers taught her to stay calm by rewarding her with treats like popcorn. They encouraged her to explore by hiding her favorite foods around her new home.

    Before long, Flora was introduced to other elephants, such as Tange (TAN-jee). Tange had lived in an animal park for many years and had arrived at the sanctuary shortly before Flora.

    The caretakers put Flora’s and Tange’s homes next to each other and started feeding them together.

    Soon Flora and Tange started to play by wrapping their trunks together.

    Everyone was happy. Flora had finally found an elephant friend.

    While Flora was adjusting to her new life, a lot was changing across the U.S. In 2016, America’s biggest circus stopped using elephants in its shows. Other circuses soon did the same. 

    Today it’s hard to find a circus in the U.S. with performing elephants. Many cities and states don’t allow circuses to have wild animals.

    As for Flora? She still lives at the sanctuary. And she and Tange have joined up with two more elephants, Sukari and Donna. 

    The four elephants live together like a family. They can be seen playing, eating, and exploring together.

    Flora is wild once again.

    As Flora got used to her new life, a lot was changing across the U.S. In 2016, America’s biggest circus stopped using elephants in its shows. Others soon did the same.

    Now it’s hard to find a circus in the U.S. with elephants. Many cities and states don’t allow circuses to have wild animals.

    Flora still lives at the sanctuary. She and Tange have joined up with two more elephants, Sukari and Donna.

    The four live together as a family. They play, eat, and explore together.

    Flora is wild once again.

    While Flora was adjusting to her new life, a great deal was changing across the U.S. America’s biggest circus stopped featuring elephants in its shows in 2016, and other circuses soon followed its lead.

    Today it’s hard to find a circus in the U.S. that has performing elephants. Many cities and states don’t allow circuses to feature wild animals.

    As for Flora, she still lives at the sanctuary—and she and Tange have joined up with two other elephants, Sukari and Donna.

    The four elephants live together like a family and can be observed playing, eating, and exploring together.

    Flora is wild once again.