Elephant Sanctuary Habitat in Tennessee
Retired Elephants Live Golden Years on 2700 Acre Natural Environment
Jan 15, 2009
The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee is the largest natural habitat refuge in the United States, according to information on the organization website. Elephants who have retired from circuses and zoos may find a home on the 2700 acre habitat with natural environments for Asian and African elephants.
Sanctuary for Retired Elephants
Elephants live out their retirement years roaming in one of three separate and protected environments. Resident elephants are not required to entertain or perform, but they get to live out their golden years living like elephants.
The Elephant Sanctuary takes in needy female elephants, which are released to roam on the 2700 acre habitat. While the habitat is still a form of captivity, it comes pretty close to being in the wild for the mammals.
Elephants are social animals, so when they are released into the sanctuary they look for a friend. They pair off, just like human girlfriends who hang out together, according to a CBS report.on You Tube with Steve Hartman, on CBS News with Katie Couric:The Animal Odd Couple.
The sanctuary takes in only female elephants because it is not natural for adult female and male Asian elephants to live together. Female elephants live together in a social setting, but adult males prefer to be alone.
Fact or Fiction? – Elephants Never Forget
The Elephant Sanctuary website has pictures of all their elephants and the property. In their "In the News" section they have published an interesting article by James Ritchie that was published in Scientist American. The article, titled "Fact of Fiction? – Elephants Never Forget", talks about the long memory that is legendary in elephants.
In the article, Carol Buckley at the Elephant Sanctuary, reported that when a resident elephant was introduced to a newcomer the two girls, Jenny and Shirley, could hardly contain their excitement at seeing each other. It turned out that the two had been in the same traveling circus 23 years earlier.
Researchers believe that their remarkable power of recall is how elephants survive. Matriarch elephants hold a store of social knowledge that their families rely on to survive.
Elephants have high intelligence, right up there with dolphins, apes and human beings. According to research these are the only mammals that can recognize their reflections in the mirror.
Tribute to Jon and Jim Hager
Jon and Jim Hager were the twin duo, famed for their years on the country music show “Hee-Haw”. Sadly, both of the 67-year-old men passed away recently. Jim Hager died in May, 2008. Jon Hager passed away on January 9, 2009.
The musical twins were avid supporters of the Elephant Sanctuary from its beginning in 1995.
Elephant Sanctuary Mission
The Elephant Sanctuary provides a humane natural environment for female elephants to live out their golden years after being retired from zoos and circuses.
According the their mission statement, the Elephant Sanctuary exists for two reasons:
- To provide a haven for old, sick or needy elephants in a setting of green pastures, dense forests, spring-fed ponds and heated barns for cold winter nights.
- To provide education about the crisis facing these social, sensitive, passionately intense, playful, complex, exceedingly intelligent and endangered creatures.
The sanctuary is a non-profit organization that takes donations to help provide sanctuary for the elephants.
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