longleat safari elephant

Thousands call on Longleat to free Britain’s 'loneliest elephant' from Wiltshire animal park

• West Country
• Longleat Safari Park
• Anne the elephant
• Tuesday 9 February 2021 at 3:00pm

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Almost 400,000 people have signed a petition demanding 'Britain’s loneliest elephant' be re-homed to a sanctuary in central France. 

Anne is currently being cared for at Longleat Safari Park near Warminster, Wiltshire, but she has not seen another elephant in almost two decades. 

Animal activists want her to be moved from Wiltshire to Elephant Haven in Limousin so she can mix with other elephants. In the wild, females live in large family herds.

Adrian Lanfear, a former Longleat employee and the man behind the petition, said: “She probably believes she’s the last elephant in existence."

Anne, the UK’s last circus elephant, was rescued by Longleat in 2011 after Animal Defenders International exposed footage of her being hit and stabbed with a pitchfork by a circus employee. But animal welfare lobbyists argue the Longleat move was only supposed to be a temporary solution before finding her a forever home. 

Campaigners say the warmer climate in France will be kinder to Anne’s arthritis and living with other elephants will improve her quality of life. But Longleat argues Anne's complex needs and age impact her ability to travel. They add that introducing her to younger elephants at this age could leave her at risk of being bullied or physically hurt, a claim disputed by Elephant Haven.

In a statement, the Longleat said: "We understand the sanctuary [in France] was launched in 2012 but, to date, is yet to actually look after any elephants and certainly not one with Anne’s complex care requirements. Anne would be their first and only elephant." Elephant Haven has been in development since 2012 and says in response that it is now ready to welcome Anne, followed by other elephants.

Jon Merrington, Head of Safari at Longleat, added “The importance is the distinction with what’s right for Anne the elephant, versus what’s right for an elephant. Anne has got a very specific set of circumstances; she’s a very old lady and she’s got arthritis that comes with old age.” 

Anne lives in a custom-built enclosure which Longleat says provides her with all the creature comforts she needs to live out the rest of her years comfortably. 

A second elephant could be brought to Wiltshire to keep Anne company, but Longleat says it wants to avoid the possibility of having to halve Anne's enclosure if the pair do not get along and have to be separated. They deny the decision to keep their most famous animal is financially motivated, pointing out that the paying public often can't even see Anne and that her heating bill alone is £20,000 a year.

Anne's severe health issues mean she is exempt from the guidance issued by the UK Elephant Welfare Group which says elephants should have constant contact with others of their kind. The government-backed British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) has moved to support Longleat’s decision to push back against the mounting pressure. 

They told ITV News: “In Anne's case we are satisfied they are providing a good home for an elephant in a unique situation following from her difficult background circumstances. 

“Anne is inspected regularly by independent DEFRA-appointed elephant expert inspectors; these inspections show they are really pleased with the care provided by Longleat and the progress Anne is making.”

Campaigners from Action for Elephants, Global Elephant Sanctuary, Born Free and Four Paws want Anne to be inspected by representatives from outside the zoo sector. They and others have detailed their positions in a series of open letters to Longleat.

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To pack a trunk or not? Battle over retirement plans of ‘Britain’s loneliest elephant’, saved from the circus

After 19 years of not seeing another of her kind, anne is desperate for company, activists say; but longleat insists its famous resident should not be moved. a jumbo battle is under way, writes jane dalton.

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S he’s a grande dame who over the years has made headlines for surviving more horrors than anyone should in a lifetime. And now, in the twilight of her life, she is again in the spotlight but unaware of the controversy surrounding her future.

Anne, Britain’s last circus elephant,  captured hearts in 2011 when video footage revealed her being kept in chains at a circus and being struck behind the scenes with a pitchfork.

She was rescued – but now she has not seen another of her kind for 19 years, and activists want her to retire to a specially designed sanctuary with the company of other elephants .

Anne’s plight has even prompted television star Joanna Lumley to call for her to be moved to the sanctuary in France .

Activists say “Britain’s loneliest elephant”, who spent nearly 55 years performing in the circus, shows clear signs of stress - and that a milder climate that would help her arthritis.

But they are battling with officials at Longleat Safari Park who have refused to let her go, saying the stress of a move abroad would be too risky for Anne because of her age as well as her physical and mental health. Besides, they say, introducing her to younger elephants after all this time would leave her in danger of being bullied.  

Circus owner Bobby Roberts, 69, was found guilty of three counts of causing unnecessary suffering and of failing to prevent a groom from repeatedly beating Anne.

She was then transferred to Longleat in Wiltshire, which built a heated home specially for her, which she is free to move in and out of around the clock.

But animal-welfare lobbyists say the conditions are inadequate for an animal that needs company, more sunlight and environmental stimulation.  They also claim Longleat has failed to provide Anne with a suitable pool to wallow in, plenty of trees and vast spaces to roam in, leading to her swaying, which captive elephants do when they are stressed.

Absolutely Fabulous star Lumley said: “It's unnatural and cruel for a highly intelligent, social female elephant to be confined alone, and Anne has been on her own for 19 years.  

“Listless and dejected, she has nothing to enrich or stimulate her – her life is one of uninterrupted monotony.  

“It’s time now for Longleat to do the right thing and release her to sanctuary, where she will have all her needs met and can finally live among other elephants, as nature intended.”

Action for Elephants (AfE) UK and Animal Defenders International say a place is waiting for Anne at Elephant Haven in Limousin, France, which they say has also offered to fund the transportation.  They are calling on Longleat to allow independent inspectors to assess whether she is fit to travel.  

 “She could roam freely there, something she has never experienced in her life. Most importantly, she would be with her own kind,” says Maria Mossman, founder of AfE. 

But, as Longleat points out, the French sanctuary does not yet have any pachyderm residents. Elephant Haven says that when any do arrive, they will each have huge spaces – at least five acres of land – to roam in.

Officials say Anne, who was born in Sri Lanka and came to the UK aged five, is very used to the British environment, and that none of her regular health checks has suggested any issues over the climate.

The activists also insist Anne never uses the pool in her enclosure as it’s too steep. “There are no pictures of Anne being in the pool with the water above her ankles,” Ms Mossman says.  

A Longleat spokesman says: “We have never ruled out moving her to another home if somewhere suitable can be found. However, any decision must be based entirely on her specific needs and welfare.” 

An official inspection in 2019 recorded that the Longleat environment was “positively challenging and stimulating” and provided enrichment. But it also acknowledged “stereotypy” behaviour – swaying – which is caused by stress and is not seen in the wild.

“She has only a dead tree stump that has been there for five years,” Ms Mossman adds. “There are lots of trees to the back of Anne's barn that she is not allowed to access.  

“The report also said she has a mud wallow. I went to see Anne myself and there is no mud wallow.

“Cars drive around Anne all day, and if she wants to come out of her barn she has to go close to them.    

“I saw myself her standing in her barn swaying back and forth, something that Kaavan used to do but has believed to stop since moving to Cambodia.”  

The world celebrated when Kaavan – dubbed “the world’s loneliest elephant” – was moved last month from miserable conditions in a Pakistan zoo.

AfE UK points out the 2019 inspection report does not mention her being frail, saying she was “looking remarkably good”.

According to Longleat chiefs, Anne has a shallow mud pool but a deeper one could lead to her becoming stuck, and she shares her enclosure with a group of goats.

“Anne has a multitude of stimulation and enrichment devices in her outdoor and indoor living spaces including logs, branches, enrichment devices (balls, ‘play’ objects etc), mulch to play in and various feeding alternatives, which encourage her to use her trunk and improve her overall mobility," the spokesman says. “The trees, logs and branches are regularly changed within both her indoor and outdoor spaces.”

Anne’s stress, such as swaying, has improved in the past decade, but, he adds: “She will, on occasion, revert to swaying and it is likely this is something she will continue to do from time to time for the remainder of her life.”

The elephant-welfare activists, though, feel let down.

Ms Mossman says: “Anne was never meant to remain at Longleat after her removal from the circus. It was envisaged that she would be relocated to a more appropriate environment, one able to fully meet her social and behavioural needs and physical wellbeing.  

“Longleat announced plans for an elephant sanctuary but in 2014 these plans were scrapped.

“It is now 19 years since Anne has seen another elephant. Ten of those years are because of Longleat not fulfilling their aim of reuniting Anne with her own kind. Ten more years of loneliness and deprivation that need never have happened.

“If Anne was independently assessed and not fit to travel, then of course we would not pursue this,” says Ms Mossman.  

Longleat declined to reveal to The Independent the identities of the experts who have already assessed Anne. But the Born Free Foundation has said it supports a new independent veterinary assessment of her health and whether she would be fit to travel. And Scott Blais, founder of the US-based Global Sanctuary for Elephants, is encouraging a move to France, based on seeing video evidence of her.

The park spokesman says they had initially hoped to build a sanctuary but after assessing Anne, decided company would not suit her.

There is footage online of the time Longleat played elephant calls through speakers to her. She came out of her barn looking for the herd. “We can't imagine how she must have felt once she realised there were no actual elephants there. It showed she desperately yearns company of her own kind,” says Ms Mossman.

Even Anne’s age is disputed: some believe she is nearly 70 now, but AfE says it has evidence suggesting she is up to 10 years younger.

Hundreds of thousands of people have signed petitions calling for Anne to be moved or her conditions improved.

One says: “Elephants are complex social animals and in the wild spend most of their day interacting in social activities.” Longleat says it recognises this but the risks to Anne of a journey abroad and of being bullied by another elephant are too great. Officials say independent inspectors have previously judged a move too risky.

The spokesman added: “The reality of her situation now is that she is a very elderly elephant with significant underlying, as well as age-related health issues, the latter of which will sadly not improve.  

“In addition to physical and mental abuse from her previous ‘keepers’, there is also evidence she was bullied by the elephants she was kept with. The dangers now of attempting to mix her with other elephants are, in the opinions of numerous independent welfare experts as well as the team who care for her, extremely high.”

Anne is regularly assessed by independent organisations, he said, and has a full annual check-up with suggested improvements to her care.

“Our sole aim is to try and ensure Anne is able to live out her remaining years in a safe, secure, familiar and, above all, loving environment.”

Ms Mossman points to her photo, showing greenery behind the barn. “It’s heartbreaking to see those trees in the background that she can’t access.”

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Anne the Longleat elephant inspired a global mission to heal her kind

Meet Anne, the oldest Asian elephant in Europe, who has been receiving osteopathy treatments at Longleat Safari Park

• 08:47, 16 AUG 2023

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Longleat have been trumpeting the success of an important project to help conserve and protect Asian elephants. Marking World Elephant Day on Saturday, August 12, Longleat has shared, for the first time, details of their keepers efforts to head from the Wiltshire Safari Park to Thailand to support renowned osteopath, Tony Nevin, in giving practical workshops to people who care for elephants internationally.

Longleat has been home to Anne the elephant since 2011 after she was rescued from a circus. Due to her previous life, she suffers from a series of health and welfare issues including chronic arthritis in her back legs.

Tony has been treating Anne ever since she arrived at Longleat to improve her mobility and reduce her discomfort.

He is utilising the skills and insights gained from his time with her to help treat other rescued elephants worldwide and provide guidance and advice for the people who care for them.

Techniques that might seem simple for smaller animals or humans, take on new significance and complexity with these ginormous animals.

The application of Tony’s osteopathy practices with the rescued elephants at the workshop in Thailand saw a marked improvement in their posture and gait over the course of a week.

His techniques and advice will also be used by vets and animal rescue groups who attended the event from across Asia to minimise discomfort among many more rescued elephants and help them live healthier, happier lives.

“Anne is hugely intelligent and renowned for being quite the character by all who are lucky enough to spend time with her,” said Longleat’s head of animal operations, Darren Beasley.

“It is a privilege to have been entrusted with her care and we’re so pleased that, with Tony’s help, we can share the learning and techniques honed at Longleat to provide vital support for her species across the world,” he added.

Longleat has joined forces with the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) and the World Elephant Day Foundation to help secure better outcomes for elephants across the world.

They’re calling on the public to write to their MPs asking the government to support the conservation of elephants and promote high-welfare conditions for elephants in human care around the world.

"We are proud that our member safari parks such as Longleat are world-leaders in elephant care,” said Dr Jo Judge, CEO of BIAZA.

“The dedicated work of Tony and the Longleat keepers is a brilliant example of this - sharing the knowledge and skills they have in caring for Anne, can go on to support elephants all across the world.

“Together we are fighting for a world where elephants thrive both in human care and in the wild” she added.

At approximately 69 years of age, Anne is the oldest Asian elephant on record in Europe, and thought to be among the five eldest elephants in the world. Expert keepers and veterinary teams use a toolbox of techniques to make sure she is well cared for and in the best health possible.

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Tug-of-war battle breaks out over ‘lonely’ rescued circus elephant

SHE was famed as the last circus elephant who entertained generations of Scots as part of the Bobby Roberts Super Circus that toured the country.

But in 2011, footage emerged of Anne the elephant being beaten by a worker while chained to the floor at the circus.

It saw criminal charges and Anne rehomed at a purpose-built sanctuary at Longleat Safari Park in England.

Campaigners hoped it would be 58-year-old Anne’s permanent home where she would be surrounded by other elephants.

But now a tug-of-war has erupted over Anne’s future amid claims she’s gone from being Britain’s last circus elephant to its loneliest.

Campaigners now want her moved to a sanctuary in France amid claims Longleat have reneged on promises to have other elephants put there to provide company for Anne.

An online petition has attracted almost 210,000 signatures with a sanctuary based in central France poised to accept her.

The Elephant Haven – European Elephant Sanctuary, on the outskirts of a natural park near Limoges, say she would be homed with other elephants if moved there.

The campaigners who filmed the abuse Anne suffered at Bobby Roberts Super Circus are backing the bid to move her to France.

Jan Creamer, the president of Animal Defenders International, said: “Elephants are highly social, intelligent animals who enjoy and need the company of their own kind.

“Anne has spent almost her entire life with other elephants and it is incredibly disappointing that she has not been given the sanctuary promised.

“Having worked so hard to expose the terrible abuse she endured in the circus, ADI want nothing more than for Anne to have a friend.

“We hope it’s not too late.”

John Robins, of pressure group Animal Concern, followed Anne around Scotland during years of campaigning to have animal acts banned.

He said: “This is a sad end to a very sad story. Anne spent her life constricted in beast wagons and chained by three legs inside circus tents but at least she had the company of others of her own kind.

“Now she has space and freedom at Longleat but no companions to share it with.

“I hope Longleat will put Anne’s needs first and give her freely to the French elephant sanctuary where she will have both space and company to enrich her final years.”

The Elephant Haven – European Elephant Sanctuary confirmed they had been approached by campaigners to rehome Anne, which they have agreed to.

But Longleat say experts have told them Anne would be best on her own.

It built Anne a “luxurious” purpose-built home at Longleat Safari Park in 2015, reportedly at a cost of more than £1 million.

A spokesman for the safari park said since Anne moved to Longleat her health and overall condition has “advanced significantly”.

He added: “Anne is now in her sixties and, in addition to her great age, she has also had to contend with the physical and mental hardships of spending almost 50 years performing in a circus.

“Given Anne’s age, limited mobility due to arthritis, compromised health, and the fact she has lived a large part of her life without other elephants we strongly believe her current situation is the best option at this time.

“We believe there would be a massive and unjustifiable risk in attempting to move Anne to a new home.

“We also entirely understand and sympathise with the genuine belief some people have that, despite all of Anne’s very specific issues, she would benefit from the company of other elephants.

“While we are sure the intentions behind the petition are heartfelt, we are concerned they are offering an unrealistic hope to people unfamiliar with the reality of the situation.

“The overwhelming opinion among elephant experts familiar with Anne’s case is that the stresses and risks involved with transporting her are unacceptable.”

In 2012, Bobby Roberts was found guilty of three counts of causing unnecessary suffering to Anne.

Roberts, 69, was also convicted of failing to prevent groom Nicolai Nitu, from Romania, from repeatedly beating the animal.

In 2017, Scotland banned the use of wild animals in circuses. The rest of the UK has since followed suit.

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Abused Elephant Gets New Home At Safari Park

Thursday 31 March 2011 12:21, UK

A circus elephant who was filmed being abused is to get a new home at Longleat Safari Park.

The elderly performing elephant, named Anne, is being moved to the Wiltshire park after bosses at the Bobby Roberts Super Circus agreed to the change.

Northamptonshire Police is investigating after secretly-filmed video showed the Asian elephant being kicked, hit with a metal pitchfork and being tied up with heavy chains.

The footage was taken by Animal Defenders International (ADI) between January 12 and February 15.

The circus said the alleged incidents "appear to be isolated and at times when Bobby Roberts was away for short periods" and that the groom employed to care for Anne had "disappeared".

Animal rights groups including the ADI, the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Born Free Foundation, Longleat and Specialist Wildlife Services met to discuss the best options for the elephant.

In a joint statement, they said: "We are delighted to announce that Mr Roberts has agreed that Anne can be re-homed to a place where she will feel safe and secure.

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"Longleat has facilities to house Anne and provide her with a secure environment with the best possible veterinary care."

Anne will be taken to Longleat "as soon as possible", according to the RSPCA.

Precise details of the move are being withheld to make sure that her trip does not attract too much attention and her stress levels are kept down.

Andy Hayton

From the list of elephant persons family: hayton.

Sources used for this article is among others:

• elephant-news.com
• elefanten-fotolexikon.eu
• Elephant Commentator
• Amazon Books
• Google Books
• Buckles Blog (William Buckles Woocock))

• Bahasa Indonesia
• Slovenščina
• Science & Tech
• Russian Kitchen

The elephants that entertained Russian tsars

The first elephant in Russia had hare’s ears and tiger’s claws! A pair of bas-reliefs with elephants used to guard the southern wall of the Saint George Cathedral in Yuryev-Polsky (Vladimir Region, 180 km from Moscow). Today only one of them is left. Whoever created this elephant never saw it in the flesh; only in the 16th century did the huge beasts arrive on Russians soil.

1. Ivan the Terrible’s elephant

The elephant on the walls of the Saint George Cathedral in Yuryev-Polsky

Exotic animals were a usual royal gift in the 16th century. So Persian Shah Tahmasp I sent an elephant to Tsar Ivan the Terrible to express his affection. Heinrich von Staden, a German in Ivan’s service, wrote that the elephant came with its minder. Legend has it that on arrival, the elephant was so tired that it fell to its knees immediately after seeing Ivan, which pleased the Tsar, so he gave the minder a healthy salary, which made many poor Muscovites envious. When in 1570, the plague spread through Moscow, many blamed the beast. The elephant and his minder were sent away to a remote town, where the musher died. People feared that without proper care, the elephant might go mad, so the Tsar sent a hit squad to kill the animal. The elephant was found on his minder’s grave, refusing to leave. Its trunks were sent to Ivan as proof that it was dead.

2. Elephants owned by Peter the Great

Persian Shahs continued to supply Russia with elephants. In 1713, one was sent to Peter the Great. Andrey Denisov, a contemporary, saw the beast in Moscow en route to St. Petersburg. His affectionate description related that the elephant’s legs were “of man’s height and as thick as a log,” the beast was “black of color,” had a “ drooping back” and a “hunched spine,” walked “heavily like a bear” and his ears resembled “oven doors.” In St. Petersburg, the elephant’s minders made money by dressing the animal lavishly and taking it to rich people’s houses during holidays. The elephant lasted only three years in the St. Petersburg climate. The Shah then sent another smaller one, who was kept in the Great Meadow (now the Field of Mars, St. Petersburg) and was “very tame and domestic,” according to contemporaries. “With his trunk, he took white bread from us, and he played with his guardians, lifting them high up in the air.”

3. Anna’s elephant

The elephants during the wedding in the Ice House, 1740.

In 1736, another Persian elephant was gifted to Anna of Russia, the Empress who loved circus entertainment. The elephant was placed in the care of three keepers who frequently took him out into the streets for people to look at. The sources show the elephant’s annual ration: 24 tons of hay, 2,200kg of rice, six tons of flour, 450 kg of sugar and also cinnamon, nutmeg, dianthus, saffron, and other spices. And vodka – about 600 liters a year.

Anna herself once watched the elephant do tricks for over an hour, and she liked it so much she “commissioned” the beast to take part in the famous   jesters’ wedding in the Ice House . But this was not the last elephant Persian rulers sent to Russia.

4. Elephants as a proposal: Elizabeth of Russia

On Oct. 10, 1741, 14 elephants were presented as a gift to the Russian princess Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, from Persian tyrant Nader Shah Afshar. Five of the elephants were to please   Ivan VI, an infant tsar   who had just taken the throne, two – for his mother Anna, and seven – for the lovely Elizabeth. Along with elephants, luxurious Persian jewelry and crockery were brought. Nader Shah Afshar sought the marriage to strengthen his ties with Russia amid a strained relationship with Turkey. But Chancellor Andrey Osterman stopped the Persian envoy from seeing Elizabeth. The envoy was sent back with nothing.

The elephants were placed in the Great Meadow in enclosures. Also, some St. Petersburg roads and bridges were strengthened to hold the elephants during their walks. Asatiy, the keeper who looked after Anna’s elephant, asked for strong metal chains to hold the elephants in place, and it turned out they were needed. In six days, the elephants “became aggressive due to the females, three of them escaped. Two were soon caught, while the third reached Vasilyevsky Island, where he damaged the Senate building and a ran amok in a Finnish village,” wrote a St. Petersburg newspaper. The beast attacked the building of the Twelve Collegia located on Vasilyevsky island, where the Senate resided at the time.

5. Nicholas II’s elephants

Tsar Nicholas II and his favorite elephant.

After Elizabeth, nearly every Russian Emperor had an elephant simply for entertainment. They were kept in the Tsarskoye Selo residence near St. Petersburg. But Nicholas II, who was known for his love to animals, brought his elephant home himself.

The elephant bathing at Tsarskoye Selo.

In 1891, Nicholas (a Grand Duke at the time) brought an elephant from his world trip. In 1896, he received another elephant from Abyssinia (Ethiopia). This elephant lived a long and comfortable life in Tsarskoye Selo. “The elephant is remarkably good-natured and is very attached to its keeper. "

" In the summer, it walks outside freely and every day it bathes in Alexander Park.” The Emperor loved to see the elephant swim and often brought all his children to watch .

The Abyssinian elephant was killed in 1917 because it was viewed as a symbol of the autocracy, just as Ivan the Terrible’s elephant had been. Sadly, the beasts’ only “fault” was the lavish lifestyle they enjoyed in royal residences.

By the way, Russia is indeed the home of the elephant – find out why .

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US tourist killed in attack by elephant (VIDEO) — RT Africa

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An 80-year-old tourist from the US has lost her life following an encounter with a bull elephant, when the animal charged at a safari vehicle in Zambia.

On Saturday, six guests and a guide were on a drive in Kafue National Park when the incident happened. The woman was taken by helicopter to a hospital in South Africa with injuries and was later declared dead. Four other people received treatment for minor injuries.

A video of the elephant attack, apparently filmed by one of the tourists, was shared online. The animal is seen chasing the car – when the vehicle stopped, the elephant flipped it over.

An 80-year-old woman identified as an American citizen, a guest at Kafue National Park destination in Zambia, tragically died after being attacked by a bull elephant on Saturday while game viewing at Lufupa River camp. pic.twitter.com/mye8REhdwY

— Eagle FM Namibia (@EagleFMNam) April 4, 2024

On Wednesday, Keith Vincent, the CEO of Wilderness, the company that was operating the safari, told ABC News that the company’s guides “are all extremely well trained and experienced, but sadly in this instance the terrain and vegetation were such that the guide’s route became blocked and he could not move the vehicle out of harm’s way quickly enough.”

Zambia’s Department of National Parks and local police have launched an investigation into the incident. The local authorities and the US Embassy are working to repatriate the woman’s remains, Wilderness officials said.

READ MORE: Botswana threatens to ‘deport’ 20,000 elephants to Germany

According to ABC News, the victim was identified as Gail Mattson by her family.

On March 18, another safari vehicle encountered an elephant in South Africa’s Pilanesberg National Park. No injuries were reported. Footage from the incident shows an elephant raising the 22-seat safari truck multiple times. The driver attempted to scare it away by slamming the doors and yelling.

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