July 2006
The Fund for Animals and the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch have received and responded to numerous questions about Babe, our rescued African elephant who is currently the only elephant living at the sanctuary. Her circumstance is set within the context of a larger debate about the needs of elephants in captive settings. The Fund for Animals and its partner organization, The Humane Society of the United States, have expressed concerns about the welfare of elephants at some zoos. We have been critical of keeping elephants in cold-weather climates, and we have stressed the need for social and psychological enrichment in captive settings. We have emphasized how difficult it is to provide adequate stimulation and care for these long-lived, wide-ranging animals with such complex social structures. It is only natural that we would receive questions about a lone elephant at our own animal care facility, and we provide this statement as an update on Babe’s status.
About Babe
A 22-year-old female African elephant, Babe is the remaining elephant of a group of four who lived at Black Beauty Ranch for many years. Based on information in the African Elephant Studbook, Babe was born in 1984 in Kruger National Park in South Africa. In 1986, we believe, her mother was killed and Babe was captured and imported to the United States, spending the next ten years as a circus elephant. At some point during her capture, transport, and life in the circus, she suffered serious injuries to her legs and feet which may not been immediately treated by her owners. We suspect that she injured her legs while she was confined in a crate during her boat trip from Africa to the United States, and that the injuries became worse during her time in the circus. Because the injuries were not properly cared for, it appears that Babe lost her ability to put almost any weight on her right hind leg and she now suffers from a chronic disability.
With her injuries, Babe was not perceived to be a very good circus performer, and her owners gave her to The Fund for Animals and brought her to Black Beauty Ranch in February 1996. Through ongoing care at the ranch, Babe’s condition has improved and she is able to stand and walk around her yard without too much evidence of serious discomfort. Since her arrival at the ranch, she has had excellent veterinary care, a nutritious diet, exercise, enrichment, and until recently, the companionship of other elephants. Her current habitat is about one acre in size, with a swimming pool, a sandbox, and both indoor and outdoor access.
Current Status
Although her situation has greatly improved from that of a decade ago, we have been seriously concerned that Babe does not currently have the companionship of other elephants. In 2005, we began a thorough assessment of Babe’s health and mobility to determine whether it would be possible to place her at an accredited animal sanctuary where she would have more space and an opportunity to socialize with other elephants. We solicited and received input from professional elephant managers and experienced elephant veterinarians, in order to address any concerns involved in moving her to a facility where she could receive both the care she needs, and enjoy the companionship of other elephants in a sanctuary setting.
One of the options we considered was moving Babe to the Ark 2000 sanctuary operated by the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in northern California. At this time, however, based on the recommendations of elephant experts, the consensus is that moving Babe to another facility is not in her best interest at present.
As Pat Derby, director of PAWS, concluded:
“Based on our experience and the evaluation of Babe’s medical condition by two highly qualified veterinarians, we do not believe moving Babe would be the best solution for her. Her injuries could create major problems in transport, and, even if the move went well, the adjustment to new surroundings and new friends would cause stress which seems unnecessary since she is obviously very comfortable at Black Beauty Ranch. Although she is without elephant companions, she lives in a loving and familiar environment which could be enhanced further with a few changes.”
Dr. Jackie Gai, PAWS’ veterinarian, further wrote:
“Due to Babe’s severe degenerative joint disease, her dramatic and progressive angular limb deformities, and the relative decrease in bone density within her fused joints, I do not recommend that she be transported. There is increased risk of fracture during transport at the distal limb joints due to shear forces from her own abnormal angle of weight-bearing, as well as the areas of decreased bone density. Even if transport were uneventful, adjustment to a new facility would, in my opinion, be a challenge likely to adversely affect her health leading to decompensation. Babe currently lies down to rest daily. This is critically important to her health in that it allows her to take weight off of her deformed legs. The terrain in her current enclosure is reasonably flat, and soft and forgiving. She seems well-adapted to her current surroundings and appears comfortable without obvious signs of pain. The climate at Black Beauty Ranch is good.”
Future Plans
Instead of moving Babe, we are in the process of modifying her accommodations at the ranch to make her physical environment more suitable to her needs. The flat, soft terrain of her current habitat seems to be better for her feet than would be the rough, hilly terrain of a larger elephant sanctuary. Although Babe is without the companionship of other elephants, she loves the companionship of people and other animals. She is often seen interacting with other animals over her fence, especially Omar, a dromedary camel rescued from the exotic pet trade. We have recently added a new staff position at the ranch for a full-time elephant keeper, so that Babe will have even more personal attention and interaction. At the same time, we are working with expert consultants to provide training for both Babe and the ranch staff and to ensure that her environment is as stimulating as possible.
As Babe continues to make progress in her physical abilities through exercise and training, we will continue to evaluate future scenarios such as a move to another sanctuary setting or the addition of another rescued elephant as a companion for her at the ranch. Presently, her care is designed to make her as comfortable as possible and to provide as enriched an environment as possible for her psychological well-being. Our first priority is to do what is best for Babe, and we will continue to do whatever we can to provide her the most humane and most loving care possible. We appreciate the inquiries from our members and supporters who are so concerned about Babe’s well-being and want what is best for her as well.
posted July 5, 2006
