Her own home at last for Anne the elephant
SHE endured years of abuse at the hands of her so-called carers while shackled in a dingy barn where she was kept to perform in a circus.
But thanks to the donations of compassionate Daily Mail readers, Anne the elephant has now arrived at her new luxury accommodation, where she will retire in peace.
The Asian elephant, who is almost 60, was transported to Longleat Safari Park in Wiltshire four years ago after Animal Defenders International secretly filmed her being abused by her groom in Northamptonshire.
The disturbing footage showed that Anne was repeatedly hit with a pitchfork by one worker employed to feed and look after her.
‘The move went without a hitch’
She was then stabbed in the face with the tool’s metal prongs in a horrific attack.
After a public outcry she was taken to Longleat – and last week a vet, a specialist osteopath and a dedicated team helped move her into her new accommodation, a £1.2millon luxury enclosure at the safari park partly funded by Mail readers. She walked the 800 yards, slowly and steadily.
The final touches are being put into place on her outdoor space, which features a large grassy paddock, rocks, log piles, sandpit and plunge pool.
And judging by this picture, Anne has already made herself feel at home as she reaches with her trunk for a snack and plays with a rubber tyre. Zoological osteopath Tony Nevin, who has been treating Anne, said: ‘The move went without a hitch, and Anne actually felt better than ever when I examined her once she had settled into the new house, following a very contented dust bath.
‘She is a phenomenal individual, as are the dedicated staff that look after her 24/7.’
Jon Cracknell, Longleat’s director of animal operations, said Anne will share her new home with three goats.
He said: ‘The need of companionship is a real one. Elephants are a social species but we are concerned she physically does not have the ability to be able to stand up to any normal social interactions with new elephants.’
Anne, Europe’s oldest elephant, was brought from Sri Lanka in the 1950s and worked in Bobby Roberts’ Super Circus for 50 years. Roberts, from Northamptonshire, was found guilty of animal cruelty in 2012 after it emerged he kept her constantly chained in her winter quarters and failed to prevent the abuse.