Elephant Charley - formerly of the Pretoria zoo - was released into a new enclosure at Shambala Private Reserve this week where he can now roam in one hectare of the savanna and start foraging for food by himself.
With a special feeding and trust-building programme, the African elephant is being prepared step by step for his life in the wild by an expert team of global animal welfare organisation, Four Paws, and his future caretakers in Shambala.
Charley is rapidly adapting to his newly won liberties after he was saved from what is said to be life-long abuse for human entertainment in a circus and zoo.
Four Paws veterinarian Dr Marina Ivanova said: “Charley is a very special elephant. He is a fast learner and adapts really well to his new environment.
“Charley has already built a strong bond of trust with the new caretakers. With every day, he is starting to behave more and more like a wild elephant.”
Ivanova said it was simply beautiful to see that he had already started communicating with the other elephants in the reserve from afar.
“Last week, he trumpeted for the very first time and used his trunk to pour water over his head. This week he has enjoyed his first mud bath since being in captivity for over four decades.
“It is with great joy that we are watching him settle in so well.”
His new enclosure has a pool and a mud bath, which are important for elephants’ skincare. The new enclosure serves as an important step for his later release into the 12 000 hectare reserve, where he can decide to join one of the two elephant groups or to live alone.
Ivanova said that to get Charley ready, a lot still needed to be done.
He was being taught to come back to his safe space in the enclosure, which was important, for example, for future veterinary examinations.
“In the wild, elephants walk up to 150 kilometres a day. We are helping Charley to slowly build up the needed muscles for his big release into the entire reserve.
“He is on a special diet to gain weight for his life in the wild. We are teaching him how to pick fresh branches from trees, which are important for his digestion.
“His favourite food is pumpkins, which he absolutely loves and devours rapidly.”
According to Ivanova, his captivity had left deep wounds that were now starting to heal. Charley’s nails had deep cracks from inappropriate keeping and needed special attention.
In Shambala, Charley already started his own foot care by shaping them through rubbing on rocks, like wild elephants do.
For his final release into the entire reserve, Charley, who is currently weighing five tons, still needs to gain at least more than hundred kilograms. Each day he is fed with a rich diet of up to 130kg of seasonal vegetables, fruit, hay and branches.
Global animal welfare organisation Four Paws, The Elizabeth Margaret Steyn Foundation and Shambala Private Reserve have worked in collaboration for his retirement to the Limpopo reserve.
Before being retired to Shambala on August 19, Charley has spent most of his life in captivity. He was born in 1982 in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.
He then was captured when still a youngster to perform at Boswell Circus two years later in South Africa.
When his owner faced charges of animal cruelty for beating his elephants and not providing them with enough water and shade, Charley was transferred to Pretoria zoo in 2001, where he spent more than two decades alone in a barren enclosure.
He has shown signs of distress, including repetitive head-swaying - a behaviour commonly found in captivity, but has started to recover.
Pretoria News
zelda.venter@inl.co.za