Forced to perform at circuses in Argentina and Chile for 40 years, Ramba the Asian elephant has spent most of her life alone.
But now, the 51-year-old elephant could have a chance to finally live with other elephants and form family bonds she’s never had before.
She was transported to a roadside zoo in Chile called Parque Safari, where she was supposed to wait until she was picked up by the sanctuary. The rescue offer fell through, and now, six years later, Ramba is still waiting.
“The main goal for bringing her to sanctuary is to give her what every elephant needs: the companionship of other elephants,” Kat Blais, cofounder of the organization, told The Dodo. “She needs additional space, a more natural life and more autonomy, but the biggest thing missing in her life is being part of a herd.”
To transport 4.5-ton Ramba to the sanctuary, the organization estimates it will need to raise $250,000 to cover the costs, which include air and ground transportation and cranes to load and unload her traveling crate.
Like Ramba, Maia and Guida were also circus elephants before being rescued and brought to the Brazilian sanctuary last year. Life in the circus is never easy for elephants, who are often forced to live in chains and submit to cruel reinforcements in order to be controlled for entertainment. Similar to many elephants her age, Blais said, Ramba was stolen from the wild as a baby for the circus.
Ramba was taken from the wild as a baby and hasn’t been part of a natural herd ever since. | Global Sanctuary for Elephants
“There is an emotional part of her that has never opened up fully,” Blais said. “We believe that will change once she is with other elephants and can receive the nurturing support that only another elephant can offer.”