Portugal’s last circus elephant begins a new life at wildlife sanctuary

Meet Julie, the first elephant at a wildlife sanctuary set up in Alentejo, southern Portugal. According to Pangea, she was Portugal's last elephant and the last wild animal remaining in a Portuguese circus.

Julie has moved here through a voluntary agreement with the Víctor Hugo Cardinali circus. Elephant caretaker Johnny Nascimento says she ia asjusting to the new environment. "Julie was shy, we need to accept it's like anyone that arrives to a new place, who knows nobody and does not know the surroundings. Slowly, around one week later, she started trusting and deciding what she wanted to do outside.

There are a lot trails, even if it was thicker, it was twice than it is now, so she has been cleaning the house and in this case, making it her own house,” he explains. Portugal banned wild animals in circuses in 2018, but the law came into effect in 2024 to allow time to adjust and find solutions.

But the circus had nowhere to send Julie. This is part of the reason behind the sanctuary – to be a new home for elephants in need coming from zoos, circuses and other places from all over Europe. The 1,000-acre property aims to provide them with the closest possible environment to their homeland , but in Europe. Julie arrived in June. “We are really happy. She has been with us just over three months now and her weight, she's gained around 100 kilos in that time, but that's perfectly normal," says Ryan Hockley, Manager of Pangea Sanctuary. "Where she was previously she didn’t had the opportunity really to exercise, she was just in a barn most of the time.

Whereas now she has 24 (hour) access, she can be in the barn, she can be in either habitat, she literally owns everything, she makes her own choices. But she is certainly exercising a lot more than she was. So I would like to think that that 100 kilos are more muscle than anything else.” The Portuguese region of Alentejo was chosen due to its warm weather, able to recreate a similar climate to their native Africa.

The sanctuary spreads across two municipalities, Alandroal and Vila Viçosa. The goal of Pangea is to continue expanding to be able to welcome more animals in the future, with a total capacity to host between 20-30 elephants. Julie will not be alone for long. Another elephant from a circus in Belgium is due to arrive soon.

The plan is for Kariba to arrive in November. “If we were going to pick anywhere in Europe I think Portugal is the ideal choice because it really does, the climate gives me that African feeling. Then when I look at her now, and having spent a bit of time in Tanzania or Kenya in Africa, when I see Julie out here particularly at the end of the day when the sun is getting low and you get those shadows and the colour changes, the light changes, it's like a golden colour, I could just be watching an elephant somewhere in Africa,” says Hockley.

Pangea is a UK Trust which opened the sanctuary through collected funds from several other organisations and donors. The sanctuary will not be open to the public.