An Elephant's Tale In Tennessee

Bill Geist Visits An Elephant Sanctuary Where Pachyderms Go To Retire

(CBS)  There is a place for circus and zoo elephants to go after they retire. It's in rural Tennessee. And Sunday Morning correspondent Bill Geist was able to go where no visitors had ever been before.

This is an elephant's tale.

Dulary lived in Philadelphia, where she put in 43 years at the zoo employed as an exhibit, never missing a day, but was laid off this year. There was a retirement party where her friends came to say their goodbyes.

But where would Dulary retire? Elephants don't have 401(k)s and a choice of retirement communities. There's really only one that's exclusively for pachyderms: the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn.

Started in 1995 by Carol Buckley and her partner Scott Blais, it has grown to 2,700 acres, a place where elephants can literally run wild - although, being a retirement home, they usually walk. It is something of an elephant paradise.

"What we try to do is just give them autonomy, give them their lives back," Blais said. "And we don't use chains. The only confinement we have is the barn and it's their decision to come in the barn. We give them as much freedom and flexibility in their own life, freedom of who they hang out with, where they can go. You know if they dislike their keeper that comes into effect also, and we try to accommodate them."

And do they ever. The level of service is five-star quality. If the elephants don't feel like hoofing it back to their new luxury barn, food and beverages are delivered to them.

"We bring it out on a four-wheeler wherever they are because we don't want to dictate their movements," Buckley said.

There are spa cuisine and spa treatments like apple cider vinegar footbaths. And the elephants don't ever have to perform or entertain. The public isn't even allowed in to look at them except by Webcam. The site got 40 millions hits last year.

"We run the risk of one, disturbing them by bringing in people," Buckley said, "And two, of impacting them on a social level."

Co-starring with Dulary in this elephant's tale is Tarra. Tarra had a brilliant career in show business, where she was huge (and still is, weighing in at 8,700 pounds). Buckley was her owner-manager.

"She and I went on the road and performed in the circus for about 15 years," Buckley said. "Classic traditional elephant act; runs around circle then lays down, plays a harmonica, all those silly tricks. In fact, she was the world's only roller skating elephant."

She was on TV and had a guest spot on "Little House on the Prairie."

"When Tara was little she liked it," Buckley said. "But as she got older it was not so much fun. I really didn't want to be with an unhappy elephant."

Tarra was ready to hang up her skates.

"I just started thinking, do elephants have to live in these traditional environments in zoos and performing in circuses?" Buckley said. "Isn't there something else? And after about a ten-year search I realized there was nothing else."

"First bought the property, it was 112 acres," Blais said.

"We moved on the property in March 1995 and that was when the first elephant set foot on the property. That was Tarra," Buckley said.

For the elephant's sake, Buckley and Blais moved with her to rural Tennessee.

"A lot of people don't realize that middle Tennessee is sub-tropical," Buckley said. "High humidity, lots of water, lush vegetation, long growing season, temperate climate - all that is quite suitable for the Asian elephant."

Since they're matriarchal, they live in large groups of relations. But they have a best friend. Each one has a best friend.

Like Winky and Sissy - they're best friends. Or Shirley and Bunny. Tarra has come alone to visit the pair, but Tarra won't be alone for long.

Nor would Dulary, who early one Philadelphia morning left her solitary confinement, boarded her private 18-wheeler and hit the road.

No one makes elephant seat belts yet, but this custom elephant trailer was fitted with safety bars to hold passengers in place.

The crew, Blais from the sanctuary and Jen and Chris from the zoo, made frequent stops to fill up. They still refuse to serve elephants in most restaurants, so Dulary had to eat in the truck. She seemed to be enjoying the ride.

"Perfect, couldn't be better. She is so calm," Blais said. "At this point she's perfect, absolutely amazing."

It's tough to find motels that allow large pets, so Dulary had to sleep in the truck in a Wal-Mart parking lot. After 19 hours on the road, Dulary's ride finally pulled into the elephant sanctuary.

Where Tarra came running to greet the truck, it was as though she'd been waiting all these years for Dulary to arrive.

But Dulary wouldn't get out. Perhaps she didn't want to get involved in a new relationship. She'd been hurt before - poked in the eye with a tusk.

They tried everything to coax her out … for more than four hours, nothing worked, until Tarra sashayed over.

Their trunks touched.

And these new best friends, Dulary and Tarra, lived happily ever after (so far). In this pachydermal paradise, two retired immigrant elephants from Southeast Asia found each other in the hills of Tennessee.

[misssuzq]

Wonderful story...how can I change into an elephant?

[annestivacti]

PLEASE AnimalLuvR, stop spreading the lie! Riddle''s horrible operation is egregiously abusive and unspeakably cruel. It is NOT a "sanctuary," but IS a money-making machine off the backs of tortured animals who have far more intelligence than Scott Riddle was ever born with. Those who profit from animal suffering do so because they can''t make an honest living.

Compliments of Yerfren7:
http://members.tripod.com/~animom/tumai.html
http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=4858
http://www.captiveanimals.org/elephants/epp.htm

[nc3467]

As always, your show has done a masterful job of telling the story of the elephants in retirement. What a wonderful way to start the morning. The kindness of some humans is beyond words. Thank you Sunday Morning for showing the good in humanity.

[yerfren7]

Thank you CBS for doing a piece on one of the wonderful elephant sanctuaries in the US. We need more programs like this to educate folks on the plight of captive elephants and why we NEED elephant sanctuaries.

And, OMG, I can''t even believe that Scott Riddle''s "sanctuary" in Arkansas is even being brought up in the context of a sanctuary. There are only TWO bona fide elephant sanctuaries in the US: The Elephant Sanctuary and The Performing Animal Welfare Society. Please do some research on the horrors that Riddle has inflicted on elephants. Here are a few websites where you can start:
http://members.tripod.com/~animom/tumai.html
http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=4858
http://www.captiveanimals.org/elephants/epp.htm
These links should get you started. You can google "Scott Riddle" and get even more information.

Please support both of the bona fide sanctuaries. They are both doing a fabulous job of rescuing elephants from the abusive life in the circus and from zoos that have been keeping them in totally inadequate living spaces which have led to an early and painful death from foot infections, arthritis, and finally osteomyelitis.

[yerfren7]

Thank you CBS for doing a piece on one of the wonderful elephant sanctuaries in the US. We need more programs like this to educate folks on the plight of captive elephants and why we NEED elephant sanctuaries.

And, OMG, I can''t even believe that Scott Riddle''s "sanctuary" in Arkansas is even being brought up in the context of a sanctuary. There are only TWO bona fide elephant sanctuaries in the US: The Elephant Sanctuary and The Performing Animal Welfare Society. Please do some research on the horrors that Riddle has inflicted on elephants. Here are a few websites where you can start:
http://members.tripod.com/~animom/tumai.html
http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=4858
http://www.captiveanimals.org/elephants/epp.htm
These links should get you started. You can google "Scott Riddle" and get even more information.

Please support both of the bona fide sanctuaries. They are both doing a fabulous job of rescuing elephants from the abusive life in the circus and from zoos that have been keeping them in totally inadequate living spaces which have led to an early and painful death from foot infections, arthritis, and finally osteomyelitis.

[jknapp23]

What a great piece. Thank you for highlighting this wonderful animal sanctuary. I urge you to do more animal-friendly pieces, including providing information to the public about the horrors of zoos and circuses. Keep up the good work.

[yerfren7]

Thank you CBS for doing a piece on one of the wonderful elephant sanctuaries in the US. We need more programs like this to educate folks on the plight of captive elephants and why we NEED elephant sanctuaries.

And, OMG, I can''t even believe that Scott Riddle''s "sanctuary" in Arkansas is even being brought up in the context of a sanctuary. There are only TWO bona fide elephant sanctuaries in the US: The Elephant Sanctuary and The Performing Animal Welfare Society. Please do some research on the horrors that Riddle has inflicted on elephants. Here are a few websites where you can start:
http://members.tripod.com/~animom/tumai.html
http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=4858
http://www.captiveanimals.org/elephants/epp.htm
These links should get you started. You can google "Scott Riddle" and get even more information.

Please support both of the bona fide sanctuaries. They are both doing a fabulous job of rescuing elephants from the abusive life in the circus and from zoos that have been keeping them in totally inadequate living spaces which have led to an early and painful death from foot infections, arthritis, and finally osteomyelitis.

[yerfren7]

Thank you CBS for doing a piece on one of the wonderful elephant sanctuaries in the US. We need more programs like this to educate folks on the plight of captive elephants and why we NEED elephant sanctuaries.

And, OMG, I can''t even believe that Scott Riddle''s "sanctuary" in Arkansas is even being brought up in the context of a sanctuary. There are only TWO bona fide elephant sanctuaries in the US: The Elephant Sanctuary and The Performing Animal Welfare Society. Please do some research on the horrors that Riddle has inflicted on elephants. Here are a few websites where you can start:
http://members.tripod.com/~animom/tumai.html
http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=4858
http://www.captiveanimals.org/elephants/epp.htm
These links should get you started. You can google "Scott Riddle" and get even more information.

Please support both of the bona fide sanctuaries. They are both doing a fabulous job of rescuing elephants from the abusive life in the circus and from zoos that have been keeping them in totally inadequate living spaces which have led to an early and painful death from foot infections, arthritis, and finally osteomyelitis.

[yerfren7]

Thank you CBS for doing a piece on one of the wonderful elephant sanctuaries in the US. We need more programs like this to educate folks on the plight of captive elephants and why we NEED elephant sanctuaries.

And, OMG, I can''t even believe that Scott Riddle''s "sanctuary" in Arkansas is even being brought up in the context of a sanctuary. There are only TWO bona fide elephant sanctuaries in the US: The Elephant Sanctuary and The Performing Animal Welfare Society. Please do some research on the horrors that Riddle has inflicted on elephants. Here are a few websites where you can start:
http://members.tripod.com/~animom/tumai.html
http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=4858
http://www.captiveanimals.org/elephants/epp.htm
These links should get you started. You can google "Scott Riddle" and get even more information.

Please support both of the bona fide sanctuaries. They are both doing a fabulous job of rescuing elephants from the abusive life in the circus and from zoos that have been keeping them in totally inadequate living spaces which have led to an early and painful death from foot infections, arthritis, and finally osteomyelitis.

[yerfren7]

Thank you CBS for doing a piece on one of the wonderful elephant sanctuaries in the US. We need more programs like this to educate folks on the plight of captive elephants and why we NEED elephant sanctuaries.

And, OMG, I can''t even believe that Scott Riddle''s "sanctuary" in Arkansas is even being brought up in the context of a sanctuary. There are only TWO bona fide elephant sanctuaries in the US: The Elephant Sanctuary and The Performing Animal Welfare Society. Please do some research on the horrors that Riddle has inflicted on elephants. Here are a few websites where you can start:
http://members.tripod.com/~animom/tumai.html
http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=4858
http://www.captiveanimals.org/elephants/epp.htm
These links should get you started. You can google "Scott Riddle" and get even more information.

Please support both of the bona fide sanctuaries. They are both doing a fabulous job of rescuing elephants from the abusive life in the circus and from zoos that have been keeping them in totally inadequate living spaces which have led to an early and painful death from foot infections, arthritis, and finally osteomyelitis.

[yerfren7]

Thank you CBS for doing a piece on one of the wonderful elephant sanctuaries in the US. We need more programs like this to educate folks on the plight of captive elephants and why we NEED elephant sanctuaries.

And, OMG, I can''t even believe that Scott Riddle''s "sanctuary" in Arkansas is even being brought up in the context of a sanctuary. There are only TWO bona fide elephant sanctuaries in the US: The Elephant Sanctuary and The Performing Animal Welfare Society. Please do some research on the horrors that Riddle has inflicted on elephants. Here are a few websites where you can start:
http://members.tripod.com/~animom/tumai.html
http://www.peta.org/mc/NewsItem.asp?id=4858
http://www.captiveanimals.org/elephants/epp.htm
These links should get you started. You can google "Scott Riddle" and get even more information.

Please support both of the bona fide sanctuaries. They are both doing a fabulous job of rescuing elephants from the abusive life in the circus and from zoos that have been keeping them in totally inadequate living spaces which have led to an early and painful death from foot infections, arthritis, and finally osteomyelitis.

Thanks for the excellent article!!! What respect these elephants deserve, and at last they are getting it!!

[annestivacti]

Please AnimalLuvR! Do some research before you post inanities. Riddle''s is a HORRIBLE place, and they are known animal abusers. The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, and the Performing Animal Welfare Society in Galt, CA, are the ONLY TWO reputable sanctuaries in the country. All others are in the business for the $$$$$$, and are notorious for egegious animal abuse.

[melissablue8]

Animallvr4 if you knew anything about Riddles farm you would not post on it. It is a breeding farm for elephants period. They still use electric sticks to get the animals to perform. The sancturary in Tenn does not. Riddles make their elephants perform for the public, what is sancturary about that? The only true sancturary for "retired or needy elephants" is in Tenn...

[jazz07molly]

What a great piece! Please do more of these kinds of stories.

[animalluvr]

This is NOT the only elephant sanctuary in United States. The best one is in Arkansas. It is Riddle''s Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary. They will take any elephant in need, (unlike this one in Tennessee). There is no chance that any of these elephants will ever have the joy of motherhood. In the wild even elephant females that are too old to have babies help with the youngsters. The elephant sanctuary with the best breeding program is Riddle''s Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary. Plus they have nothing to hide. The public can visit regularly to see the elephants, even the babies. If I had to send an elephant to a sanctuary it would be them. www.elephantsanctuary.org

[eeepluke]

WOW, what a great story! I hope you will put out more like this.
The Elephant Sanctuary sounds like such a wonderful place and it''s so great that people like Buckley and Blais care about what happens to animals. I have read that many zoos sell their animals to canned hunts, research labs (where they suffer painful experiments for cosmetic and drug companies, cleaning products, etc) or to taxidermists and other such people. That is so inhumane, so unmerciful and thankless.
How nice it was to read this story about the Elephant Sanctuary and the wonderful people working there! Thank you!

[heathershir]

Thanks for letting us know that this sanctuary exists. Similar to Farm Sanctuary, the Elephant Sanctuary is a true sanctuary for animals.

I''d love to visit it someday or at least send them money to continue their important work. The non-human animals suffer the most; they need our help the most.

[janet4784]

Thanks for another charming story of people doing right by animals. Please don''t attend circuses which use animals, as your money is often supporting the cruelty of forcing them to perform stupid and unnatural tricks. Circuses use bullhooks, chains, etc. to keep elephants under control. Show your kids better examples of entertainment.

[Krazcarl]

Wish I could make a career out of being nice some folks have it figured out...