Portugal's last remaining circus elephant has begun a new chapter after retiring to the country's first sanctuary dedicated to former working elephants.
Julie, an African elephant that spent four decades performing in circuses, arrived at the Pangea Elephant Sanctuary in Portugal's Alentejo region on 30 June following a three-hour journey from the Víctor Hugo Cardinali Circus.
The elephant was captured in the wild in Africa as a calf during the late 1980s before being brought to Portugal, where she began performing in circuses in 1988.
Her retirement follows Portugal's 2018 decision to ban the use of wild animals in circus performances, legislation that came fully into effect in 2024. Although Julie's performing career ended, she had no permanent home until the newly established sanctuary offered to take her in.
Pangea Elephant Sanctuary, the first facility of its kind in Europe dedicated to retired working elephants, had been planning Julie's relocation while construction of the sanctuary was still underway.
After 18 months of preparation, Julie settled into her new surroundings shortly after arriving.
"There couldn't be a more fitting first resident than Portugal's last circus elephant," said Pangea managing director Kate Moore.
"Our focus is now to give Julie the best possible quality of life in her time ahead."
The sanctuary spans approximately 1,000 acres and aims to eventually provide a permanent home for between 20 and 35 elephants. However, its capacity is currently limited while additional barns, fencing and other facilities are completed.
Pangea, an independent charity registered in both the United Kingdom and Portugal, has also received support from the public. An English primary school symbolically adopted Julie before her move by donating £100 towards her care.
Julie is expected to be joined later this year by Kariba, another female African elephant in her 40s. Like Julie, Kariba was captured in the wild and is currently living alone at a zoo in Belgium before her planned relocation to the sanctuary.
The sanctuary hopes to offer retired elephants a safe and natural environment where they can live out the remainder of their lives free from the demands of captivity and performance.