Tarra turns 50

Just across the stateline, in Attapulgus Georgia, three elephants are enjoying retirement.

The oldest of the three, Tarra, celebrated her 50th birthday last week, on Valentine’s Day.

The media was invited out to join in the celebration at Elephant Refuge North America.

The refuge is not open to the public. Contact with people is limited in order to create an authentic habitat.

The birthday girl – an 8-foot tall, 9,700 pound Asian elephant – stood by herself in a fenced area on one side of an unpaved road, while her friends, African elephants Bo and Mundi, stood together on the other side.

Tarra’s lifelong guardian Carol Buckey walked up to Bo Mundi and handed them freshly cut bamboo and blocks of hay as an afternoon treat.

Suzanne Carr, Elephant Aid International’s office administrator said the elephants know to make their way towards the fence when they see Buckley’s 4-wheeler coming down the road.

After introducing the guests to Bo, a calm and gentle natured 36-year-old castrated male, and Mundi, a feisty 41-year-old female who arrived from a dilapidated zoo last May, Buckley crossed the dirt road and stepped inside the fence, greeting Tarra.

Dragging branches of bamboo, Buckley walked over to Tarra and began petting the elephant’s face and trunk.

“Since Tarra and I have been together for almost 50 years, we know each other really well,” Buckley shared.

Buckley, who has raised Tarra from birth, said it’s not safe to get that close to an elephant you don’t know.

However, Buckley said when an elephant is bonded to a human, as Tarra is to her, they welcome physical touch.

“They crave it,” Buckley added.

As a child star, Tarra shared the stage with famous celebrities like Bob Hope and Carol Burnett, but her most profound accomplishment was her inspiration for the nation’s first natural habitat refuge for captive-held elephants.

In the natural landscape of her refuge created by Buckley, Tarra found autonomy and the friendship of dozens of other elephants from zoos and circuses who soon joined her.

Tarra’s refuge was a true success story—an example of how elephants in captivity could be valued for more than the revenue they generated performing tricks and standing on exhibit in zoo yards.

Two decades later Tarra did it again. She influenced the creation of Elephant Refuge North America, the second generation of elephant refuges designed to better meet the needs of aging elephants.

Buckley said arthritis affects elephants. Soft sand stalls, year-round temperate weather, natural ponds, and lots of land to roam are some of the amenities elephant Refuge North America utilizes to address the needs of older elephants.

Buckley said elephants in the wild typically live from 70 to 80 years, but in captivity they’re not so lucky. The lifespan of captive elephants is usually half of that.

Buckley said elephants in captivity don’t have room to move, and they live on hard surfaces and in cold climates, contributing to their decline.

“I said to her the other day, ‘You’re almost 50. You’re almost 50,” Buckley said with adoration in her eyes. “We’ve done it. We’ve gotten there. 50.”

Elephant Refuge North America spans 850 acres of gently rolling hills, lush pastures, dense forests, spring-fed lakes, creeks, and streams, with a climate that allows the elephants to remain outdoors 24/7 almost all the year.

The Tarra, Bo and Mundi now live in paradise. The trio spends most of their days basking in the warm South Georgia sun, grazing among lush pastures, exploring bamboo rich forests, and bathing in natural, therapeutic, attapulgite clay mud pits.

Visit https://elephantaidinternational.org/ for more information about the rescue. Click on EleCam to watch a live feed of the elephants as they go about their daily lives.

Erin Hill - Gadsden County News Service

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