The Elephant Sanctuary recently celebrated two special anniversaries!
Sissy’s 57th birthday was on January 26. She received a tree donated during our Christmas tree drive that Care Staff adorned with apples and grapefruit. They also carefully placed hay bales, bamboo, and other produce around the tree and filled “presents" with Mazuri for Sissy to open up and consume. This birthday marked 25 years of Sissy living at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee — our longest-time resident at The Sanctuary.
Captured as a calf in Thailand, Sissy came to the U.S. in 1969, first appearing at Six Flags Over Texas before being sold to the Frank Buck Zoo, where she became the focal point for three decades. Sissy famously survived a record flood, staying afloat with only her trunk above water to breathe. After time at the Houston Zoo and El Paso Zoo, community advocacy led to her retirement at The Elephant Sanctuary on January 26, 2000. Initially reserved, Sissy soon grew comfortable exploring the habitat and socializing with the other elephants. She is often seen grazing and exploring her habitat alongside her companion, Nosey.
In addition, Artie’s 42nd birthday and his second year residing at The Sanctuary were celebrated on January 31. Care Staff created a giant bamboo letter “A”, with two donated Christmas trees, hay tinsel, orange slice ornaments, and one of his preferred snacks, watermelon! After knocking down the bamboo to consume in just a few bites, Artie spent time using his trunk to reach into the tire barrels to eat tree bark.
Artie, a male African savanna elephant, was born in Zimbabwe in 1983 and orphaned before his first birthday due to government-sponsored culling. In 1984, Artie was captured and brought to the U.S. with 60 other orphaned elephants by Nautilus equipment inventor Arthur Jones, whose plan to create a herd was soon abandoned. As a result, Artie spent over 20 years performing in circuses until being transferred to the North Carolina Zoo. In January 2023, he arrived at The Elephant Sanctuary, becoming our first permanent bull elephant and 29th resident.