Founded in 1995 in Hohenwald, Tennessee, The Elephant Sanctuary celebrates 25 years of providing home and herd to aging, captive elephants. Currently caring for four African elephants and seven Asian elephants, The Sanctuary has offered refuge to 28 elephants in the past quarter-century on a sprawling 2,700 acres of pastureland, rolling hills, and wooded valleys interwoven with freshwater streams, ponds, and a 25-acre lake.
Accredited by Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) and certified by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), The Elephant Sanctuary aims to meet the needs of this intelligent, social species by affording them vast habitats to roam, forage, and wallow; socialization within a herd of their own kind; and veterinary and husbandry care that relies on non-dominant, positive-reinforcement training in a protected-contact setting.
Although the elephants’ habitats are not open to the public, The Elephant Sanctuary’s Elephant Discovery Center allows visitors of all ages to explore the many ways elephants shape our world, develop a deeper understanding of and compassion for elephants, and discover what a day-in-the-life at The Elephant Sanctuary is like—all while allowing the elephants to remain undisturbed in their habitats.
We look forward to celebrating our 25th Anniversary throughout 2020, alongside our many supporters, volunteers, and partners around the world! Thank YOU for being a part of this special group of people.