Global Sanctuary for Elephants

Our primary objective is to create a global coalition to ensure a safe, secure and humane future for captive elephants through the development and support of spacious, holistic, natural habitat elephant sanctuaries domestically and internationally. We bring a commitment to effect positive change and strive to foster a deeper comprehension of the intelligence and social complexity of elephants.

Our pilot project is our 2800-acre sanctuary for elephants throughout Latin America- Elephant Sanctuary Brazil. GSE is involved in the design, management, and training of staff to ensure that elephants have the life of dignity that they both need and deserve. Once Elephant Sanctuary Brazil is further along, it will allow us to venture further and help do the same in other areas of the world.

With over 5,000 captive elephants around the globe and less than 200 in sanctuaries, we need to pull together and create solutions. We as humans are responsible for elephants being in these conditions, and now it is time for us to make things better.

Education is key, and using every modality to get that message out there is just as important. We educate through the sharing of knowledge of the complexities of elephants, the impact of captivity and the benefits of sanctuary. We use our personal stories with elephants, their struggles, their growth to teach in a relatable and compassionate manner.

Global networking plays a huge role; partnering with other organizations and working together towards a common goal. Many organizations are looking to us for a solution, for a viable and respectful lifelong home for those elephants that suffer in captivity. We are all working together, in different aspects, to provide a better life for captive elephants across the globe.

We will continue to open the hearts and minds of many people. The more individuals that truly understand, the faster change for all captive elephants will come. We continue to push progressive legislation, both protecting elephants and ensuring the most basic needs of their species are met. Growth in regards to captive elephants, has been huge in the last decade. We intend to help push and continue that trend.

Developing an elephant sanctuary requires extensive knowledge of the natural life of elephants, how they live if left alone in the wild, an understanding of their social structures, proper diet, methods of communication and a keen understanding of the meaning of natural elephant behaviors, postures and vocalizations. But we also have to understand what they've endured in captivity: extensive human dominance, physical punishment, the long-term impact of improper diet and the lack of social experience, isolation and extreme confinement. Most importantly we have to understand the psychology of healing and the vast spectrum of individual responses to stress, and trauma. Some individuals may recover quickly; others may have flashbacks of past sufferings that could haunt them for the rest of their lives. All aspects of elephant nature and the impact captivity has had on them has to be taken into consideration when selecting land, constructing fences, developing operational protocol, facility design and most importantly when working with each individual.

Global Sanctuary for Elephants has pulled together two very knowledgeable experts, Dr. Joyce Poole, internationally renowned for her studies of wild elephants in Africa for over 45 years, and Scott Blais, co-founder of The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, one of two organizations that have pioneered progressive elephant care. With Joyce's extensive understanding of natural behavior and Scott's thorough understanding of captive elephant care and recovery, Elephant Sanctuary Brazil is primed to have a profound impact on the lives of captive elephants in Brazil and throughout South America.

We have aided in accomplishing progressive legislation. We have shared the elephant's stories to many an audience and opened their eyes to the harsh truth of the reality of captivity for elephants. We have worked to save elephants and to educate facilities on how to better provide for their elephants. But this is just the beginning (at least of this part of the journey).

In October 2016 we opened our doors to our first two residents, rescuing Maia and Guida from a life of circus. Although much progress had been made before then, it all means so much more once the first elephant steps through the gates and begins their journey of healing. We exist to provide a life of respect, companionship, and compassion for elephants. In 2018, Rana, a former circus elephant being housed at a small zoo, was donated to ESB and joined Maia and Guida. In 2019, Ramba and Lady, two more female Asian elephants, joined the herd at ESB. In 2020, despite limitations due to the pandemic, Mara from Buenos Aires, and Bambi from within Brazil, both came to ESB. Growing the herd and helping elephants throughout Latin America is our immediate goal. There are many more elephants in South America waiting for rescue as we continue to work through the bureaucracy that will make that possible.

Right now we are finishing the first phase of construction of the African female elephant habitat. This projects will initially allow us to accept 3 compatible female African elephants, one who has already been signed over to Elephant Sanctuary Brazil and solidify an agreement for 2 additional elephants. The next project is already lined up- a habitat for male Asian elephants, and hopefully the future home of Tamy. The funds for the first phase are very close to raised, and construction will begin once the appropriate permit is in place.

We are working on building a rescue network that will function globally to be able to act upon instances of elephant abuse and neglect, wherever they are located, with experience and professionalism. We are also discussing how we can assist in the creation of another smaller sanctuary to house aging elephants in another part of the world. The greater our success, the more able we are to aid elephants in other parts of the globe. The potential is unlimited.