JOHANNESBURG

South Africa’s last zoo elephant, named Charlie, has finally been released into nature after spending 4 decades in captivity. 

The elephant, aged 42, was transported from the capital Pretoria to its new home at the vast Shambala Private Reserve in the northern Limpopo province.

Charlie was captured from his family in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe when he was only two years old, according to a statement by the EMS Foundation, a group that supported his release.

Charlie was sold to Boswell Wilkie Circus in South Africa where he was used in the circus to perform tricks. In 2001, he was moved to the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria, where he had been living until his transfer to Shambala.

The EMS Foundation campaigns for the advancement and protection of the rights and general welfare of wild animals, children, elderly persons and other vulnerable groups in South Africa and Africa.

Charlie’s release from captivity is a result of years of negotiation between the South African government after the EMS Foundation and the Pro Elephant Network provided scientific evidence that elephants suffer in zoos and that they do not belong in captivity, it said.

“In the zoo, Charlie watched three of his friends die prematurely. He also lost his daughter when she was less than a month old. We hope that his rebirth onto his new land and new life will go some way to healing his wounds,” the EMS Foundation said.

Charlie will now be closely monitored and supported at his new home by several experts and groups.