--- title: "Charlie, Pretoria's last zoo elephant, released back into nature after 43 years of captivity" description: "The campaign to free Pretoria Zoo’s elephants lasted for years and included accusations and protests. But finally, the zoo’s last elephant, Charlie, is back in the wilds." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "FREE AT LAST" author: "Don Pinnock" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/donpinnock/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-08-20-charlie-sas-last-zoo-elephant-released-back-into-nature-after-43-years-of-captivity/" published: "2024-08-20T21:06:40" updated: "2024-08-25T10:06:57" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 329 --- # Charlie, Pretoria's last zoo elephant, released back into nature after 43 years of captivity > The campaign to free Pretoria Zoo’s elephants lasted for years and included accusations and protests. But finally, the zoo’s last elephant, Charlie, is back in the wilds. By Don Pinnock · Published 20 August 2024, 23:06 SAST · Updated 25 August 2024, 12:06 SAST ## Key points - After enduring years of captivity and heartbreak at the Pretoria Zoo, Charlie the elephant embarks on a new chapter at the Shambala Private Reserve in Limpopo, marking a historic moment in South Africa's conservation efforts and a hopeful step towards freedom and healing for this majestic creature. - Charlie, the last elephant at Pretoria Zoo, arrives at Shambala Private Reserve in Limpopo, marking a historic release back into nature. - EMS Foundation confirms closure of zoo's elephant exhibit following Charlie's relocation, ending years of negotiation with South African government and Pro Elephant Network. - Charlie's journey from captivity includes tragic losses and years of solitary confinement, sparking animal rights activism for his sanctuary release. - Behavioural experts to closely monitor Charlie's adjustment to wild environment, aiming for successful integration into existing elephant herd for a hopeful new life. ## Content **Note**:*This story was updated to correct an earlier statement that Charlie was the last elephant held in a South African Zoo. This was incorrect as the Joburg Zoo still holds elephants.* After a nailbiting four-hour trip from the Pretoria Zoo, Charlie the zoo elephant has arrived at the Shambala Private Reserve in Limpopo, his new home. [YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7OWxwjpIDs) The EMS Foundation, which supported his release, has been informed that the zoo’s elephant exhibit will now be permanently closed. This historic event is the result of years of negotiation between the South African government, the EMS Foundation and the [Pro Elephant Network](https://www.proelephantnetwork.org/). In the zoo, Charlie watched three of his friends die prematurely. He also lost his daughter when she was less than a month old. He was captured in Hwange, Zimbabwe, 43 years ago and was trained in the Boswell Wilkie Circus. When it closed down he was transferred to the Natal Lion Park and then, in 2001, to the Pretoria Zoo. ![Charlie under a full moon. (Photo: EMS Foundation)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/uLCwB7lPACfHhyWKaZwgDNttSGs=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Don1.jpg) *Charlie at his Shambala holding facility (Photo: EMS Foundation)* ![Offloading at Shambala Private Reserve. (Photo: EMS Foundation)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/VdqnhgVXbUWHrX7wGPg0GafPVrI=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Don1_2.jpg) *Offloading at Shambala Private Reserve. (Photo: EMS Foundation)* ![Offloading at Shambala Private Reserve. (Photo: EMS Foundation)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/tiaIG016kUxjrfdyJoijjm4mAU8=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Don1_1.jpg) *Offloading at Shambala Private Reserve. (Photo: EMS Foundation)* In about 2020, activists began [campaigning](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2021-02-06-no-shade-no-company-no-exercise-thats-no-life-for-sad-elephant-charlie/) for his release to a sanctuary. According to Smaragda Louw, the director of Ban Animal Trading (BAT), keeping Charlie in solitary confinement in a barren enclosure with almost no shade and dirty water and with no enrichment is “nothing more than animal abuse for the sake of human entertainment”. He will initially be kept at a holding facility while he adjusts to his new environment. He has no experience of foraging in the wild. During this time he will be closely monitored by behavioural experts to see that he settles down to become the elephant he was always meant to be and that he meets up with and integrates into the existing elephant herd. Hopefully, his release into a new habitat and life will go some way to healing the sadness of his isolation. **DM** [YouTube video: "YouTube video"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REeWvTRUpMk)