Shirley is a kindhearted Asian elephant who has defied every odd in her hard life. Now, after a lifetime of struggles and misery, the 70-year-old elephant finally gets the life she deserves.
Shirley was born in Sumatra, Southeast Asia, back in 1948. At the tender age of 7, the tiny elephant was captured and sold to Dori Miller, the owner of the Carson & Barnes Circus.
For the next 20 years, Shirley performed with them. Although it was the norm at the time, we know now that circus elephants generally experience indescribable suffering throughout their career.
As sensitive, intelligent creatures, the circus lifestyle can be horrifically damaging. Many elephants who have spent long times performing show symptoms of depression, aggression, and PTSD as a result of their confinement and isolation. In fact, “being kept in a relative confinement and isolation [is] a kind of living death for an animal as socially developed and dependent as we now know to elephants to be,” Charles Siebert wrote in the New York Times.
While she was with the circus, Shirley survived many life-or-death situations.
In 1958, she was traveling in Cuba when Fidel Castro seized power. The entire circus was held captive for weeks. Later, she also survived a highway accident that killed two of the circus’ other elephants.
Back in 1963, the circus boat was docked at Yarmouth Harbor, in Canada, when a fire broke out in the engine room. The entire ship sank into the water— and although Shirley suffered burns on her back, side, and feet, losing a part of her ear during the event, she somehow managed to, once again, get out of a deadly situation relatively unscathed.
In 1974, after having served in the circus for 22 years, Shirley went to live at the Louisiana Purchase Zoo and Gardens. She had gotten into an altercation with another elephant that had left her with a broken leg. As it healed, the bones didn’t fuse properly, and Shirley’s circus days were over.
Shirley was sent to the Louisiana Purchase Zoo and Gardens, where she spent the next 22 years as the only elephant there.
Now, we know that elephants are extremely social creatures that get depressed when isolated for long periods. Back in 1977, however, these things were not known. So despite the zoo’s best intentions, it’s no doubt Shirley lived a lonely life.
In 1999, the zoo staff decided Shirley would be happier with additional space and other animals of her kind. After a bit of research, they decided The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee would be the perfect place. Shirley’s caretaker for the past 22 years, a man named James Solomon, accompanied the elephant on her long trip. When she got to The Elephant Sanctuary, Solomon and the staff saw something magical occur.
When Shirley saw Jenny, another elephant at the sanctuary, the two had an instant connection.
“The two elephants nearly bent the bars of their barn stalls to be near one another,” Kate Mason, the sanctuary’s communication director, explained.
Turns out Shirley and Jenny had performed in the circus together 24 years earlier.
The two animals recognized each other immediately and went on to develop a strong, mother and daughter-like bond. National Geographic covered their story in a documentary called The Urban Elephant, which ultimately won an Emmy award.
After a lifetime of defying the odds and overcoming challenges, Shirley celebrated her 70th birthday on July 6, 2018— a remarkable lifespan considering elephants in captivity usually only live for about 45 years.
“Despite all that Shirley has suffered, she travels daily throughout her expansive habitat and still chooses to be an active participant in her care,” Stephanie DeYoung, director of husbandry, explained.
“All elephants are amazing, but Shirly possesses a keen intelligence that is astounding.”
For Shirley’s 70th birthday, her caretakers planned an amazing celebration.
It included an edible, elephant-sized number 70 and a reunion with former caretaker James Solomon, whom she hadn’t seen for 20 years. Solomon told The Elephant Sanctuary:
“I guess I never actually dreamed that after working with her for 22 years, that [almost] 20 years later, Shirley would still be here, looking like she’s doing well.”
“I’m hoping she has many birthdays and by the way she’s looking now, I believe she’s going to.”
Despite decades of loneliness and mistreatment, it’s amazing to see this animal, the third oldest elephant in North America, finally get the life she deserves.
Hear Shirley’s story below!
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