Retired Circus Elephants to Find New Home in Casablanca Zoo After Belgian Rehabilitation

Elephants from the Amiens zoo will leave Belgium for Morocco on July 22. "It’s an opportunity that has presented itself for these old ladies," says Claire Gilissen, spokesperson for the Pairi Daiza park near Mons in Belgium. Jana and Praya spent more than 15 years in the Amiens zoo. Survivors of a circus, they had to leave this zoo which did not have enough space for them in 2017 for the Pairi Daiza park. The latter had responded to the call of the French establishment. The elephants had joined about fifteen pachyderms in Belgium and were supposed to stay there for a few months, but the stay lasted seven years. During their long stay, these two females from Antwerp (Belgium) and Prague (Czech Republic) had received care (plant-based food supplements) at the Pairi Daiza park. They suffered from behavioral disorders resulting from their too many years in circuses, trembling constantly and unable to mix with other Belgian groups, reports franceinfo.

Today, the living conditions in this Pairi Daiza park are no longer suitable for Jana and Praya. "They need more heat like everyone else, especially when they’re as old as they are," explains Claire Gilissen. The solution is then found: the brand new and much larger Aïn Sebaa park, near Casablanca, will become their new home from July 22, 2024. The establishment will provide them with the necessary care. Their disorders are now "largely attenuated", but "we won’t be able to do better and they will probably need more and more care and attention over time," estimates Claire Gilissen. Jana and Praya have been well prepared for the trip. They passed a battery of exams "with flying colors", the Pairi Daiza spokesperson is pleased.

Caregivers will make the trip with the two pachyderms. Upon arrival, a caretaker will be on hand. The chief veterinarian of Pairi Daiza will pass on to the managers of the Moroccan Aïn Sebaa park the medical and behavioral recommendations to be applied with the elephants.