After 37 Years, Mila the Elephant Meets Another of Her Kind
- by Alicia Graef, February 24, 2014
The dream of a former caretaker at the Franklin Zoo in New Zealand is finally being realized with the sweet introduction of two elephants, Mila and Mary.
Mila, who is now 41, has spent almost her entire life alone. She was born in Namibia in 1973 and, like many others who find themselves in captivity, was taken from her home and her family shortly after.
Mary is the first elephant Mila has seen in 37 years.
The two meet through a barrier at the San Diego Zoo for the first time.
Mila and Mary’s introduction is as heartwarming as they come, and clearly part of an effort to do what’s best for Mila at this point. However, a more important part of her story is how she got here in the first place and why she spent so much time alone.
After being torn from her family, Mila was moved to a zoo in Honolulu where she was reportedly bullied by other elephants. When she was 4-years-old, Mila was bought by trainer Tony Ratcliffe and flown to New Zealand to join the Whirling Brothers Circus. There she was known as Jumbo and was taught tricks, with the use of a bullhook, that she would be forced to perform for crowds for more than 30 years.
During that time, she spent long periods shackled to a short chain in her trailer where she was observed swaying back and forth, which is a stereotypical behavior of an elephant who is suffering from psychological distress that has never been observed in the wild.
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