*Born Free is a founding member of Pangea, with our friends and colleagues at Fondation Brigitte Bardot, Olsen Animal Trust, and World Animal Protection. With your help, we are working together to raise funds for this life-changing project.
Urgent Appeal: Give Kariba the elephant a home
We need your help to transform Kariba’s life and give her a forever home at Pangea, Europe’s first large-scale elephant sanctuary.
Meet Kariba. Tragically, most of her life has been spent in captivity. Now in her 40s, she was just a baby when captured from the wild in Zimbabwe and transported thousands of miles to a zoo in Germany, where she endured being ridden by visitors. In 2012, Kariba was moved to a zoo in Belgium, to join Jenny, another elephant. But then Jenny died in 2022 and Kariba was left without her best friend.
PLEASE HELP KARIBA WITH A GIFT
Kariba being ridden at the zoo in Germany
Incredibly social, elephants naturally live in large family groups, led by a female matriarch, and can roam many miles each day. For decades, Born Free has campaigned for an end to the keeping of elephants in captivity. Zoos and other facilities cannot replicate the highly complex social and physical environment that elephants have evolved to live in.
That’s why, today, we’ve launched an urgent new appeal to give Kariba the life she deserves. We urgently need help to transport Kariba to Pangea, a dedicated new 1,000-acre sanctuary in Portugal, where she can roam widely in the rolling hills, enjoy the dignity and space she needs, and, eventually, the friendship of other elephants.
Pangea is Europe’s only large-scale sanctuary for elephants, and the culmination of Born Free’s vision, over a decade ago. With your help, Kariba and other elephants rescued in the future from circuses and zoos could one day enjoy companionship and explore the expansive, natural habit. This brand new and vital sanctuary, of which Born Free is a founding member*, is endorsed by eminent specialists, and will offer expert care for elephants who can forage and socialise in an expansive, natural environment.
Born Free’s Co-Founder and Trustee, Dame Virginia says: “It makes my heart ache to think of that lonely little elephant, but after more than a decade of careful, hard work, and despite countless challenges, the dream I had years ago is about to come true. Born Free is a critical partner in Pangea, and, with your help, we want to welcome and care for Kariba, our very first elephant. A better, kinder future is possible for Europe’s elephants. Dreams can come true. Together, we can put hope into action.”
YOUR GIFT COULD HELP TRANSFORM KARIBA’S LIFE AND FUND:
- Personalised loving care provided by specialist elephant caregivers
- Specialised facilities and housing uniquely designed for elephants
- Acres of securely fenced natural habitat to roam and browse
- The best-possible diet including hay, browse, vegetables and grains
- Supplements to support her health and well-being, especially as she ages
- Veterinary support she might need, such as foot and dental care
Pangea Elephant Appeal
Your gift could help us give Kariba the loving home and expert care she deserves, for the rest of her life.