After decades of being kept in a city zoo, Argentina’s Pupy the elephant is finally being sent to a sanctuary
The 34-year-old female, who is the last captive elephant in all of Buenos Aires, will now experience a more natural habitat where she can roam freely, forage, and meet other elephant companions.
A file photo of Pupy and her former companion, Kuky, at Ecoparque Buenos Aires. Kuky passed away last year. Credit: Global Sanctuary for Elephants (GSE)
An elephant who has lived for decades in a city zoo is being relocated to a world-renowned elephant sanctuary.
Known as Pupy, the 34-year-old African elephant has spent nearly all of her life in urban captivity. After being taken from South Africa’s Kruger National Park back in 1993, she was sent to the Buenos Aires Zoo in Argentina where she has remained ever since.
However, the zoo faced mounting criticism over its ability to give animals a natural life, which led to a wider shift in public opinion against the keeping of animals for human entertainment in the city.
This change in attitude towards animal captivity led to the closure of the zoo in 2016, which was then renovated and reinvented as the Buenos Aires Eco-park.
The eco park, now with a new rescue centre for injured wild animals and a conservation focus, spent over seven years moving more than 1,000 of the former zoo’s animals to sanctuaries around the world.
But, due to Pupy’s age and the logistics of moving an elephant, she remained as one of the few “legacy animals” still kept at the eco park.
Now, Pupy’s chance at a sanctuary life is finally here as the organization Global Sanctuary for Elephants (GSE) has announced that the elephant is set to begin the journey to her new sanctuary home.
Pupy in her ecoparque enclosure against the backdrop of the city. Credit: Global Sanctuary for Elephants (GSE)
The decision to relocate Pupy to a sanctuary was made by the eco park, and GSE has stepped in to coordinate the complex relocation from her current enclosure in Buenos Aires to the Elephant Sanctuary Brazil.
Preparations for the five-day journey are already underway, and the team from GSE are currently working with Pupy to now build trust and help encourage her into the transport crate.
“This is a life-changing journey for Pupy,” says Scott Blais, co-founder and CEO of GSE. “It’s all about rediscovering her true elephant self and returning to a more natural way of being.”
When she arrives at her new sanctuary home in Brazil, Pupy will have the opportunity to roam freely, forage, and be able to form new bonds with other rescued elephants.
Internationally renowned wild habitat sanctuary, Elephant Sanctuary Brazil, which will be Pupy’s new home. Credit: Global Sanctuary for Elephants (GSE)
“Through Pupy's story, we challenge conventional views of captivity and demonstrate what’s possible when elephants are respected as the intelligent, emotional individuals they truly are.”
GSE says that the eco park’s decision to relocate Pupy has received widespread support from the people of Buenos Aires, who recognized that elephants’ needs cannot be adequately met in a zoo or eco park environment.
As the last captive elephant in all of Buenos Aires, Pupy’s relocation marks a significant moment in showing how attitudes towards keeping wild animals in captivity have changed.
To keep supporters up-to-date with the status of Pupy’s journey to the sanctuary, GSE’s blog is being updated with pictures and developments - check out their website here. At time of publication, Pupy is currently being given all the time and gentle encouragement that she needs to become completely comfortable with her transport crate.
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