The Elephant Sanctuary
April 2018
At 69, Shirley not only is The Sanctuary’s oldest elephant, but one of the oldest living elephants in North America. The Sanctuary is honored to provide state-of-the-art veterinary care for Shirley as she enters her 19th year with us and are looking forward to celebrating her 70th birthday.
Asian elephant Shirley has a remarkable life story. She survived a ship
fire, an overturned transport trailer, and a broken back leg. Shirley
retired to The Elephant Sanctuary in 1999 after spending 24 years in the
circus and another 22 years as the sole elephant on exhibition. Now 69,
Shirley continues to shine at The Elephant Sanctuary. Individualized care
from a professional team of Veterinarians and Caregivers has allowed Shirley
to age gracefully in a natural habitat setting and make choices about her
daily life.
“Despite all that Shirley has suffered, she travels daily throughout her
expansive habitat and still chooses to be an active participant in her
care,” says Stephanie DeYoung, Director of Husbandry. “All elephants are
amazing, but Shirley possesses a keen intelligence that is astounding.”
As we observe changes in Shirley as she ages, we recognize greater
susceptibility to many of the issues that face aging captive elephants—and a
longer healing process when age-related health issues do arise.
Years of traveling and standing on hard surfaces contribute to arthritis and
chronic foot issues in captive elephants. Though she still enjoys
long-distance explorations, at 69, Shirley’s pace has begun to slow.
Much like at an assisted living facility, at The Sanctuary, comfort, choice,
and independence are tantamount to quality of life. At The Sanctuary, aging
elephants receive daily individual veterinary and husbandry care from a
professional team of Veterinarians and Caregivers to meet their needs in the
aging process. Put simply, Shirley receives gold-standard elder care.
Always innovative, The Sanctuary’s Veterinary and Caregiver teams have
custom-designed a treatment of antimicrobial sponges and soft, flexible
epoxy to protect Shirley’s feet, promote healing, and increase her overall
comfort. Care Staff refer to these patches as Shirley’s insoles. With this
treatment, Shirley has shown greater mobility, allowing her the freedom to
comfortably explore her habitat.
Kaitlin, Asia Habitat’s Lead Caregiver said, “Since the addition of her
epoxy treatments, we often see Shirley walk down into the woods to get hay
and enrichment that is prepped for her, rather than staying on the flatter
grassy areas.”
In addition to foot treatments, Shirley’s individual care plan includes
daily arthritis supplements, anti-inflammatory medications, and
multi-wavelength cold laser therapy to reduce discomfort associated with
arthritis and other joint conditions. Sunscreen and botanica cream are
applied regularly help prevent and treat sunburn that has begun to affect
Shirley more as her skin thins with age. Caregivers regularly collect
imaging of bones, joints and teeth to monitor and diagnose issues.
As all Shirley followers know, Shirley’s right hind leg was broken during
her time with the circus, more than 40 years ago. As it healed, several
bones in her leg fused together, creating an abnormal angle and shape.
Shirley has a sequestrum associated with the old fracture, which means
she has pieces of devitalized bone under the skin that cause periodic sores
that lead to localized drainage. Laser therapy, hydrotherapy and treating
her for pain, swelling, and infection are all ways our veterinarians
effectively manage symptoms and maintain Shirley’s health.
“Shirley is an amazing healer,” said Dr. Steve Scott, The Sanctuary’s
Director of Veterinary Services. “The fact that she could survive a fracture
of that magnitude and walk today is amazing.”
Caregivers have also noted that Shirley’s eyesight has begun to diminish in
dim lighting as she’s aged. To maintain eye health, fresh, leafy vegetables
high in antioxidants have been incorporated in her daily diet (which also
includes prunes for regularity) and Caregivers have begun to leave the
lights on in the barn at night.
Nightlights haven’t stopped Shirley from getting the rest she needs. Sand
piles have been added throughout her habitat and in her barn stall, which
have allowed Shirley to comfortably and easily lie down to rest and sleep.
Caregivers said the sand pile in Shirley’s habitat must be fluffed regularly
because she uses it so much. Before adding the sand pile to the barn,
Shirley had never been observed lying down inside. She now uses the special
sand pile almost every night, sleeping for six to eight hours.
The Sanctuary’s Veterinary and Care Staff also monitor Shirley closely due
to her known TB exposure from her history as a traveling, performing
elephant and her closeness to Jenny. Prior to retiring to The Sanctuary,
Jenny spent time with the Hawthorn elephants at their corporate facility
between 1992-1993.
In 1996, it was reported that Asian elephants Joyce and Hattie—both owned by
the Hawthorn Corporation—passed away while traveling with the circus. TB was
discovered to be the cause. Subsequent testing revealed that TB exposure was
widespread in the Hawthorn herd. This wave of diagnoses marked the first
time during the modern era that TB was detected in captive elephants in
North America. TB continues to affect elephants in captivity prevalently
throughout North America.
Though there is still a lot that is not known about TB and elephants, TB is
known to be an opportunistic disease that can be latent for many years.
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