The Elephant Sanctuary Celebrates Tange's 49th Birthday
Animal Stories from All-Creatures.org

FROM The Elephant Sanctuary
March 2022

Tange was born in the wilds of Africa in 1973 and imported with other elephants to North America at the age of five.

At the end of February, African elephant Tange turned 49 years old. Tange was born in the wilds of Africa in 1973 and imported with other elephants to North America at the age of five. She and another orphaned calf named Zula were sold to the Chehaw Wild Animal Park in Albany, Georgia where they lived for 26 years.

In 2002, the Animal Park decided to close their elephant exhibit and after many months of researching other facilities, chose to retire Tange and Zula to The Elephant Sanctuary. At the time, The Sanctuary was expanding, and a habitat for African elephants was under construction. On February 19, 2004, Tange became the 10th resident and the first African elephant to retire to The Sanctuary, with Zula right behind her.

Elephant Tange

Elephant Tange

Caregivers decorated with a “49” made of bamboo, oranges, apples, pears, and a vegan cake topped with coconut. She dined on the bamboo first, then the produce, and saved the best for last, scooping the cake up with her trunk once all of the fruit was gone. 


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