Did Ringling Buckle Under????

Pachyderm pair headed to PAWS
By Mike Taylor

The Performing Animal Welfare Society and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus have announced that the circus has given two Asian bull elephants to PAWS.

The gift followed a request by PAWS to Ringling Bros. that Kenneth Feld, CEO and producer of Ringling Bros., described as “unprecedented,” according to a PAWS release.

“As such,” Feld said, “we wanted to ensure that by granting PAWS’ request, the structures and environment to house and manage these magnificent bull elephants were in place.”
One of the bulls, Sabu, arrived at the ARK 2000 sanctuary in San Andreas late last month. Ringling Bros. officials visited the Gold Country to review the facilities and meet with PAWS staff to ensure the safety and well-being of the elephants.

Following that visit in September, elephant management staff and a veterinarian from the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation escorted Sabu from Florida to San Andreas.

“He’s responding very well,” said Ed Stewart, PAWS co-executive director. “He’s got a good disposition.”


Sabu weighs in at about 7 tons and is about 2,000 pounds heavier than Nicholas, another Asian bull who came to ARK 2000 in late 2008. Sabu is also about a foot taller, Stewart said.

“Nic is quick and fast,” Stewart added. “He’s in great shape because of walking up and down the hills.”

Of Sabu, Stewart said the pachyderm is doing well with the new training regimen that PAWS handlers use to work with their jumbo-sized retirees. The elephants are trained without any contact; they are shown targets – usually tennis balls on the ends of bamboo poles – to direct them to different locations in their habitats. This “no contact” training method is safer for handlers and the animals. If the elephants do what a person asks of them, they are given treats; if they don’t, they are not berated or scolded.

“When we do blood draws, they get Jelly Bellies,” Stewart said. The jellybean manufacturer has long supported PAWS’ efforts to provide comfortable lives to animals that were once used in the entertainment industry.

To draw blood from the pachyderms, they are trained to flap an ear through specially designed fencing in their enclosures. Samples are then drawn and treats are given. When asked if any of the elephants have come across flavors of the candies they didn’t like, Stewart laughed and said they’ve never spat one out.

Sabu is housed in a separate barn at ARK 2000 from Nic. Bull elephants must be kept apart because of their moodiness and tendency to excite one another. They are also segregated because bulls going through musth – an annual event during which the animals become very aggressive – can be difficult to separate from other animals.


When Nicholas had his first musth earlier this year, Stewart said handlers spent hours trying to get him away from Gypsy, the female Asian elephant he arrived at ARK 2000 with.

The sanctuary will wait to receive Prince – the other Asian bull from Ringling Bros. – until another barn is constructed. He is 22 years old and will come to San Andreas after money is raised to erect his new home. The cost of another barn for Prince is $700,000, the PAWS release said, and fencing, which is taller and anchored deeper into the ground than fencing for the African and Asian females, costs $168 per linear foot.

“At 28 years old, Sabu is indeed a beautiful sight to behold,” said Pat Derby, PAWS co-founder and president. “This month, visitors to PAWS will be able to view Sabu at the one and only Elephant Grape Stomp: An Afternoon in TUSKany, held annually on the third Saturday in October.”

The event will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, at the sanctuary on Pool Station Road. Admission is a donation of $100; call (916) 488-3991 to reserve a ticket. The event is only open to adults.
“Guests will delight as they watch from a distance as Sabu splashes, dusts and devours delicious Calaveras County grapes and grapevines,” Derby added. “We are continuing with our fundraising efforts, including our Bucks for Bulls campaign, so that Prince can join us here at ARK 2000 in the very near future.”

Both Sabu and Prince were born at a zoo in Oregon as part of Ringling Bros.’ assisted breeding program. The male elephants toured with the circus when they were younger and since retiring from performing a number of years ago, they have lived at one of the circus’s facilities in Florida.


Sabu and Prince are not the first former Ringling Bros. pachyderms to retire to PAWS’ care. Shortly after the Sept. 11 attack in 2001, Minnie and Rebecca – two Asian females – came to California.

Courtesy of Anonymous(not anonymous Ian)
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I recall Prince and Sabu when they were babies in Gunther's herd. They were "trouble brewing" back then. I note Paw's "handlers" spent hour's getting Nic away from Gypsy and his attempt's to breed with her. It was time well spent in preserving and breeding endangered Asian elephants, and I am sure make's sense to every animal activist "fighting the good fight" today. You go Nic!!!! Do what you were born to do, but stay rested, you have competition.