Happy Birthday, Prince!
It's the Big 3-0 for Asian Bull Elephant Prince
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Prince was born
on May 24, 1987
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Thirty years ago this month, Prince - originally named Chang Dee - was born at the Oregon Zoo to mother Me-Tu and father Hugo. Tragically, he was taken from his mother at the very young age of 16 months, a time when elephant calves are still nursing and dependent on their mothers. To make matters even worse, the zoo sent Prince to the circus.
Elephant mothers are fiercely protective, so we can only imagine what it was like for Me-Tu and how mightily she must have struggled as they took away her baby. Or how Prince must have felt when he was dragged away to the circus.
We don't know much about Prince's circus days, but fate had something good in store for this deserving elephant. In July 2011, he was donated voluntarily to PAWS, at its request, by Feld Entertainment, the parent company of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus which will close forever this month.
Today, Prince enjoys his habitat at the ARK 2000 sanctuary where he can forage on fresh vegetation, pull leaves and branches from trees, or bathe and splash in either of his two pools. On most afternoons he can be found napping on the hillside in the warm sun. His days are filled with the peace and quiet of living in nature - a far cry from life in the circus.
Won't you join us in celebrating Prince's 30th birthday - and his new life at PAWS - by making a generous donation today? You can also "adopt" Prince for a year by clicking here.
Thank you!
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