Europe’s first elephant sanctuary

Portugal’s Alentejo region is set to become home to a groundbreaking project – Europe’s first sanctuary for elephants that have lived in captivity.

Set across 402 hectares between Vila Viçosa and Alandroal, the vast refuge will welcome its first residents – elephants from zoos and circuses across Europe – in early 2026. The initiative is led by the non-profit organisation Pangea, registered in Portugal and the UK, with support from local councils and national environmental authorities such as Directorate-General for Food and Veterinary (DGAV) and the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF).

The land was purchased in 2023 by the non-profit, which has been busy preparing it for the elephants…

In a statement, Pangea explained that the project consists of creating a natural space for “elephants in a vulnerable situation”, so that the animals can “move freely, feed and socialise, just as they would in their wild habitat”.

Here is the full story.  About thirty elephants are slated to end up there.  Henry Mance at the FT notes:

The elephants will have 850 acres to roam — more than 200 times the size of Tierpark Berlin zoo’s elephant enclosure or 28 times that of the UK’s Whipsnade Zoo.

And:

The median lifespan for African elephants in a Kenyan national park was three times that of those in European zoos.

Will this prove financially sustainable?  Replicable?  Finding an area with enough water was one of the major constraints.