Britain’s last circus elephant
She is called Anne and the media has been giving her massive coverage. I was struck by the ailments that she suffers as a creature close to the pension age for a female and the various approaches that are being considered to improving her condition. In an item in the “Guardian”, it is reported:
“Anne is … in pretty good condition. Her back legs, which are racked with arthritis, already seem better, and her dry, cracked skin is improving – she uses the pile of sand as a sort of facial scrub. She is not overweight and does not have the sort of scars and scratches you would expect if she had been routinely abused for a long time. At 57 or thereabouts, she is already older than most elephants in captivity, which suggests she has had a decent life. … Anne is receiving the best care. Experienced vets are being brought in to make sure she is well but Longleat is also hiring experts in reiki, homeopathy and herbal medicine to see if they can help her arthritis and skin problems.”
And how will they know what causes Anne’s improvement: the alternative medicine, the experienced vets, or simply time? I suppose the media could always ask her through a trunk call.