Charlie

Charley, the last captive elephant in South Africa, has begun a new chapter in a private game reserve after 40 years in captivity. Dr. Amir Khalil and his team, renowned for their expertise in elephant relocation, undertook the task of moving Charley. Khalil, known for the successful rescue of Kaavan, the “world’s loneliest elephant,” from a Pakistan zoo to a sanctuary in Cambodia in 2020, was well-suited for this challenge. Charley, a four-ton African elephant, had lived alone at a Pretoria zoo for over two decades, following the death of his companion Landa in 2020. The decision was made to move him to a private game reserve about 200 kilometers away, where he might find new companions. The relocation process was intricate. Instead of tranquilizing Charley, which could be harmful, Khalil and his team used a training approach to coax him into a large transport container. Over the course of two years, Charley was gradually introduced to the container using food rewards, such as pumpkins and papaya. Remarkably, he adapted quickly and entered the container in less than two weeks. After an extensive road trip, Charley arrived at the Shambala private game reserve in late August. Initially, he will be kept in a separate area to acclimate to his new environment before potentially joining the reserve’s wild elephant herds. Khalil and his team, including Dr. Marina Ivanova and Dr. Frank Göritz, who also worked on Kaavan’s relocation, praised the Pretoria zoo and South Africa’s environment ministry for their support in this rare and significant reintroduction of a captive elephant to a more natural setting.