Kariba
Help us welcome Kariba to her new home
After a long journey from Belgium to Portugal, she has finally arrived at Pangea! Find out how you can help us give her the best possible start in our sanctuary by supporting Kariba’s life-long care.
The long road to Pangea.
Kariba’s journey began in Zimbabwe, where her family was lost to an ivory cull in the mid-1980s. Her herd was killed, and like many others, Kariba was taken from the wild and sent to a zoo in Germany as an orphaned baby. Since then, she has spent ~40 years of her life in the care of European zoos.
In 2012, Kariba was moved to Pakawi Park in Belgium, where she found companionship with Jenny, another African elephant that was retired from circus life. The two shared a bond that offered comfort and connection after years of separation from their own kind. But when Jenny passed away in 2022, Kariba was left alone again. Recognizing her need for space and companionship, the team at Pakawi Park began searching for a new home. With the help of Belgian NGO GAIA, their search led to Pangea.
Images: courtesy of Pakawi Park, Belgium.
A new beginning.
Now, after life in captivity, a new chapter is beginning. At Pangea, Kariba’s world will open once more. She’ll walk on soft earth under open skies, explore the hills and forests of her new home, and meet other elephants who will become her family. She will receive care tailored to her age and history from experts who put her welfare above anything else. Every step she takes will be toward healing and rediscovering what it means to be an elephant.
Elephant Profile
Height: 4m
Rehoming Partners
“We congratulate Pakawi Park for their compassion and foresight. Pakawi Park have done their very best for Kariba, but ultimately elephants have complex physical and emotional needs.”
“We have cared for Kariba for over 13 years, and she will be hugely missed, but we couldn’t see her alone anymore. We believe she can have the best possible quality of life at Pangea, with space to be an elephant again and with the companionship of others.”
Elephant News
Press Release: Our Second Elephant Arrival
LONELY ELEPHANT STARTS A NEW LIFE AND FINDS COMPANIONSHIP AT PORTUGAL SANCTUARY 13th November 2026 ALENTEJO, Portugal — After a 2,000-kilometre journey from Belgium, Kariba has finally arrived at Pangea Elephant Sanctuary in the Alentejo region of Portugal. Kariba is the last remaining African elephant in Belgium, and she joins…
Kariba Arrives at Pangea
A New Chapter Begins At 1am this morning, just hours before Storm Charles hit in full, Kariba arrived at Pangea Elephant Sanctuary. When the crate door opened and she first stepped down the ramp, she was a little unsteady on her feet. Everyone held their breath. Then she took a…
The Risks of Rehoming Elephants
Why the Reward is Worth the Risk At Pangea, we give elephants who have spent much of their lives in captivity the chance to live alongside other elephants and rediscover natural behaviours across a vast, semi-wild landscape. We believe deeply in this work. We also know that moving an elephant…
Kariba Health Update III
Positive Medical Progress Since our last update, Kariba has continued to recover from the infections that delayed her move to Pangea earlier this year. We are relieved to share her ear is healing well, and the other infections have almost completely healed. Based on her progress, the veterinary team at…
Julie’s First Two Months
A Remarkable Transformation Since arriving at the beginning of July, Julie has settled in better than any of us could have hoped. In the first few days we couldn\'t believe how quickly she took to her new life. We opened the barn gates leading into her paddock just 24 hours…
Kariba Health Update II
A Difficult Few Months Kariba\'s move was delayed back in June after she developed an abscess on her foot. Since then, she developed two further infections - one on her chest, and a more serious one that has sadly resulted in her losing part of her ear. There are several…
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