Julie
Give her the lifelong care she needs
Thank you to our wonderful supporters who have made Julie’s rehoming possible. You can also help us give her the expert care and the life she deserves by donating below.
Portugal's Last Circus Elephant
Julie is a female African elephant in her mid-40s. Taken from the wild in southern Africa as a calf, she came to Portugal in the early 1980s and joined Victor Hugo Cardinali’s circus in 1988. She once shared her life with several other elephants, but over the years they were sent away or died, and when her last companion, Samba, passed away in 2024, Julie was left on her own.
She was the last wild animal held in any circus in Portugal. A 2019 law banning wild animals in circuses came into force in 2025, and most had already been moved to sanctuaries before then. Pangea helped to rehome the country’s last circus tiger in March 2026 — but there was nowhere in Europe for Julie, and Mr Cardinali did not want to send her to a zoo or another circus.
Julie taking her first dust bath at Pangea Elephant Sanctuary.
Circus to Sanctuary
Discussions between Pangea and the circus began in the summer of 2025, and a voluntary agreement was reached in May 2026 in a spirit of shared commitment to Julie’s welfare. Victor Hugo Cardinali and his team worked closely with us to ensure her transition was as stress-free as possible, and they will continue to support her as she settles in.
Like many elephants of her age and history, Julie has some health needs relating to her joints and mobility that require close attention, and this is exactly where sanctuary life can help in the time that she has left: room to roam in a natural, peaceful environment. Forming social bonds with their own kind is essential to elephant wellbeing, and it is one of the things we most look forward to giving Julie. We’re working hard to ensure that Kariba can join her soon.
Elephant Profile
Height: 3.5m
Rehoming Partners
“Julie has been a deeply loved member of our family for 30 years, but we believe moving her to Pangea is the right decision. Working closely with Pangea on her transition to a new home was a critical factor in our deliberations.”
“Julie marks the end of a long chapter, one in which wild animals were part of circus life here. Whatever you feel about that change, the law has moved on, and so must we. My invitation is to look ahead – to honour the extraordinary skill, artistry and cultural heritage of the circus, and to support these remarkable institutions as they evolve.”
Elephant News
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…
New Video of Julie’s Arrival at Pangea
Watch the Complete Story After 40 years in the circus, Julie has been given the opportunity for a new life at Pangea. We are very excited to show this short film highlighting the arrival of our first elephant, including her journey from Cardinali Circus to her first steps in the…
Our First Elephant Has Arrived at Pangea
EUROPE’S FIRST LARGE-SCALE SANCTUARY OFFICIALLY OPENS WITH THE ARRIVAL OF PORTUGAL’S LAST CIRCUS ELEPHANT 2nd July 2026Pangea Elephant Sanctuary’s first resident marks the end of wild animals in Portuguese circuses and a jumbo step forward in elephant welfare across Europe LISBON, Portugal — Julie, Portugal\'s last circus elephant and the…
Julie Confirmed as Pangea’s First Elephant
Our First Resident is Arriving Soon We are excited to announce that Julie, the last circus elephant in Portugal, will soon become the first resident at Pangea. As Kariba takes the time she needs to recover from her abscess, everything has fallen into place for Julie. When we announced…
Sad news from Poland
Katka We were recently approached about whether Pangea might be able to help an elephant in Poland, and we\'re sorry to share that she has since passed away. Katka was an African elephant at Gdańsk Zoo. Wild-born around 1970 - like Julie and Kariba, taken from the wild as a…
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