World Animal Protection US has released a short documentary detailing the tragic life of Joyce, an elephant held captive at a New Jersey amusement park.
A new documentary released by World Animal Protection US and narrated by award-winning actress and activist Evanna Lynch details the sad and traumatic life of Joyce, an elephant captured from the wild in 1984 and exploited for entertainment for decades.
Sold and resold around the United States, forced to perform in circuses, and exploited in zoos, Joyce finally ended up at Six Flags Wild Safari in 2010, where she languishes between a small barn in the winter and a tiny enclosure when the park is open, in close proximity to thundering rollercoasters. Her life is one of tragedy, watching her mother be killed in Zimbabwe as a calf and being ripped away from companion elephants over and over again.
In the documentary, World Animal Protection US’s Programs Manager and director Miguel Endara visits Joyce at Six Flags Wild Safari in New Jersey with wildlife veterinarian Dr. Jan Schmidt-Burbach. The elephants are confined by fencing to a barren, small space, and Dr. Schmidt-Burbach shows how Joyce is isolated in an even smaller “exercise” enclosure away from the other elephants as she has never fully integrated into the group. This enclosure is 700,000 times smaller than her home range would be in the wild.
While a few of the surviving Zimbabwe orphan elephants have found sanctuary and are no longer exploited for profits, Joyce continues to be used as an exhibition and gawked at by theme park visitors. World Animal Protection US hopes to change this, launching a campaign to free Joyce.
Please join us in taking action on behalf of Joyce by signing our petition to end elephant exploitation at Six Flags in New Jersey.