The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee

Founded in 1995, The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee is a charity based in Hohenwald, United States working on animal welfare, nature & wildlife conservation, education.

The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee is a non-profit elephant sanctuary founded in 1995 in Hohenwald, Tennessee. It provides lifetime care for African and Asian elephants, many of whom were rescued from zoos, circuses, or owners who failed to meet Animal Welfare Act requirements. The sanctuary operates on a 3,060-acre preserve of forest, ponds and pasture, using a Protected Contact system based on positive reinforcement and offering elephants choice over their social interactions, grazing and health care. It does not breed elephants. The sanctuary is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries and the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, and is licensed by the USDA and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Its public-facing work includes The Elephant Discovery Center in downtown Hohenwald, which offers free self-guided exhibits and educational programmes, and Distance Learning programmes that have reached audiences in dozens of countries. The sanctuary also funds elephant conservation, field research, education and welfare projects with partner organisations in Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.