Rhea the Rescued Elephant Who Her Entire Life in a Circus is Thriving in Sanctuary Home (PHOTOS)

Imagine having to live in captivity for 53 years. While this is hard to imagine, it is sadly common for animals to endure such captivity for the sake of human entertainment. In the circus, for example, elephants are cruelly subjected to an unnatural existence. These highly emotional and intelligent animals have some of the most complex familial and social groups in the animal kingdom, and yet, we continue to reduce them to entertainment props, subjecting them to a life in chains performing tricks they would never do in the wild.

One sweet elephant, Rhea, did spend 53 years of her life enduring the horrors of life in a circus. Thankfully, however, Wildlife S.O.S. was able to win her freedom and give her a new life at their sanctuary. This elephant has only been free for a few days, but so far she is thriving!

Rhea is having a blast in her new sanctuary home!

The Wildlife S.O.S. team wrote on Facebook, “After non stop traveling since morning, we’ve stopped for a break, and also to give Rhea some time to stretch her legs. We gave her a shower as a very generous restaurant owner on the highway offered us to use his water tank, and let Rhea walk around a bit.”

On the road, Rhea gave herself a dust bath and “expressed her absolute delight by squeaking and rumbling throughout!”

Look at her getting in touch with nature!

After a miserable life in captivity, it’s so amazing to finally see Rhea thriving and having fun!

This is definitely the sort of life that all elephants deserve and we are so pleased that organizations like Wildlife SOS exist to make this possible. Follow Rhea’s journey and learn more about Wildlife SOS and the amazing work they do by clicking here!

All Image Source: Wildlife S.O.S./Facebook