A great battle won for Maya

A veterinarian has just completed an expert evaluation of Maya by order of the prefect following our request. And he arrives at the same conclusions as our experts on the condition of the elephant. This confirms what we have been saying for months: contrary to what the circus and their supporters state, Maya is in bad shape.

Her diet is unsuitable for her needs, her feet make her suffer and she had an abscess at the time of the visit (so after the date of treatment announced by the lawyer of the circus …). And the veterinarian clearly announces in his report: “considering her advanced age, Maya requires a stable environment with longer and longer breaks between shorter journeys“, and in her letter to the circus, the departmental director of the social cohesion and the protection of populations adds: “which seems hardly compatible with your activity“.

We received a copy of this letter sent to the circus by the DDPP (Departmental Directorate for the Protection of Populations), following our letter of February 27th, when a report warned us that Maya was in Alès locked in her trailer. This is despite the fact that, at the High Court in Strasbourg, the circus holding Maya had claimed that she was retired in the Lot-et-Garonne. We were so moved to have found her on the road just over a week later.

For six months, we have reserved a place for Maya at the elephant sanctuary, Elephant Haven, which we helped with a generous donation for the purchase of land and buildings in 2016. We are therefore at the circus’ disposal to take charge of Maya and accompany her to her new place of life, where she will benefit from all the attentions recommended by the expert: slow walking, stretching … sheltered, far from tarmac and the roads.