When shocking images emerged of Anne, Britain’s last circus elephant, being beaten by one of her keepers, it sparked a national outcry. Undercover footage showed the gentle creature cowering in fear as the youth repeatedly inflicted violent attacks on her, making her wince in pain. The public was appalled and demanded that Anne be freed from the circus where she had spent nearly fifty-five years performing and be allowed to live out her final years in peace. I, a reporter at the Daily Mail, broke the story after the campaign group Animal Defenders International passed the newspaper the footage they had secretly shot.<br>From then on, the paper, animal charities and experts worked tirelessly behind the scenes to save Anne and deliver her to safety. But there were fears for her health due to her crippling arthritis and old age and at one stage it was thought that she might have to be put down to ease her suffering. Thankfully the vets decided that they could treat her and she officially retired in 2011.<br>It was agreed that Longleat Safari Park would be her new home and she settled in nicely. Meanwhile, her keeper is believed to have fled to his native Romania and her owner Bobby Roberts was prosecuted for animal cruelty the following year. The Daily Mail ran a funding appeal to build her a refuge at the park specifically designed for her needs and she moved in to Anne’s Haven a year ago.<br>Since she was rescued, she has gone from strength to strength and the arthritis which caused her to drag her back legs has dramatically improved. Having recovered her mobility, she is able to play and go for walks with new-found energy. Now, at last, she has the chance to live out her final years in a happy and safe place.
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Claire Ellicott. Saving Anne the Elephant - The True Story of the Last British Circus Elephant
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
PROLOGUE
FALLOUT FROM THE STORY, MY FIRST MEETING WITH ANNE AND CIRCUS PROTESTS
STORY OF ADI SNEAKING IN TO FILM HER AND RELEASE OF THE FOOTAGE TO THE PAPER
THE MOVE TO LONGLEAT
ANNE’S NEW LIFE AT LONGLEAT AND PLANS FOR A SANCTUARY
ANNE’S BEGINNINGS IN THE JUNGLE
LIFE AT THE CIRCUS
BOBBY THEN – PART ONE
BOBBY NOW – PART TWO
MOIRA AND BOBBY ROBERTS GO ON TRIAL CHARGED WITH ANIMAL CRUELTY
ISSUES
CRUELTY IN CIRCUSES
WAS BOBBY CRUEL TO HER?
BAN WILD ANIMALS IN CIRCUSES
HAPPY ENDING
Copyright
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Thank you to my mother, my father and my sister for their love and support.
Many thanks to ADI, Longleat, the Robertses and my other interviewees for enduring my endless questions and queries. And thanks to the Daily Mail for encouraging me to write this book.
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As a result of the backlash, the Robertses had to erect metal security barriers around the Big Top. Moira said at the time that the girl manning the box office had received death threats. Bookings had also fallen 99 per cent, she added. They were forced to sell heavily-discounted tickets for the two-hour show to those brave enough to make it past the picket lines. Bobby told the Blackpool Gazette when they arrived there: ‘We’ve had death threats, been frightened to let our grandchildren out of our sight.’ He said that at one point a man had phoned to ask how close his seat was to the ring because he had brought a gun to shoot Bobby.
‘We’re not some big corporate with lots of money,’ argued Moira, ‘we’re a traditional family circus. We haven’t had a holiday in forty-five years, we won’t leave our animals for longer than twenty-four hours, we’re up against rising costs and red tape, the worst economy we’ve known, and other circuses going for the same business.’ Days later, she told the Observer: ‘We’ve always been proud of our name, but we feel it has been blackened. As a family we feel finished.’
