Bonnie Bolden

bbolden@thenewsstar.com

Shirley, the Asian elephant who lived in Monroe for more than 20 years, is 69. That doesn't stop her from being an internet sensation.

Todd Montgomery, education coordinator for The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, said Shirley is one of the most asked-after residents. Ten elephants in three separate habitats can be watched online via the elecam at https://elephants.com/#elecam. The cameras offer real-time looks into what the elephants are doing.

Shirley came with her own fan club. She's widely known from a clip of "The Urban Elephant" documentary that followed her move from a Monroe, Louisiana, zoo to the sanctuary. Shirley lived as the only pachyderm at Louisiana Purchase Gardens & Zoo for 22 years before being moved to Tennessee in July 1999. At the sanctuary, she was reunited with Jenny, an elephant she was in the the same circus with more than 20 years earlier.

It's clear, he said, that she held a special place in the Monroe community.

Montgomery said Shirley was much-loved by her handlers and was cared for to the best of anyone's ability. Increasingly, however, information showed that elephants are social and don't like to be alone. They point to her story as an example of how an elephant's life can improve.

The clip is still widely shared, and Montgomery said it's how many people learn about the sanctuary. Once an elephant retires there, he said, they only interact with humans as much as necessary for their health care and well being. Right now, he said, the elephants can come and go from a heated barn and spend time outdoors as they choose. On a warm winter day, he said, Shirley walked down to the lake, which is about a mile from the barn. In warmer weather, she's likely to be the first to go exploring.Though she is a senior elephant, Montgomery said, Shirley is in good physical shape and is one of the most active pachyderms at the sanctuary. She often can be seen taking a nap on the Tennessee hillsides via the elecam.

Shirley has acted as matriarch of the Asian elephant habitat. Jenny died in 2006, but Shirley remains close with Tarra and spends time with Sissie, Montgomery said.

Shirley was captured in the wild when she was about 5 years old. She was sold to the Kelly-Miller circus, which was travelling through Cuba when Fidel Castro seized power. He held the circus as a bargaining chip for weeks. In 1963, the circus traveled to Nova Scotia by ship. While the ship was docked, a fire broke out in the engine room. Shirley was saved, but she's missing part of her right ear and has scars on her back and legs. Around 1975, another elephant attacked her while performing for Lewis Brothers Circus. Her back right leg was broken and healed crookedly. She was used in circuses for another two years before being moved to the zoo.

Shirley's birthday festivities are held in July.

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