THE HILL COUNTRY ELEPHANT PRESERVE AT FREDERICKSBURG, TX
UNCOVER INVESTIGATION SHOWS THE ELEPHANT PRESERVE HAS BEEN ABUSING ELEPHANTS FOR DECADES
For years, Kari and Gary Johnson ran Have Trunk Will Travel, a traveling exhibit that exploited elephants like Tai and Dixie for trivial Hollywood gigs and events. Witnesses reported that the Johnsons used bullhooks—cruel weapons resembling fireplace pokers—to hit and yank the elephants.
After California banned these tools, the Johnsons relocated to Texas and rebranded their operation as "The Preserve." Despite its name, The Preserve subjects elephants to unnatural acts such as standing on their heads, painting, and playing instruments under the threat of punishment. In the wild, elephants live fulfilling lives, socializing, swimming, exploring, and playing freely. The use of violence to force them into performance is a clear example of speciesism—discrimination based solely on an animal's species.
Many people are questioning The Elephant Preserve in Fredericksburg, TX, which is actually owned and operated by the same business, Have Trunk Will Travel (HTWT). HTWT has a history of supplying elephants for circuses, rides, parties, film, and advertising. Melinda Pharr, founder of Elephants Austin, has visited The Preserve multiple times and found that its practices do not align with true sanctuary standards.
HTWT staffers use bullhooks and have been the target of campaigns by animal groups. One of them is Animal Defenders International, a California group that conducted an 8-week undercover investigation showing trainers, including Kari Johnson, beating and striking elephants with a bullhook, as well as hooking a baby elephant inside the roof of its mouth and using stun guns to shock the elephants. In a letter to Congress, HTWT even defended using electric shocking devices on elephants.
An elephant used in the making of a high-profile Hollywood film died at an animal facility in Texas — one accused for decades of mistreating its animals.
Tai was a 55-year-old female Asian elephant who became most famous after being used in the 2011 film Water For Elephants. She was residing at The Elephant Preserve in the Texas Hill Country, which on May 7, sent out an email to its subscribers saying she died "after a brief illness." On the phone, a spokesperson from The Preserve said she died of kidney failure.
Tai is the second elephant to have died at The Preserve: Dixie, another 55-year-old, reportedly died due to kidney failure. Tai and Dixie were two of five Asian elephants — along with Kitty, Rosie, and Becky — all captured from the wild.
If you care about animals, do not visit the Elephant Preserve.
What is a REAL sanctuary?
There are a few telltale signs you can look for to determine if a facility with animals is a true sanctuary that is not exploiting animals or involved in cruel, inhumane treatment:
- No human interaction. no rides, no selfies, no petting, no bathing, no nothing.
- No performances or shows. If wild animals are forced to do any routine, it's safe to assume that cruelty was used to persuade them to do so. Even seemingly innocuous activities such as bathing or petting require coercion.
- No cages. The animals have the freedom to move at will, in a natural setting, and with other animals of their own kind. But they must be kept separate behind barriers from people since people can quickly get hurt.
Sanctuaries also do not breed animals for captivity.
How elephants are "trained" for the tourism industry. There is no ethical way to train an elephant.
