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Tonka
Zoo Knoxville (Knoxville, TN)
Tonka was born around 1978 in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, but in 1981, humans violently tore him from his familial herd and imported him to the United States. From March 10, 1981 until his death on May 8, 2024, he was confined at Zoo Knoxville, which provided less than an acre of space to all of the elephants confined there. Despite attempts by the zoo to breed Tonka, he never sired any offspring. His life was defined by isolation, subjugation, exploitation, and suffering.
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Free to Be Elephants is dedicated to raising awareness of the realities of elephant captivity, but our work doesn’t end there. Elephants are depending on us to correct this grave injustice. Please take action today to help us secure freedom for elephants in the US.