What happens to old circus animals when they retire?

Their stories do not always have a happy ending – but in the case of Gandhi, a 52-year-old female Asian elephant, who spent a lifetime between the circus and the zoo, there is one.

Gandhi is now the first guest at Elephant Haven, a new refuge for old pachyderms in the Limousin region, southwest central France – the first of its kind in Europe.

Gandhi was born in Asia, likely in Thailand, and was then taken to a circus in Denmark in 1973, where she stayed until she was moved to a zoo in 1988.

The new center in Europe deals with the fallout from when circuses and zoos dismiss the animals, a situation that heightened after a ban was imposed in 20 European countries from using wild animals in shows.

Former circus animals normally find new homes in zoos, private facilities or animal sanctuary such as Elephant Haven, but large animals – especially carnivores like tigers, lions and bears - have a hard time finding places that are well-equipped to take care of them.

Video editor: Pedro Duarte