Mysore, a 7,000 pound Asian elephant, got out of the circus spotlight more than a decade ago.
But at 70 years old, she still has the ability to steal the show.
“She came into the United States in 1947 from India, and she has travelled all over the United States many, many times and dazzled thousands of people,” said Janice Aria, director of animal stewardship for the conservation center.
There are currently nearly 30 elephants at the center, which is a 200-acre property in Polk County.
By 2018, the center will add another dozen elephants as they are retired from Ringling Brothers’ traveling circus performances.
Animal activists have called for elephants to be phased out of circus performances, even though they’ve been a part of the act for more than a century.
Aria said there are some misconceptions about the treatment of captive elephants.
“Definitely, the public sentiment is such that a lot of people don’t understand how well the elephants do in captivity,” she said.
Not all of the animals at the conservation center are former circus performers, but many play an important role in research as the staff studies the endangered species.
Twenty-six elephants have been born on the property over the years.
Staff members at the conservation center say saving the elephants from extinction is the most important part of the organization, giving the elephants a place to grow up and grow old.
