GALLERY: 1st elephant arrives at new South Georgia refuge

ATTAPULGUS, Ga. (WCTV) – South Georgia’s newest resident is nearly 11 feet tall and weighs five tons.

Bo, a 34-year-old male elephant who retired from the circus after performing for 30 years, arrived at Elephant Refuge North America in Attapulgus Thursday.

He’s the first elephant to live at the 850-acre habitat, three years after work first began on the project. The refuge is the newest of three in the U.S. and a project of Elephant Aid International, which was founded by Carol Buckley.

Buckley is an internationally recognized authority in the rescue, rehabilitation and welfare of captive-held elephants.

Bo is 10′6″ tall and weighs more than 10,000 pounds. The circumference of his front foot is 5′4″. He will occupy a seven-acre habitat during his first months at the refuge, with access to pastures, woods, a pond and an elephant house. He will eventually occupy a 100-acre habitat.

Because of their strength, male elephants require much stronger fencing than their female counterparts. The refuge has built 2,000 feet of reinforcement fencing for Bo, made of 6-inch-thick wall steel pipe, driven four feet into the ground, standing 7-foot-tall and connected with a 3-inch steel top rail.

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