Where Is Sophie the Geriatric Elephant? PETA Calls on Feds to Inspect Local Roadside Zoo

For Immediate Release:
July 13, 2026

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Why is The Preserve hiding an elderly elephant dumped there by the circus industry? That’s what PETA is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to find out. In a letter sent this morning, PETA is calling on the agency to investigate the roadside zoo and the whereabouts of a 54-year-old elephant named Sophie, who was obtained in 2024 from the Carson & Barnes Circus, whose head trainer was caught on camera beating her while she (when she was known as Becky) screamed in terror. During a recent site visit, PETA found that staff have hidden her away from the public and, answering inquiries from visitors, claimed she was “napping” and is “almost always” sleeping “for hours”—alarming behavior, since healthy elephants typically sleep only about four hours at night and rarely lie down during the day.

PETA also observed another elephant with severely overgrown nails and cuticles—conditions that cause pain and can lead to foot and joint disease, the leading cause of death in captive elephants—and handlers who stepped away from elephants during dangerous public encounters. PETA is asking the USDA to ensure that Sophie and the other elephants there are receiving adequate veterinary care and hold it accountable for any violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. Footage from PETA’s visit is available here.

“An elephant who sleeps all day is an elephant in crisis, and Sophie has already suffered enough after decades of abuse in the circus,” says PETA Foundation Managing Director of Captive Wildlife Debbie Metzler. “PETA is calling on the USDA to investigate The Preserve immediately and ensure these elephants receive proper veterinary care or are transferred to reputable sanctuaries where they can live out their lives in peace.”

In nature, elephants live in matriarchal herds, protect one another, and share mothering responsibilities for the herds’ babies. But those used in tourist attractions and circuses were torn from their mothers as infants and shipped across the world, and are subjected to torturous training methods, and forced to perform under the constant threat of violence.

The Preserve, where Sophie is held now, is owned by Gary and Kari Johnson, who previously operated Have Trunk Will Travel—a traveling exhibit with a documented history of beating elephants and shocking them with electric prods. PETA encourages everyone to urge The Preserve to retire the elephants kept there to reputable sanctuaries, and to never visit roadside zoos or any facility that forces elephants into bathing experiences, rides, or other hands-on public encounters.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and fear, an elephant is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.