It took thirty years for Nosey the elephant to escape torment from Hugo Liebel’s notoriously cruel traveling circus. Animal control officers in Lawrence County, Alabama, found Nosey on November 7, chained tightly and unable to move out of her own waste when they filed a petition to seize Nosey. The court agreed and sent Nosey to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee (TES) where for the last five weeks, she has been experiencing freedom from exploitation for the first time.

The Liebel Family Circus bought Nosey in 1988 after she witnessed the slaughter of her family in Zimbabwe at age two. Since then, Nosey has been denied the company of other elephants, confined and transported in trucks for long periods, and forced to give rides to people despite her poor physical condition. 

Her lack of proper veterinary care, lack of exercise, chronic and untreated skin condition, arthritic limbs, and the long standing practice of chaining her at circus sites, have made her one very abused and neglected elephant. But for now, Nosey is in the best place that she can possibly be, with the best care she can possibly have at the Sanctuary. 

So many people have been fighting tirelessly for years for Nosey’s freedom. Today a court hearing in Alabama will determine if this unexpected benevolent twist of fate will be Nosey’s future.  She deserves nothing less than the rolling hills and expert care provided for her at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee!