By CLAIRE ELLICOTT

Happy to be home: Anne has been given a new lease of life thanks to Daily Mail readers


An impressive £100,000 has been donated by Daily Mail readers in just three days towards a home for Anne.

Your generous response to our appeal comes as a vet confirmed the circus elephant has taken on a ‘new lease of life’ since arriving at Longleat Safari Park.

There had been fears that 59-year-old Anne – Europe’s oldest elephant – would need to be put down due to her crippling arthritis.


Brutal: The shocking footage of Anne being mistreated


But yesterday independent vet Nic Masters declared she was out of the danger zone, adding: ‘We are not looking at a euthanasia case.’

Her amazing improvement shows just how badly a safe haven in Britain is needed for mistreated elephants who are unable to travel abroad to wildlife sanctuaries.

Yesterday donations continued to pour in for the proposed £1million enclosure at the Wiltshire park, which will feature a swimming pool and a wading area for up to six elephants.


What a difference: Anne is enjoying her new surroundings


‘We’ve now got her on a new system of pain relief and she has responded excellently.
‘She’s moved from a situation where she had no stimulation to one where there’s plenty for her to do and she has a new lease of life.’

Anne will soon be taken out for gentle walks once she has formed a bond with her keepers, he added.

Jan Creamer, of ADI, said: ‘The crusade the Mail launched with us has made a real difference to Anne.’


source: dailymail