Two retirees may well spend their Golden Years in the town of Hope, comfortably ensconced in a custom built retirement home, special therapeutic rehabilitation treatments, complete with propane heat and heat reclaiming system from the manure pile, which will be composted and sold as fertilizer.
The new structure is slated to house two retired circus elephants, the first of whom, Rosie, is scheduled to arrive late fall this year from Oklahoma. Rosie is an Asian elephant born in 1969; she has been in the United States since 1970 performing in the Carson and Barnes circus. Rosie’s barn mate will be a female of similar background from the same circus.
Likely candidates are currently being looked at. The building is of steel I-beam construction with reinforced concrete floors, and a specially designed sand floor containment area for cushioning and shock absorption to ease stress on joints.
This is crucial for Rosie, who has sustained an injury to her foreleg, which led to nerve damage and arthritis. Throughout the containment area inside the structure well casings, (the same material used for linings in artesian wells) descend 10 feet into the ground. These casings will be strung with high tensile strength steel cables. These precautionary measures are being taken to insure the safety of the elephants and the public.
To manage care for the elephants Jim and Tom Laurita co-founded Hope Elephants, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Jim, a Cornell-educated veterinarian who works at the Camden Animal Hospital, will manage and oversee all aspects of the elephants care, including ultrasound treatments to Rosie’s injured leg. Laurita has over 25 years experience in animal care.
Laurita’s love affair with elephants began when he realized the depth and intelligence of the massive animals while training them in a traditional circus he and brother Tom traveled with in the 1970s and ’80s. Laurita also worked with and trained elephants at the Bronx Zoo and at the Wildlife Safari in Winston, Ore.
“We quickly realized that you may not actually be smarter than that elephant, and I understood that very quickly,” Jim Laurita said. “They are clever in a way that people or a whale or a dolphin is clever.”
The purpose of Hope Elephants, aside from rehabilitation of two elephants is also to provide awareness and training opportunities for students of all ages. Jim and his associates have already set in motion many programs involving local schools and colleges.
The Hope Elementary School is involved in an art contest, whose submissions will be judged and then a winner(s) will be chosen to use as flyers for mailings and special invitations.
To date, the considerable expense of managing care for two full-grown elephants has been managed by the Lauritas through personal investment and fundraising. Going forward, they hope to inspire the involvement and support of all the surrounding communities.
“The goal of Hope Elephants’ educational program is to inspire visitors to act upon their experience and find their own path to participate in wildlife conservation.” Laurita said
To help raise awareness of and funds for Rosie’s home and her care, Hope Elephants is sponsoring a fundraiser concert at the Camden Opera House Sat., Nov. 12. There will be a cash bar and silent auction starting at 6 p.m. The concert begins at 7 p.m.
The event will feature comedy delivered by The Humble Farmer, jazz music by the band Swing Shift, vocals and piano by pianist Gintare, and Grammy Award winning jazz pianist Paul Sullivan.
The silent auction will include a guitar from Northern Kingdom Music, an occasional table from Thos. Moser, a blanket from Swan’s Island Blankets, a photography sitting with Patrisha McLean, gift certificates from the Samoset Resort and the Rockport YMCA and more.
The Camden Opera House is located at 29 Elm St., Camden. Tickets are available for $20(adult)/$10(child under 12) in advance at the Hope General Store (449 Camden Rd. Hope), Sherman’s Books (14 Main St., Camden) and the Camden Hospital for Animals (6 Commercial St. (Rt. 1), Rockport), or at the door on the night of the concert.
For more information please contact Hope Elephants at info@hopeelephants.org or 619-4801.
