Wildlife from Puerto Rico Zoo Touches Down in Florida on Route to Georgia Airport

Last month, the Jacksonville International Airport had a royal visitor. Standing 8 feet tall and weighing a whopping 8,000 pounds, Mundi is a 41-year-old king of the jungle. The female African savannah elephant touched down at the freight area of the Florida airport on May 12 on her way to her new home in Georgia. Flying through the Florida airpark alongside a rhino, hippo, donkey, and antelope on a chartered Atlas Air 747, Mundi was evacuated from the recently closed Juan A. Rivero Zoo in Maya Guez, Puerto Rico. But, of course, getting the elephant to board the necessary container to board the plane was easier said than done.

Mundi’s handler, Elephant Aid International founder and CEO Carol Buckley, explained that it took her four days to get her feet completely enclosed in the crate. The devices used to transport elephants on airplanes are designed to reduce the risk of injury, escape, and danger to people nearby. Constructed with solid metal and hardwood frames, the cages feature hinged doors that are secured with metal bars and a groove along the bottom for forklift extrusions. According to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) stipulations, the vessel has to be big and strong enough to restrict the animal’s movement while keeping it restrained. It must allow the animal to stand naturally without being cramped but not be able to move freely. The cage must have ventilation openings in the roof and accessible areas for food and water to be passed through. At the same time, the animal’s feet must be chained inside the container to prevent it from stomping around.

In February, the USDA mandated the permanent closure of Puerto Rico’s Rivero Zoo due to numerous animal welfare complaints and the lack of a veterinarian, resulting in the death of some animals. Thankfully, the U.S. government soon stepped in to save the day. Our Department of Justice teamed up with the Puerto Rico Department of Environment and Natural Resources to provide approximately 500 animals with humane and suitable housing and care.

Orphaned in 1982, Mundi spent 35 years isolated in captivity at the Mayaguez Zoo in Puerto Rico before the zoo’s closure. World Animal Protection (WAP) reports that she was trained and used as entertainment. Thankfully, Elephant Refugee North America, also known as ERNA, recently collaborated with WAP, as well as the Wild Animal Sanctuary and Elephant Aid International, to transport Mundi from Puerto Rico to Florida before she wound up at her final stomping grounds at a zoo in Attapugus, Georgia.

Now living in the Peach State, Mundi resides on an 850-acre refuge where she is free to roam in the sanctuary with two other elephants. The giant mammal is missing a tusk and has gone blind in one eye. This will be the first time in over 35 years that she has been around other animals of her kind. After living alone for decades, she was bound to be a bit timid and untrusting in an unfamiliar environment. But the change in atmosphere has already improved her life significantly. As soon as she got acclimated to her new home, Mundi’s self-awareness and social skills quickly flourished.

Mundi now appears to be content and at ease in her new home, swimming in the spring-fed lake and enjoying unlimited time outdoors. Meanwhile, the hippopotamus, rhinoceros, and other animals from Puerto Rico are being sent to a zoo in Texas.