Lottie was born in 1963. As with so many other circus elephants, she was captured from the wild at a young age, separated from her family herd and shipped to America to spend her life performing in circuses. Little is known about Lottie’s early years, but records indicate in 1995 at the age of 32, she was sold to the Hawthorn Corporation by California-based Circus Vargas, along with Minnie, Gypsy and Sue.

As a result of USDA prosecutions against the Hawthorn Corporation for violations of the Animal Welfare Act for inadequate care and mistreatment of its elephants, Lottie was sent to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. At 12:00 pm, on January 31, 2006, Lottie became the sixteenth resident of The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee arriving with her best friend Minnie. She was the second of eight circus elephants from the Hawthorn Corporation to make the “Caravan to Freedom” trip.  In their first weeks and months at the Sanctuary, Lottie became the self-appointed leader of her former circus herd (dubbed the “Divas”) and was instrumental in greeting and helping the later arrivals to adjust to their new freedom and surroundings. Lottie is typically very calm and serious, and spends most of her time with her best friend Minnie.  In the beginning, it was not unusual for Lottie to slip off to an unexplored area of the habitat and bellow for her family to come join her. Of course, they would immediately respond to her request!

Caregivers have noticed that Lottie seems less serious and more playful now, sometimes  heading off to entertain herself with carefree abandonment in the wooded areas or the creek.  As the Divas continue to adjust to their new life, we are sure that Lottie’s calm, relaxed nature will forever make her a guiding force for her herd.