HOHENWALD, Tenn. (WKRN) – A longtime resident of The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald will celebrate a milestone Friday.
Shirley the elephant will turn 70 years old, making her the third oldest elephant in the United States, according to the sanctuary.
She has seen a lot in her 70 years since being captured at a young age and sold to a traveling circus.
In 20 years of entertaining circus audiences, she survived a highway accident and received burns on her face during a fire on a ship.
She then lived at a zoo in Louisiana for another 20 years before making her way to the sanctuary in 1999–where she has lived ever since.
Most elephants live to be around 40 to 50 years old, which makes Shirley’s birthday all the more special.
The Elephant Sanctuary is asking fans to post birthday wishes for Shirley on social media using the hashtag #ShirleyTurns70.