Sissy, The Elephant

Animal Well-Being

This month, I had almost completed an article when I got an interesting call from my friend Linda. My goal, as always, is to improve the quality of life for companion animals, which I define as any animal to which a human feels close. In Linda’s case, her companion is an elephant. This article is about a very special animal, Sissy the elephant.

Sissy was born in 1969. As a baby, she was taken to Six Flags Over Texas, near Dallas, to be part of the children’s petting zoo. Sissy was barely old enough to be away from her mother. That is when Linda, who worked at the petting zoo, became her surrogate mother. They established a bond that could not be broken. Sissy truly believed Linda was her mom. Every day, Linda would feed Sissy breakfast. After Sissy finished eating, she would suck Linda’s thumb and rock herself to sleep while still standing. They had special calls for each other, as well. Sissy would hear Linda coming and trumpet to her. Linda loved the little elephant with all her heart.

Sissy remained at the petting zoo for two years. Then, one day, Linda went to work and found that Sissy was gone. Linda was told that Sissy had been sold to someone in Japan. She was heartbroken.

For years Linda wondered about and searched for Sissy without success. Finally, almost 20 years later, in 1997, she got a tip that her elephant might be in Gainesville, Texas, at the zoo. She made phone calls and received information about an elephant that was there. It was Sissy, but her name was different. Her name had been changed to Gerry, and she had been at the Gainesville zoo for many years. She had gone to the Gainesville zoo instead of being shipped to Japan.

In Gainesville, Sissy had become quite a celebrity. In 1981, the town experienced a severe flood and Sissy turned up missing. Zoo officials presumed that she was dead. Twenty-four hours later, she was discovered wedged between two trees. She had been submerged in flood waters, and survived by breathing through her trunk! The whole town came together to rescue her. Sissy, and the community of Gainesville, made national news. Her picture was on t-shirts, coffee mugs, and official stationery as the mascot of the town.

As soon as Linda realized that she had located Sissy, she made a trip to Gainesville and was joyfully reunited with her elephant. Sissy recognized her former companion immediately! When Sissy got a good look at Linda, she began to rock back and forth as Linda rubbed her head. Linda fed Sissy her breakfast, just as she used to when they were together so many years before.

In Gainesville, she was under the care of a loving zoo keeper. But there was only one keeper who truly understood Sissy. Sadly, the secondary care giver had little patience with Sissy, and she did not like him. One day, in May of 1997, when the primary keeper had the day off, the alternate zoo keeper came out of Sissy’s barn and collapsed in the parking lot. He was dead from crushed ribs. After an investigation of this tragic incident, the Gainesville zoo was fined by the USDA, which oversees animals in zoos. They found that Sissy’s enclosure was much too small for such a large animal. The report that I read noted that Sissy had been confined to a space about the size of a three-bedroom house.

Following the death of the zoo keeper, Gerry/Sissy was sent to the Houston Zoo. Shortly afterward, she was transported to the El Paso zoo. Because of Sissy’s reputation for being a killer, zoo officials in El Paso ordered that a videotape be kept to document the elephant’s behavior. This tape captured something else: the abuse that Sissy suffered at the hands of the keepers at the El Paso zoo. Portions of the videotape have been aired on various news programs. The tape shows Sissy being hit repeatedly on the back of her legs, sometimes so hard that she collapsed from the blows.

The USDA has once again become involved in the investigation of Sissy and the El Paso zoo. A complaint was filed with the El Paso police department alleging cruelty to animals and complicity to commit cruelty to animals at the El Paso zoo. This matter has drawn the attention of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Though the efforts of PETA, the El Paso City Council voted unanimously to retire Sissy.

What is next for this animal? Linda reports that Sissy is now scheduled to be transferred to The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. This is an 800 acre, nonprofit sanctuary dedicated to caring for elephants. “It is the closest thing to freedom there is for captive elephants,” according to Jane Garrison, an elephant specialist who works for PETA. So far, the City of El Paso has refused to pay any of the transportation costs that will be incurred. The cost to transfer Sissy is resting on the shoulders of The Elephant Sanctuary.

From the time of Sissy’s birth, she has suffered one trauma after another. She deserves to spend her last years in a loving place out of harm’s way. Sissy needs our help. It is my understanding that Sissy will be moving to her new home about the same time this article comes out. If you would like to read an update, you can go to The Elephant Sanctuary’s web page at to find out how you can help. If nothing else, please say a prayer for this wonderful animal that has been misunderstood by some humans.

As for my friend Linda, she remains emotionally connected with Sissy and hopes to accompany her on her trip from El Paso to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. She will be transported by truck, which Linda reports is distressing and uncomfortable for her.

In my experience, most zoo keepers are motivated by caring and truly love the animals in their care. It’s important to remember that animals are sensitive and intelligent, and are an important part of our lives. Elephants are particularly smart, carrying the qualities of gentleness and loyalty, which they teach to us. I am grateful for institutions such as The Elephant Sanctuary, which provide a safe, loving home to retired animals.

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