Lonely, aging elephant to give rides at FL event.

2/10/26

Last year we alerted you to the use of elephants at Renaissance festivals produced by Mid-America Festivals, which include the Minnesota Renaissance Festival and Bay Area Renaissance Festival in Dade City, FL.

We are sad to share that the Bay Area festival begins on February 14, and their website lists elephant rides amongst their "games and rides". Apparently, Mid-America Festivals has not yet gotten the message that the archaic and cruel use of elephants for rides MUST END.

Unlike other festivals that use elephants Krissy, Paige, and Jeannie, Bay Area Renaissance Festival rents an elderly elephant named Essex. You might remember Essex from CWI's "Five Lonely Elephants" campaign.

In private ownership, lonely Essex spends all of her time without the company of any other elephant. She is regularly used as a prop on social media by her handler and has even been used as a walking billboard.

Essex turns 52 this year, so--like many other elephants who are still forced to perform or give rides--SHE IS ELDERLY & DESERVES SANCTUARY.

Please take a moment to tell Mid-America Festivals that you will never attend one of their events as long as elephant cruelty is involved. One by one, event by event, and city by city, we will END the use of elephants for selfishness and greed!

Later this week we will be sharing another update with you on an elephant in our Five Lonely Elephants campaign. Please be on the lookout for it. 

Thank you for continuing to stand with CWI in the fight against animal cruelty!