Name at Birth: Chang Dee

Name Now: Prince

Date of Birth: 24 May 1987

Place of Birth: Portland, Oregon at the Oregon Zoo

Mother: Me-Tu   also born at the Oregon Zoo

Father:  Hugo   who was donated to the Oregon Zoo, several years before Chang Dee’s birth, by Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus

Gender: Male

Where Now:  PAWS Sanctuary

Prince at home: PAWS Sanctuary

Asian Elephant  Elephas Maximus For more Photos and also Videos of Prince you will love see them at:

PAWS Sanctuary

Too Cute photo of Chang Dee renamed Prince

Chang Dee born at Oregon Zoo

Prince the Elephant, not the Purple one, became free on 21 July 2011 when he arrived at a sanctuary called PAWS, Performing Animal Welfare Society in the land of milk and honey of San Andreas, CA.

His name was Chang Dee when he was torn from his mother’s side at the age of 16 months, as promised by the Oregon Zoo to the owners of the Ringling Bros. Circus. Months earlier an agreement was made that in exchange for the bull, Hugo, the “first born calf” of Me-Tu would be taken away.

No one could have known how the wails of Me-Tu would long reverberate throughout her enclosure. It was reported by keepers at the zoo that “she beat her head against the wall for hours” as her “not fully weaned” baby was suddenly gone.

For the next 22 years Chang Dee was forced to perform as Prince the Circus Elephant. He never had a chance.

Prince is at home at the sanctuary now. On his first day he “threw dirt for 2 hours, ate like a fiend, had a drink, then laid on his dirt pile and went to sleep.”

He was careful when first introduced, but “now he loves his pool” and the entire “habitat at Ark 2000.” He will splash and soak in the pool for up to half an hour after one of his adventures.

Oh, and the trees! How he loves to “challenge” the smaller ones to a “game of shove.” Oh the life, in the PAWS Sanctuary.

For information on how to Adopt Prince see: PAWS Sanctuary

Photo credit of baby elephant: Oregon Zoo