Podcast Summary

Global Rumblings Podcast

Episode 62: 12 Years for Elephants
Date: September 23, 2025
Host: Nadia Mari
Guests: Kat and Scott Blais, Co-Founders of Global Sanctuary for Elephants (GSE)

Overview

This special anniversary episode of Global Rumblings marks the 12th year since the founding of the Global Sanctuary for Elephants. Host Nadia Mari connects with GSE co-founders Kat and Scott Blais to reflect on major changes in captive elephant welfare, both victories and ongoing challenges across the globe. The conversation dives deep into sanctuary life, shifting attitudes towards elephants in captivity, the vital need for more sanctuaries, and the impact of social movements and misconceptions around elephant care. The hosts also offer candid stories about the sanctuary’s current residents, highlighting the everyday joys of elephants simply being elephants.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reflecting on 12 Years: Major Milestones

• 12-Year Anniversary: The official founding date of GSE was August 29, 2013. Both Scott and Kat reflect on how quickly time passes when focused on their mission. [01:33]
• Positive Global Change: The most significant global milestone has been Argentina’s decision to end elephant captivity, not just waiting for current captive elephants to die but proactively sending them to sanctuaries. [03:13]
  • Quote: “Argentina… said, let’s do it now, let’s make it happen. And I think for me, that is truly a global highlight.” – Scott [03:13]

2. Ongoing Challenges in Captive Elephant Welfare

• Problematic Regions:
  • United States: Zoos continue importing wild elephants under the “rescue” label—an act the team characterizes as misleading. [04:19]
  • Japan: Increased efforts to breed elephants domestically as it becomes harder to import them, continuing exploitative practices. [06:08]
  • Asia: Performing elephants, amusement parks, and “entertainment breeding” persist in various countries.
• Space Matters: There’s been increased (if incremental) acknowledgment that elephants need space, with zoos slowly expanding habitats, though much more is needed. [04:19]

3. Role and Evolution of Sanctuaries

• Why Sanctuary Matters:

  • The development of sanctuaries like Elephant Haven (France), Pangea (Portugal), and others, is crucial for even sparking conversations about what’s best for elephants. [08:43], [12:31]
  • Social awareness grows when people understand sanctuaries exist—they begin to question captivity itself. [10:45]
  • Quote: “Without sanctuary development, all that social discussion doesn't matter… A huge positive that we're creating more international options.” – Scott [08:43]

• Sanctuaries as "Dumping Grounds":

  • Zoos sometimes treat sanctuaries as places to send aged, less “attractive” elephants, but GSE views this as an opportunity to transform and showcase what elephants are capable of, even late in life. [13:30]
  • Quote: “If I have a choice of becoming a dumping ground or these elephants dying where they are, I'll be a dumping ground.” – Scott [15:35]

• Challenges for Expansion: Resistance remains, but having sanctuaries in more continents is slowly shifting attitudes.

4. Public Perception, Social Media, & Tourism

• Social Media’s Double-Edged Sword:

  • The proliferation of influencer-driven content promoting direct contact with elephants (selfies, baths, rides) has done a “disservice” to building real respect for wildlife. [17:18]
  • Quote: “The negative impact of social influencers and just social media… has done a complete disservice to building the respect [for elephants].” – Scott [17:18]

• Positive Shifts in Asia:

  • Some sanctuaries now ban close contact, promoting observation from a respectful distance. This is seen as real progress, though slow. [18:21]

• Wildlife Rehabilitation Parallel:

  • The team draws analogies with rehab scenarios where the public wants a “cute pet,” ignoring the animal’s real needs, paralleling excuses made to keep elephants in zoos. [19:59]
  • Quote: “We make excuses for continuing the negative behavior… not giving this wildlife a chance to be a wild animal again.” – Scott [21:36]

5. What the Next 12 Years Must Bring

• Clear Goals:

  • More sanctuaries worldwide
  • Greater education, especially about why hands-off sanctuaries matter
  • Less “selfish” human desire to encounter wildlife for entertainment [25:27]

• A Call to End Excuses:

  • The team urges moving away from rationalizing why elephants cannot be released to sanctuaries and focusing on how to make positive change possible. [22:49]

  • Quote: “In those next 12 years… the biggest message needs to come is stop making excuses for what can’t happen and start looking for reasons why it can happen.” – Scott [22:49]

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• Kat’s Take on Social Change:
  “There are so many people in South America that never realized there were elephant sanctuaries… once you introduce the fact that there is an elephant sanctuary, the next step is them wanting to understand why.” [10:45]
• Scott on the Shift in Responsibility:
  “It is up to us to make that decision. It's not just up to somebody else. It's up to us to take that positive stance.” [08:43]
• Personal Sanctuary Stories:
  • Mara and Hana disrupt foot care sessions by getting muddy and playful, prompting laughter and anecdotes about Scott missing the video moment—“True to Scott's incapability to hit the record button…” [23:53]
  • Elephants enjoying the pond, shade, mud wallows, with “partying at night” due to high daytime heat [24:49]

Important Timestamps

• [01:33] – GSE’s founding date; launch of the anniversary discussion.
• [03:13] – Scott on Argentina’s no-captivity stance; a model for proactive change.
• [04:19] – Kat on slow reforms in zoos worldwide and “space” debate.
• [06:08] – Update on breeding and circus elephants in Japan and Asia.
• [08:43] – The impact and necessity of new sanctuaries worldwide.
• [10:45] – Education ripple effect of sanctuaries' existence.
• [13:30] – Kat and Scott on sanctuaries as “dumping grounds.”
• [17:18] – Scott critiques social media’s negative influence.
• [18:21] – Kat outlines small but important progress in Asian tourism approaches.
• [22:49] – Scott’s call to stop making excuses, citing wildlife rehabilitation parallels.
• [23:45] – Day-to-day at the sanctuary; current elephants’ activities.
• [25:27] – Nadia summarizes the hope for more sanctuaries and better human behavior over the next 12 years.

Tone and Takeaways

• The episode balances frank criticism of persistent global problems with celebration of real, hard-won progress. The hosts’ camaraderie and passion, combined with funny, real-life moments with elephants, give listeners both hope and urgency.
• The message is clear: sanctuaries do not just offer better lives for elephants, they catalyze public awareness, drive legislative change, and expose the truth about captivity. However, real respect for elephants will only come when humans abandon selfish desires for entertainment and embrace what it means for wildlife to truly be wild.

Final Word

As the sanctuary celebrates 12 years, the message for the future is unambiguous: more sanctuaries, more education, more elephants living free—and a lot less human excuse-making.
“More elephants enjoying the freedoms of sanctuary.” – Scott [26:25]