There’s an Elephant Sanctuary in Southeast Oklahoma

Down in a part of SE Oklahoma the locals proudly call "Little Dixie," there's a town that features a park full of endangered Asian elephants. Here's the weird history of it all.

In 1941, Al G. Kelly and Miller Brothers Circus decided to move their base of operations from the plains of Kansas to the town of Hugo in Southeast Oklahoma. Wikipedia says they were lured in by the local Hugo grocery store owners, but Hugo had long been a popular wintering stop for circuses and traveling rodeo shows due to its mild winter weather an location on the railway.

From that point on, Miller Brothers Circus called Hugo home.

Fast forward to the now, circuses are increasingly rare as attendance dwindles. The internet connected people and the masses have decided circuses are cruel to animals. Seeing the viral videos of trainers beating animals into submission make the rounds on the web certainly doesn't help that industry, but the list of traveling circuses is pretty slim in America even as the emphasis has been put on humane entertainment in lieu of performing animals almost across the board... but Hugo is still home to a past steeped in circus wonder.

Enter the endangered Asian elephants.

Since it would be just as expensive as it would be cruel to return trained performing elephants to the wild, the Miller Brothers Circus elephants still call Hugo home, but not as a part of the circus they once traveled with. Instead, they live life in a private non-profit sanctuary run by The Endangered Ark Foundation. Patrons and visitors are welcomed to the park to get up close and personal with these retired circus animals, feeding them sweet apples and watching them experience you as much as visa versa.

Does it seem like Tiger King with elephants? That's the rumor, and the breeding of elephants doesn't help fight that narrative, but you should decide for yourself.

If you think a quick drive over to Hugo to experience elephants for yourself sounds good, here's the official website for the foundation. Bonus points if you see the world's largest bigfoot along the way.