Last Chain on Billie: How One Extraordinary Elephant Escaped the Big Top

Against the backdrop of a glittering but brutal circus world, Last Chain on Billie charts the history of elephants in America, the inspiring story of theElephant Sanctuary and the spellbinding tale of a resilient elephant who defied the system even as she struggled to conquer her past, who neverlost sight of the life she was meant to have.Left in the wild, Billie the elephant would have spent her dayssurrounded by family, free to wander the jungles of Asia. Instead,traders captured her as a baby and shipped her to America, where shelearned to carry humans, stand on a tub and balance on one leg - thefull repertoire of elephant tricks. For decades, Billie crisscrossed the country, dazzling audiences as she performed breathtaking stunts. Butbehind the scenes she lived a life of misery: traveling in trucks,chained for hours on end, barely able to move, giving eight-minuteperformances under harsh lights and to the sounds of blaring music. Andworse.Finally, she got a lucky break. As part of the largest elephantrescue in American history,  Billie wound up at a sanctuary forperforming elephants in Tennessee, able once more to roam through openmeadows and share her days with a herd. She would never be beaten again.But, overcome with anxiety, she withdrew from the rest of theelephants and refused to let anyone remove a chain still clamped aroundher leg. Her caregivers began to wonder if Billie could ever escape heremotional wounds.The compelling story of Billie's battle to reclaim her old self is atestament to the intelligence, emotional complexity and remarkablestrength of all elephants, captive or free. Read more