It was 1993 at Antwerp Zoo when they met for the first time. Tony was working as a landscape artist before training to work with the elephants, and Sofie as keeper to the Great Apes. Now, nearly 28 years on, they are sitting in front of me on a Zoom call, calling from Elephant Haven European Elephant Sanctuary (EHEES) - Europe’s first sanctuary for Elephants that together they have created.
“I grew up with animals and they have always been my best friends,” Sofie speaks softly with a gentle accent. “Working in the zoo seemed the perfect job in the beginning. I was dedicated to making the best of the captivity for the animals as it is very important to have good keepers if zoos are to exist.”