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WSU Theatre and Dance Department is Adopting an Elephant: Meet Flora!

Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Hanna Leadstrom
Her Campus Placeholder Avatar Courtney Jones
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Winona chapter.

Meet Flora, a 33 year old elephant, retired from the circus who currently resides at The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. She was born in Zimbabwe, Africa and was orphaned at the age of two after a mass killing of her family. She was adopted and then involved in circuses and performing arts for 18 years of her life. She then moved to The Elephant Sanctuary in March of 2004.

The Department of Theatre & Dance (THAD) at WSU will present “Elephant’s Graveyard” by George Brandt at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, October 14th through Saturday, October 17th in the Vivian Fusillo Theatre located on the Winona State University Campus at the Performing Arts Center.

Brett Burger, the Department of Theatre & Dance Marketing Coordinator and Production’s Dramaturg, had the wild idea of adopting an elephant, and well, that idea became reality soon after. “This is the first time our department has taken the show past production,” said Burger. “We are taking the concept of the production and bringing national awareness to the WSU community by adopting Flora from Tennessee.”

Based on a true story, “Elephant’s Graveyard” features the struggles of a traveling circus that is outraged by the acts of an elephant. The production takes place in Erwin, Tennessee in 1916. “This award-winning play explores society’s humanness and abuse towards animals and the consequences of both,” according to Senior Brett Burger.

 

 

 

This is the first time in WSU history that a department is adopting such a sacred animal. With your help, you could enhance Flora’s life at the nation’s largest natural habitat refuge.

The department will accept donations before and after the show. If you would like to make a donation yourself, please feel free to contact Brett Burger.

 

 

 
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Hanna Leadstrom is a student at Winona State University studying mass communication with an emphasis in public relations and a minor in marketing. You can often find her working out, blogging, sipping on a cup of jo and day dreaming of travel. She enjoys the little things in life and is a firm believer in a "work hard, play hard" life motto.
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Meet our writer Courtney D. Jones! Courtney is a junior at Winona State University majoring in Mass Communications- Advertising. She is consistently busy juggling school, working two jobs, and on the recruitment committee for Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority, so coffee is a necessity. But not just any coffee, it must be Starbucks Blonde Roast, with a dash of peppermint mocha creamer and a fourth of a packet of sugar. She has a die-hard love for all things beauty and fashion, and dreams of owning everything on her Pinterest boards one day. With her bright and bubbly personality, she loves meeting new people and sharing a good laugh. As a Chicago native, her happy place consists of drinking a cold microbrew with her favorite Giordano’s deep-dish pizza while watching her beloved Bears team.