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 the
Elephant Sanctuary and the spellbinding tale of a resilient elephant who
defied the system even as she struggled to conquer her past, who never
lost sight of the life she was meant to have.

Left in the wild, Billie the elephant would have spent her days
surrounded by family, free to wander the jungles of Asia. Instead,
traders captured her as a baby and shipped her to America, where she
learned to carry humans, stand on a tub and balance on one leg - the
full repertoire of elephant tricks. For decades, Billie crisscrossed the
country, dazzling audiences as she performed breathtaking stunts. But
behind the scenes she lived a life of misery: traveling in trucks,
chained for hours on end, barely able to move, giving eight-minute
performances under harsh lights and to the sounds of blaring music. And
worse.

Finally, she got a lucky break. As part of the largest elephant
rescue in American history,  Billie wound up at a sanctuary for
performing elephants in Tennessee, able once more to roam through open
meadows and share her days with a herd. She would never be beaten again.

But, overcome with anxiety, she withdrew from the rest of the
elephants and refused to let anyone remove a chain still clamped around
her leg. Her caregivers began to wonder if Billie could ever escape her
emotional wounds.

The compelling story of Billie's battle to reclaim her old self is a
testament to the intelligence, emotional complexity and remarkable
strength of all elephants, captive or free.