Stop Elephant Abuse at Two Tails Ranch in Florida

In rural Florida, a shocking roadside attraction called Two Tails Ranch masquerades as an elephant sanctuary when in reality, it’s a for-profit business where elephants are abused, exploited, and forced to entertain tourists under the guise of conservation.

Two Tails Ranch is owned and operated by Patricia Zerbini, a longtime elephant handler whose family legacy is steeped in animal exploitation. Her father, Tarzan Zerbini, operates the infamous Tarzan Zerbini Circus based out of Missouri — a circus with a deeply disturbing history of USDA violations and a pattern of elephant mistreatment that spans decades. This circus has repeatedly been cited for failing to provide adequate veterinary care, using bullhooks, and keeping elephants in unsanitary, cramped conditions. 

Ms. Zerbini has clearly inherited her father’s disregard for elephant welfare. At her facility, elephants are paraded around, forced to perform tricks, and used to give rides to paying tourists who often have no idea they’re funding animal cruelty. On TripAdvisor, guests have reported seeing elephants confined in small pens, left without water in the sweltering Florida heat, and swaying obsessively, a telltale sign of psychological distress caused by confinement and deprivation. One reviewer described the facility as “basically someone’s backyard.”

Other reviewers note that whenever Ms. Zerbini is around the elephants, she carries a stick, which the elephants appear visibly wary of, making it clear that they are controlled through fear of physical punishment.  Ms. Zerbini has also gone on record admitting that elephants don’t enjoy the type of public interaction that she allows at Two Tails, but that doesn’t stop her from profiting off their suffering. When the elephants aren’t being forced to interact with tourists at her ranch, they’re rented out to circuses or for parties and other events. 

Visitors to the ranch have reported that Zerbini makes bizarre, false claims about elephants during her tours, like saying elephants “forget their mates within a day”. These blatant lies about a species that is known to form lifelong bonds, grieve deeply, and are among the most emotionally intelligent animals on Earth, seem like a pathetic attempt to justify their bleak lives at her facility. 

Despite all of this, Two Tails Ranch still has a 4.5-star rating on TripAdvisor. Yes, seriously. Even though the travel platform has issued a warning that the attraction does not meet its animal welfare guidelines, people still leave glowing reviews. It's a depressing reminder that many visitors are either clueless or unwilling to confront the truth that what they see as a “fun animal experience” is actually abuse dressed up as education.

Both the Tarzan Zerbini Circus and Two Tails Ranch have been cited multiple times by the USDA for violating the Animal Welfare Act, yet they’re still allowed to operate and cause lasting harm to the elephants in their care. This is unacceptable!

That’s why we’re taking a two-pronged approach to help these elephants — and we’ve made it easy for you to take action.

By signing this petition, you’ll automatically send two letters:

One to Patricia Zerbini, urging her to stop exploiting elephants and to release the ones in her care to an accredited sanctuary where they can finally live in peace —

And one to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, filing an official complaint about Animal Welfare Act violations at Two Tails Ranch, including failure to provide water, and handling the elephants in a manner that causes trauma, harm, and unnecessary discomfort.

If Zerbini won’t act in the best interest of these elephants then the USDA must, by shutting this place down!