The ranch Have Trunk Will Travel in Perris once offered elephants for use in TV shows, movies as well as rides at attractions like the Orange County Fair and Santa Ana Zoo. The ranch became no longer popular among its customers from Orange County. Animal rights activists stated that the wild animals and their owners moved to Texas.
In 2019, the website of the ranch carried the photos of owners Gary and Kari Johnson for some time when they had not updated the site. However, the photos were unavailable on the website of The Preserve animal park in Fredericksburg. The websites of both Have Trunk Will Travel and The Preserve lacked the names and the photographs of the elephants used to entertain people.
As for Animal Defenders International President Jan Creamer, while there might be a new Have Trunk Will Travel location, the animals would be subject to the same suffering. Creamer stated that the elephants from the wilderness, namely Tai, Kitty, Dixie, Becky, and Rosie, endured abuse for a long time. Creamer requested people to join him for the demand that the elephants be offered the sanctuary that they needed.
The Preserve offered meaningful and intimate experiences around the animals, which included seeing them paint on canvases, bathing them, photography with them, and cutting their nails.
As per an Animal Defenders International report, the animals in Texas were also hired for use in wedding rides. The LA Weekly had photographs taken at the Hyatt Regency Resort and Spa, which included an image that showed Tai being paraded in a 2014 nuptial ceremony. An official from Huntington Beach promised to discover how a city order, which prohibited performances with wild animals, was apparently violated.
The ranch in California’s Orange County, Tai and Animal Defenders International went back a long way. Many years ago, an ADI video online claimed that Tai was not only beaten with an elephant goad but also immobilized with a purpose-built device. The video made People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) urge Santa Ana’s government to end its contract with the Santa Ana Zoo’s contractor for the elephant rides.
In response to the claim, Have Trunk Will Travel stated that its staff never abused the elephant. However, the ranch soon had to end its agreements with the Orange County Fair and Santa Ana Zoo following pressure from Hollywood celebrities, animal rights proponents and web-based campaigns.
California was planning to introduce an elephant goad ban at the time the ranch might move its location to Texas. In the past, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums stopped certifying Have Trunk Will Travel due to regulations that prevented elephant goad use.