Tarra the Roller Skating Elephant

Jun 15

by Craig Walker

Written for ojaihistory.com November 15, 2011.

*The world’s only roller-skating elephant*

Ojai has had many unusual residents over the years who have brought the attention of the outside world to our little valley. Recently, “Earth Friend Gen” got a lot of attention by stripping down to nearly nothing and roller skating through Ojai. But “Earth Friend Gen” was not the first resident to bring fame to Ojai by roller skating naked around town. That honor goes to a talented pachyderm named Tarra who, along with her owner-trainer Carol Buckley, lived in Matilija Canyon during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Tarra and Carol met in Simi Valley in 1974 when Tarra was less than one year old. Carol was a student in the Moorpark College animal training program, and Tarra had just arrived from Burma. They soon became a much sought-after performing team and moved to Berry Flats, up Matilija Canyon, in 1979. For ten years, Tarra, Carol, and a host of adopted family members, including dogs, goats, cats, birds, and, for a short time, a horse and a mule, made up Tarra’s family. Matilija Lake, the Ventura River, and the surrounding wilderness were Tarra’s playground.

Soon after moving to Ojai, Tarra became the world’s only roller-skating elephant. Her celebrity took her around the world, always with Carol and her family in tow.

Many Ojai residents who grew up in the 1980s remembered Tarra fondly. Matt Meiners wrote: “Remember the show ‘Real People’? Tarra was on that show once. Tarra lived in Matilija Canyon. One time, about 1985 or ’86, we were driving up Matilija Canyon Road, that steep hill off Hwy 33, and Tarra was skating DOWN that hill. There were three or four guys on horses with ropes holding her back. It freaked me out as I turned the corner: ‘Look, there’s an elephant on roller skates coming down the hill!’” Betsy Michaels remembered seeing Tarra roller skating in the Ojai Independence Day Parade. Elyse Dashew added, “I think she was on the Academy Awards once, too. We would occasionally see her roller skating down the street. One of my many Ojai fond memories.” Ruben Duarte wrote: “I drove by in my truck on Main St. and saw her in Libbey Park. I could hardly believe my eyes.”

Tarra and Carol left Ojai in the late 1980s. In 1991, Tarra was successfully bred in Ontario, Canada, but at the end of a two-year pregnancy, Tarra delivered a stillborn calf. In 1995, Tarra retired from entertaining audiences. She gave up roller skating, but continued with another hobby: painting. Tarra’s original watercolors have been featured in exhibitions around the world and now hang in many zoos across the country.

To give Tarra and other elephants a home, Carol created the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. According to Carol, “Life was like a fairytale, with 23 elephants joining Tarra over the next fifteen years. Tarra thrived, developing close bonds with her sister elephants, caregivers, and one special stray dog named Bella. These two became inseparable.” The relationship between Tarra and Bella was covered extensively in the media, including a CBS special with Katie Couric.

In 2009, a power shift at the Sanctuary resulted in Carol being fired and denied access to Tarra. Tarra’s dear dog, Bella, was later killed by a pack of canines, leaving Tarra without her two closest companions.

After being ousted from the Sanctuary, Carol founded Elephant Aid International (elephantaid.org) to help needy elephants worldwide. The award-winning children’s books “Tarra and Bella: The Elephant and Dog Who Became Best Friends” and “Travels with Tarra,” both authored by Carol, are available on her website at carolbuckley.com.