E urope’s first large-scale elephant sanctuary, which is opening to offer a more natural environment for some of the 600 animals still held in captivity across the continent, is to receive its first arrivals. Julie, Portugal’s last circus elephant, will be moved next month to the animal charity Pangea ’s multimillion pound sanctuary in the Alentejo, 200km (124 miles) east of Lisbon, close to the border with Spain. She will join Kariba, another female African elephant in her 40s, who is being relocated from a Belgian zoo where she has been living alone. “Kariba and Julie will live in an expansive natural habitat where they can roam freely, bathe and socialise in compatible groups,” said Kate Moore, the managing director of Pangea . “That autonomy is really critical but they will also have expert care as well.…