Silly Fun in the Pond

Rana and Mara have been doing their usual thing of wandering and grazing, wandering and grazing. We were doing some cleaning near the barn and the two elephants were snacking on some of the taller grasses in Yard 5 and the hay decorations we’d left in the yards. Both decided at that point to go for a dip in the pond.

Mara, who you might notice is wearing a unique “hat,” (well, it’s technically on her shoulders and not her head) seemed to be feeling pretty playful that day, and she was blowing bubbles on the surface of the water. She was already covered in dirt and mud from a dusting party earlier in the morning, so as she slid into a sitting position and then lay down with water up to her eyes, she was undoubtedly getting more muddy by the minute. For her part, Rana stayed in water up to her belly, but didn’t submerge in the way Mara did. As they both began to climb out of the pond, Mara decided to squish her trunk and face into the muddy bank, which is a pretty reliable sign that she was feeling extra silly!

Comments(13)

Cintia says
January 19, 2026 at 2:11 pm

Gorgeous! Mara did a good job in keeping her “hat” balanced in place 😊
But the quero-quero wasn’t too happy sharing the area lol
Bonnie says
January 19, 2026 at 2:41 pm

The girls are having a relaxing day and love Maras hat very stylish and hi to you Sara
Jeanine says
January 19, 2026 at 3:18 pm

So nice to see. Thank you.❤️🙏
Pauline Forbes says
January 19, 2026 at 4:39 pm

Thank you for posting this. I can see that they are both having a great time! Good job, all of you at the Sanctuary! 💗
Alice says
January 19, 2026 at 5:46 pm

They look so happy and peaceful! Is the little bird on the lower left like a killdeer?
- REPLY
  Sara says
  January 19, 2026 at 5:48 pm
  
  Sounds like you might know more than we do there!
- REPLY
  Julie says
  February 8, 2026 at 6:59 pm
  
  A Killdear appears to have stripes in the front. This one doesn’t look stripey enough.
Sue says
January 19, 2026 at 7:24 pm

Sort of like a Hay-mullet 😂. All I know is that thing didn’t budge an inch the entire video – impressive Miss Mara! 🙇🏻‍♀️ And I love watching Rana anytime, but especially great to see her in action hiking up and out of the pond. Love the Ladies 💕 As always, thank you for sharing ❤️🐘❤️
Patricia says
January 19, 2026 at 10:22 pm

I love them so. Bless you all.
Fran Beasley says
January 19, 2026 at 11:12 pm

Wonderful tranquil footage showing the girls what they like doing best, just relaxing and being themselves
Johnny says
January 20, 2026 at 10:09 am

Thanks for the longer video. Who would’ve ever thought I could get so much joy watching two elephants in the water!
Alida says
January 20, 2026 at 9:09 pm

I love watching the girls relaxing in the pond 🥰 they look so chilled! I did notice that Rana was wearing her hay shawl and Mara was wearing a special grass hat kind of on her shoulder, too adorable! Love Rana and Mara ❤️🐘🐘❤️
Julie says
February 8, 2026 at 6:53 pm

Big, beautiful babies!

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