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Sunday Smile: Learning Baby’s Spots

July 12, 2026

left side of face and ear of female Asian elephant named Baby. The ear has pink speckles along the bottom

Many of the elephants at Elephant Sanctuary Brazil have patterns of pink on their bodies, where there’s a lack of pigmentation. Knowing who has pink spots can help you tell the difference between the girls. For instance, Bambi, Maia, and Rana all have pink on their ears and Maia and Rana also have pink on their noses. This week’s Sunday Smile gives us a glimpse at Baby’s ears–smooth at the bottom with a fold along the top and some speckles around the end. Soon we’ll all know her spots by heart!

P.S.: We’ve been getting lots of questions about when Baby will be able to meet with the other elephants. As we’ve mentioned, Baby is in quarantine right now and will be there for a number of weeks. The judge-ordered tests take a good bit of time to process and get results. Once that’s taken care of, we hope to shift Baby over and give her the chance to meet the girls, initially across a fence. We know everyone has a lot of anticipation but, for now, Baby has a chance to take advantage of some self-reflection time–and that could be a good thing.

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Comments(11)

  1. REPLY
    Audrey T. says
    July 12, 2026 at 2:08 pm

    What has Baby been doing that is new? Has she gone in a pond, called to the other elephants, knocked down a tree, etc? Is she still eating well, and have you still seen blood in her feces? A video with someone giving an update on those things would be interesting if possible. Thank you and you are all such wonderful humans, taking care of these girls and showing them there is more to life than heart break and suffering.

  2. REPLY
    Joey Lamphier says
    July 12, 2026 at 2:14 pm

    Do the elephants look at each other throughout the day across the habitat, even if they can’t join each other? Are they talking to each other on a regular basis, even if they aren’t together? Does Baby participate in the other elephants’ evening rumble parties once it gets dark and quiet? Yep, I’m one of those who can’t wait until Baby gets to join the other elephants in Sanctuary and fully get to know each other and share their new lives together in much closer proximity. It will truly be a celebratory event when Baby can go trunk-to-trunk with the other girls in the same yard. Looking forward to it so much.

    • REPLY
      Sara says
      July 13, 2026 at 1:03 pm

      The elephants sometimes catch sight of each other, but they have to be in just the right place to see each other. They’re not vocalizing back and forth that we know of, but the five elephants have been vocal at night. We just don’t know if Baby is responding to them.

  3. REPLY
    Ada says
    July 12, 2026 at 2:35 pm

    Lovely pink spots for the lovely Baby girl💕🥰

  4. REPLY
    Sue says
    July 12, 2026 at 2:54 pm

    She is just adorable ❤️🐘❤️

  5. REPLY
    Karen says
    July 12, 2026 at 3:50 pm

    She also needs to decompress!

  6. REPLY
    Julie says
    July 12, 2026 at 4:40 pm

    Thank you for the update. I was getting anxious anticipating Baby’s opportunity to enter the herd, but I’m now wondering if it’ll be good for her to get used to sanctuary life first before meeting the other girls. I’m willing to believe there is a good to be found here.

  7. REPLY
    Melodee Neubauer says
    July 13, 2026 at 9:29 am

    Sunday Smiles Indeed🐘😄
    Babies darling pink pigment, spotted ears brought a smile to my heart🥰 She is adorable❣️
    And Yes, Baby is absolutely allowed to have reflective time and all should be very patient with her after what she’s gone through, to simply reflect, and grow her confidence in her new environment.
    May Baby continue to flourish in her beautiful new home, at her own pace🙏🏼
    “Her Adoptive Mama”, Melodee 7/13/26

  8. REPLY
    Diane S. says
    July 22, 2026 at 2:27 pm

    I think it’s so important to transition Baby slowly and carefully, just as you’re doing. When the time is right, it will most certainly be magical to see Baby meeting the girls! 🔮🐘🪄

  9. REPLY
    Carey says
    July 26, 2026 at 3:28 pm

    I think it’s a very good thing, it’s all a huge change for her which she can take in at her own pace, and just listen to the different girls. She is getting to know them , and of course Maia (foot on post) and Guille have already had eyes on and Baby on them. Baby will be an old pro by the time she is introduced. Fingers crossed nothing too major comes from the med tests on this young girl, I HOPE her GI problems can be overcome in her new life?

  10. REPLY
    Karon Gibson says
    August 6, 2026 at 1:19 pm

    Love to see them all.

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