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This is an interesting video because it shows a 360 degree view of the process of feeding elephants in the habitat. It was taken by a film crew (who had no direct contact with the elephants and helped us create a promotional video for the sanctuary). Amusingly, because you see all angles at once, you can watch the dogs run up beside the 4-wheeler and then suddenly appear on the other side of the screen. 

Scott and Trish are on the 4-wheeler bringing food out, as we typically would do. The elephants know when mealtime is and, if we are late, they are generally waiting on us to arrive. Normally, we don’t feed the elephants in the exact place we find them, even if they are waiting along the fenceline. If an elephant is near a water trough, we might drive by and lead them in that direction, so she can have a drink after eating (since all of our elephants are geriatric and hydration is very important). In this case, with three elephants, you want to situate each individual strategically so that everyone sticks to their own pile of food and the caregivers have enough distance to put food down safely. 

In this video, Rana, Mara, and Bambi are led to an area where they line up along the fence. There is enough space that Mara has room to finish her food without interruption from the others. If we were to leave all of the food in one pile, it might become an elephant free-for-all. She gets her food more on a piece-by-piece basis and we can monitor how much and how quickly she is eating. We can also see if there is something in particular that she doesn’t want that day. Since Mara’s initial gastrointestinal issue, her food intake is monitored very closely and will continue to be. Every once in a while, someone will toss some produce to the others as a little “thank you” for not bothering Mara.

For immersive 360 viewing, use the YouTube app for Android or iOS, or Chrome or Firefox on your computer.