Video: A Curious Lady Watches Mara Up Close

It seems that Lady’s curiosity is pushing her to expand her circle of comfort just a bit. On a recent evening, she traveled from Yard 5 into the yards closer to the barn around dinnertime. This is pretty unusual for Lady because, once she goes into her favorite spots in Yard 5, she tends to spend a good bit of time there. When she comes back, it is usually at breakfast or because she wants her foot soaks (and the treats that come along with them).

As she walked toward the barn, Mara, Bambi, and Rana were also headed that way for dinner, since, many nights, Mara still enjoys having dinner in the chute. Lady’s instinct most of the time is to head in another direction when those three are approaching or wait as they pass. But, on this day, she pressed on toward the barn anyway. She stayed in a yard neighboring the three, but remained relatively close and seemed quite curious as to what they were doing.

While Mara was in the chute, Drs. Mateus and Trish were doing a periodic check-up on Mara – just to make sure all was going well and to reinforce some training behaviors. Lady appeared to become quite curious about what was happening in the barn. She came close to the divider fence between the yard and the chute, watching as Mateus and Trish were doing Mara’s training. At one point, Lady was standing only about 15 feet (4.5 meters) away from Mara and stayed there for several minutes. The two elephants have shared space with one another in the past and, before Bambi came, Mara was beginning to show curiosity about getting closer to Lady – so they have a positive relationship with each other.

It is nice to see Lady show interest in what the other elephants are doing, particularly when she initiated the interactions herself.. She was not begging for food or attention; she was clearly watching what was going on with Mara.

In the video you can see Mateus and Trish working with Mara as Lady stands nearby, observing closely.

Comments(19)

Bill says
July 27, 2021 at 2:45 pm
The more gregarious nature of the females may make Lady more intimate with the others.
Alana says
July 27, 2021 at 2:47 pm
Such good news, lady’s coming along.
Mollie says
July 27, 2021 at 3:23 pm
oh my gosh!!! M’Lady is doing great and mimicked Mara y lifting her leg – such AMAZING animals -thanks for posting!! Is Dr. Mateus the same “Mateus” the newer caretaker? love, love, love you guys 🙂
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  Sara says
  July 27, 2021 at 3:46 pm
  Yes – Mateus has been here for about a year. He is a veterinarian, but not for large animals. So he is in training to learn medical information specific to elephants.
Julie says
July 27, 2021 at 3:28 pm
Be still my heart. Great news! I love the progress.
Julie says
July 27, 2021 at 3:31 pm
I watched it again and see Lady raise her leg toward Mara. Isn’t this an affectionate, or at least friendly, behavior toward Mara? Lady is just adorable!
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  Sara says
  July 27, 2021 at 3:44 pm
  It is perhaps a reaction to the “training bridge” whistle that she is hearing, which is a sign used in our training process. (We define that in our glossary here, if you haven’t read it (https://globalelephants.org/glossary-what-do-we-mean/)
Debbie J zick says
July 27, 2021 at 3:39 pm
haven’t been able to get photos or videos a few days….hmm
- REPLY
  Sara says
  July 27, 2021 at 3:42 pm
  We completely re-booted the site and everything should be working correctly now. You might try clearing your browser cache, since others appear to be seeing them without problems. If you want me to send you a link to a specific video, I’ll be happy to do that.
JoAnn Merriman-Eaton says
July 27, 2021 at 3:47 pm
Lady you just keep on being Lady! Go at your own pace, your own comfort level. That is what sanctuary life is all about. We love you no matter what!!
Rachel says
July 27, 2021 at 3:57 pm
Warms my heart to see Lady so close to Mara and lifting her leg to mimic whatever is happening in the chute. What a sweetheart. Thanks for the video. 💝
Wim says
July 27, 2021 at 5:12 pm
Brave moves Lady just keeping a watchful eye on the medical front. How wonderful she keeps on surprising herself.
🤗🐘❤️
SHEILA says
July 27, 2021 at 8:30 pm
OH MY SUCH GREAT 👍GREAT NEWS TO SEE MZ 🐘LADY COME SO CLOSE TO MZ 🐘MARA‼️ YES HER CURIOSITY HAS BEEN EVOLVING IN LAST FEW MONTHS AND SHE PROBABLY KNOWS. MARA WAS FAIRLY ILL FOR 9 MONTHS!!
LIL LADY MUST BE VERY CURIOUS AS SHE STANDS WATCHING MARA! SHE LIFTS HER RIGHT FOOT AND RUBS IT ON HER LEFT👍 I WONDER IF SWEET ❤️🐘LADY IS ASKING FOR FOOT SOAK AS SHE GETS LOTS OF TREATS TOO WHEN SHE GETS THE FOOT SOAKS! THIS IS AWESOME NEWS THAT LADY IS SEEKING TO GET CLOSER TO MARA‼️IM SO HAPPY 😍AND IMPRESSED, VERY HAPPY😍🐘 LADY ❤️DROPPED HER FEAR ….ON THIS DAY HOPEFULLY FOR EVER❤️
Anita Janusz-Wong says
July 28, 2021 at 2:11 am
awwww….that was so so sweet! And Lady lifting her leg as if saying “I am next!”…so so heart warming ! Loved every minute of this video….and you guys are so gentle…your love and tenderness is visible to all…Thank you!!!
John says
July 28, 2021 at 9:38 am
These close-up videos are priceless. I am endlessly fascinated by these creatures, and also love Scott’s interactions with them. Thank you so much for taking the time to record and post.
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  Sara says
  July 28, 2021 at 11:03 am
  Thank you. Some days it is hard to get videos like these, but we love showing you little sanctuary moments when we can.
bo says
July 28, 2021 at 12:20 pm
perhaps i missed the info about this but did i see a number on Mara’s left shoulder in the video ?
if so, can someone explain the reason ?
hope it is not a branded number 🙁 just written with a harmless kind of pen !
- REPLY
  Sara says
  July 28, 2021 at 2:47 pm
  I looked to try to find out what you were seeing and it’s just moisture from Mara moving her wet trunk around. She doesn’t have any brandings and don’t mark them with anything.
Carol in British Columbia (BC), Canada says
July 31, 2021 at 10:59 pm
LADY!!! I love her… so happy to see this video and Lady showing an interest in another of our Girls. Lady has a special spot in my heart. Sending love and healing vibes for all the Girls, but especially Lady. Cheers

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