Blog

In the morning after breakfast, all of the elephants were sharing Yard 5. They weren’t always close together – sometimes they’d be 10 meters apart and other times it would be 50 meters. Guillermina has been spending more and more time with Maia and Bambi, though she does still go back and forth between the two groups. She just gets a little spunkier when she’s with Maia and Bambi. 

We did treatments on Mara and Rana, who came inside the barn. We’re shortening our treatments for the time being, since it’s been overcast and a little bit cooler during the day. The last thing we want to do is  give a bath with cold water, since that would make it more difficult for the elephant to warm up. The clouds tend to break in the late afternoon, which gives the girls time to soak up the sun and store that heat for later in the evening when they’re trying to sleep. It’s truly fascinating how they are able to slowly release heat over time in order to keep warm. 

By the end of the day, all five of the elephants were in Yard 5 again, even though they had the choice to go into Yard 4. During the evening, Kat heard a little mini trumpet party that sounded like it was coming from Yard 4. By the next morning, everyone was in Yard 4, all the way down at the east end. So, perhaps the girls are getting more comfortable with the changes in dynamics. We’ll have to see how things progress. 

P.S.: On this week’s podcast, we share more of Mara’s story, including some talk of elephant poop! You can listen on our website, watch with video on YouTube, or download on your favorite podcast platform.

Photo of Bambi with Maia’s trunk in her mouth