Blog

We’re excited to see so many new faces and names among our supporters since Pupy joined our ranks. But we thought it would be fun to introduce some of our more senior residents to those of you who just joined us–and for those of you who are not new, here’s a chance to celebrate some of your favorite girls. Each week, we’ll highlight one of the special Asian elephants who have called Elephant Sanctuary Brazil home for quite some time. This week, it’s time to meet Bambi. 

Bambi came into our lives in 2013, when we visited her at the Leme Zoo in Brazil. She seemed to have a joyful energy, but one that was slightly masked by her circumstances. The zoo had accepted her on a temporary basis, since she had recently been confiscated from the circus, where she had spent over 40 years of her life as entertainment for others. We were still in the process of getting Global Sanctuary for Elephants on its feet and didn’t yet have a property for the sanctuary, which made it impossible for us to take Bambi then–though the zoo asked us to do exactly that. 

We didn’t see Bambi again for seven years, until a court order awarded her freedom. She was now living at a zoo in Ribeirão Preto and we sent our team there to bring her home. Bambi was living next to another elephant named Maison, and after an altercation between the two, Bambi seemed terrified of her. During the scuffle, which Bambi initiated, she ended up in the small pond in their yard unable to get past Maison to get out. After that, the two elephants were separated and Bambi spent much of her time in the corner of a small room inside of her barn. 

When it was time to leave the zoo, Bambi took her time getting her courage up to fully enter her crate. She would partially go in but would use her extra-long trunk to grab her treats and bring them back to her room. Scott and the transport team spent a week getting her comfortable but there was uncertainty of how much time she would need. Eventually,  the team had to make plans to leave and Dr. Trish was going to stay behind to continue working with her. Bambi, perhaps sensing a change in atmosphere, settled into her crate that day and the team loaded up to bring her to sanctuary. She was then in her 50s, seeming significantly less joyful than we saw her 7 years prior. She was also blind in her left eye, over 1,000 lbs underweight, and had layers of dead skin covering her body. 

Once she arrived at the sanctuary, Bambi bonded with Rana and Mara while Maia seemed to not want much to do with her. Bambi became protective of Mara and they were very close until Mara decided that Bambi’s energy was a little too buoyant. Bambi spent some time on her own, and then a few days with just Rana, and then she calmed significantly. After that, Bambi, Mara, and Rana became virtually inseparable, earning the nickname “The Powerpuff Girls.” But eventually, Mara seemed to push Bambi away again and we can’t be certain as to why. Bambi appeared uncomfortable around Mara in general and began spending more time on her own. That is until the morning we found Maia standing alongside Bambi, a big step for Maia, who was on her own journey when it came to relationships with the other elephants. The two became inseparable and have spent almost every moment together since then, often joined these days by Guillermina. 

Bambi is now about 60 years old and is losing sight in her right eye as well. Her friends deeply care for her and make sure that she’s never alone. She knows she needs only to call for them and they’ll be at her side. Her playful energy has calmed a little, though she does appear to enjoy Guillermina’s youthful playfulness at times. Bambi is facing some insecurities these days due to her compromised vision, but she doesn’t need to look far to have her spirits lifted. If you want to make Bambi a part of your life, you can become her EleGuardian. Read more about Bambi’s journey in her elephant diary.