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Over the past couple of weeks we’ve been highlighting the female Asian elephants for those who don’t know them as well as they know Pupy, and as a reminder to our longtime supporters of how far each girl has come. Today we’re going to revisit Mara’s journey to sanctuary and her growth here over time. 

Mara is about 58 years old and records indicate that she was born in India and sold to the Tiepark Hagenbeck Zoo in Hamburg, Germany. In 1970, she was purchased from them and taken to Uruguay to perform in Circus Africa. After a year, she was brought to Argentina, where she was a part of the South American Circus. She developed some aggressive tendencies and became known for lashing out at times. But, of course, we know that’s not who Mara really is–she was only reacting to her circumstances. In November of 1995, she was sent to the Buenos Aires Zoo (now ecoparque) after a decree was passed that prohibited the exploitation of circus animals. 

When Mara arrived at the zoo, she was met by female African elephants, Pupy and Kuky, who already lived in the elephant enclosure. For 15 years, the three shared a space until an incident in 2010, which resulted in Pupy being pushed into the moat surrounding their space. After that, the elephants had to take turns outside, with Pupy and Kuky rotating time with Mara. It was a lonely existence for Mara, one that she would endure for the next decade of her life. 

When it was time to eventually move Mara to sanctuary, the world was in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our team wasn’t really able to spend much time with Mara before her move, so we didn’t know much about her yet. Mara’s caregivers from Buenos Aires, who adored her and cared for her as best they could, accompanied her to the Brazilian border, where they were met by Global Sanctuary for Elephants staff, and they moved her the rest of the way to sanctuary. Her travel and border crossing during a worldwide crisis was inspiring enough that Mara made the New York Times. 

Once she finally found her way to Elephant Sanctuary Brazil, Mara stepped out of her crate and explored the barn briefly before deciding to take a nap in a sand pile. Rana and Mara had a near-immediate bond, and we have great memories of Rana bellowing and trumpeting with excitement after meeting Mara for the first time. Rana’s intensity was a bit much, and Mara walked away for a moment, returning to a slightly calmer Rana. Once the gate between them was opened, Rana seemed much more content. It was then Mara who took on the over-excited role, following Rana everywhere, constantly lifting her foot to touch her, and not allowing her to lie down to go to sleep. Thankfully, that excitement settled to a manageable level for both of them. 

Maia was more tentative when meeting Mara, but she was likely feeling a great deal of uncertainty after the death of her dearest friend Guida. Once Bambi arrived at ESB, she took to Mara and Rana immediately, but Bambi’s energy became a bit much for them and she took some time to herself–followed by a few days with Rana–and eventually became very tight with the two other elephants, who became known as “The Powerpuff Girls.” But Mara had a tendency to push Bambi away, and so their relationship evolved into one where Bambi felt most comfortable spending time with Maia and Guillermina.

Mara came to sanctuary with a decades-old injury to her right front wrist and that’s something that she gets daily anti-inflammatory medications for. She also had a difficult several months experiencing gastrointestinal issues, which were evaluated by experts worldwide. It took some time, but Mara eventually came through and now has a customized diet that’s designed for the best possible gut health. Rana is Mara’s constant companion these days, and the two girls are very vocal. You can often hear trumpets and squeaks coming from wherever they are, and that brings a joyful feeling to sanctuary life.