Baby Meets Mara and Rana

Now that Baby has had the opportunity to meet the three girls, Maia, Bambi, and Guillermina, she’s demonstrated that she’s trying hard to keep her energy at an approachable level, doing a good job of reading the room. She’s, of course, still excited about all the newness that surrounds her and has shown enthusiasm for other elephants, particularly Guille.

Because she’s shown that she is trying to manage her energy based on which individuals she’s around, and Mara and Rana came close to the yards near the barn, it seemed an appropriate time to introduce her to our “grandmas.”. You can see Baby on the right, walking through the gate into the yard where Mara (with the shorter tail) and Rana (with the longer, fuzzier tail) were standing. The two immediately started vocalizing; you can hear Mara make a loud squeak and Rana gives off a short trumpet. They are making sounds to exhibit their excitement, but they’re perhaps also communicating with Baby in the way they did when Guille was new to sanctuary. One of the things the girls would do when Guille came near was make noises, which seemed to slow Guille down from zooming mode and make her mentally more present and aware with her interactions.

Some of you may remember that when Guille first arrived, she was a bit of an “elephant in a china shop.” She often had a head full of steam and wasn’t entirely sure how best to interact with her new companions. She wasn’t aggressive; she just didn’t have the socialization skills to engage properly with others yet, either physically or emotionally. All of the older elephants took time with her and she eventually learned to adjust her energy based on who she was with–whether that meant playing in the pond with her friends, grazing in the shade as a group, or going off on her own for a while.

It’s possible that the older ladies had memories of Guille in mind and were uncertain about this new individual, intriguing as she may be. They may have been preparing themselves for an encounter with another exuberant elephant–so there appeared to be excitement mixed with slight hesitancy. They offered their backsides to Baby, which was like a welcoming and submissive sign. Mara, in her affectionate way, lifted her front foot toward Rana, maybe as a way to say, “I’m here and we’re doing this together.” But overall, Baby was engaging and didn’t focus on them too intensely. After those quick vocal offerings from the two older ladies, everyone got calmer and, as you can see towards the end of the video, all three eventually lined up along the fence and snacked on some hay.

Comments(13)

JoAnn Merriman Eaton says
September 24, 2026 at 2:05 pm

A pee party. Celebrating friendship!! 🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘❤️
Wim says
September 24, 2026 at 2:13 pm

Gorgeous moments for all of the girls. Waving their tapestry into the future. I love this interaction.
Jane says
September 24, 2026 at 2:59 pm

Lovely
elaine richard says
September 24, 2026 at 3:05 pm

I’m sure the sound of Scott’s voice at crucial moments (kind, firm, confident, engaged) helps these great creatures manage meeting and greeting a new arrival.
Deb Moore says
September 24, 2026 at 3:15 pm

A most satisfying and calm meet and greet! I’m happy she’s now more familiar to the girls and that the 2 younger gals have a party partner in each other!- No hay stealing, Baby is making me proud of her restraint!
June H. says
September 24, 2026 at 3:31 pm

So happy Baby is making new friends! She’s doing great settling in at the sanctuary! ❤️🐘❤️
Ada says
September 24, 2026 at 3:51 pm

Baby girl said she’ll be nice, but not quiet🤭She’s so excited to meet the rest of her family! No one can deny she is where she belongs. I love this life for you, sweet girl💗🥰
Jeanine says
September 24, 2026 at 5:21 pm

I think they were all a bit nervous but will be good together in a little while.❤️❤️❤️
Beci says
September 25, 2026 at 1:07 am

I love this. It’s very interesting to see Mara lift her leg like that, kind of like when we will raise a hand and say in expression, Whoa slow down. They are pretty respectful at the beginning but she should have turn around and offered her backside to them, correct? She just never learned how to do that. How fun for Baby having friends.
- REPLY
  Sara says
  September 25, 2026 at 11:45 am
  
  It doesn’t have to be a mutual thing, the turning their bottoms toward each other. Baby got the okay to move forward because of their body language communication.
Johnny says
September 25, 2026 at 8:00 am

This was very interesting. Elephants are such unique creatures, with the combination of their size and their need for socializing.
Cintia says
September 25, 2026 at 3:40 pm

Lol we all know how intense Rana and Mara can be with their excitement !! They didn’t disappoint in this interaction 😋🩷
Julie says
September 29, 2026 at 8:01 pm

Mara and Rana are so sweet together. Baby may want to hang out with them for a little while because of their sweet stability.

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