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Bambi Crashes Through the Bushes

Bambi on the move

When we recently drove through the habitat for night feed, we heard elephants to our left. We weren’t sure if it was all three or some combination of Mara, Rana, and Bambi. We circumvented the noises, crossed the fence, and waited to see who would show. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the elephants apart based on sounds, and other times it’s completely obvious. We can always tell Bambi’s rumbles. They are incredibly deep, and nobody else sounds like her. Likewise, Mara’s squeaks, which are different than Rana’s squeaks, always give her away.

As we hung out, waiting, we heard someone barreling through the bushes with absolutely no grace. We joked that it had to be Bambi because she is so physically awkward and unaware of her body. As we laughed, we heard the crashing elephant rumble. The rumble gave it away; it was Bambi, crashing through the undergrowth, ignoring the trail. As we saw her shape begin to materialize among the trees in the dark, it became evident that she was approaching this cluster of four decent-sized saplings. A lot of undergrowth is smaller and isn’t damaged when an elephant (or four-wheeler) goes through it; it just bounces back up. Of course, there are also the trees large enough that she can’t just walk through them. These saplings were an in-between size, that is, small enough she would easily knock them down walking but too large to pop back up undamaged. We got her attention, and she seemed to become a little more aware of her body and walked around the saplings (yes, we gave her extra treats for it). A moment after, a much quieter Rana showed up, followed by Mara. We fed them all along the fence, and everyone seemed to enjoy their late-night snack.

Photo of Bambi on the move.

Comments(22)

  1. REPLY
    Nannette Stone says

    Oh Bambi, each time I hear something new about you, I fall in love with you more

  2. REPLY
    Suzanne Eaton says

    Love your narrations of our beautiful elephant family. Always makes me smile. Thank you.

  3. REPLY
    Carol says

    ???

  4. REPLY
    NicoleP says

    She’s your class clown.

  5. REPLY
    Elaine Kay Decker says

    Bambi is my favorite… if I were to have a favorite.?

  6. REPLY
    Katie Howard says

    Ah, Bambi! You’ve redefined the term “party crasher”! You crash, instead, to fool your humans into giving you girls a midnight party! ?

  7. REPLY
    Alana says

    All that wonderful green! I’m sure the girls are saying “It don’t get no better than this.”

  8. REPLY
    Tammy says

    That’s our Bambi girl there’s no tip toeing through the tulips with her is there ? gotta give her credit she sure knows how to make a grand entrance doesn’t she ?

  9. REPLY
    SHEILA says

    OH HOW I LAUGHED? AT UR STORY! YES INDEED THATS THE BIG ?BAMBI! EXUBERANT TO SEE THE HUMANS AND FOOD TRUCK!! OH SHES FUNNY,?JUST ABIT BOISTEROUS! POOR BAMBI. HAS BEEN EXCEPTIONALLY AWAKENED AFTER THE YEARS OF DEPRESSION AT THAT DIM ZOO AND HORRIFIC? CIRCUS! I THINK SHES SO THANKFUL AND JUST HAS TO EXPRESS HERSELF! I THINK IN A SENSE SHE VERY COMICAL AND LOVING AND THATS COOL IF SHE KEEPS BOUNDARIES WITH QUIET LADIES!! OH I CAN IMAGINE RANA LIKELY THOUGHT “ THAT BAMBI IS STILL ABIT TOO MUCH”?? HOW R THE TREES??

  10. REPLY
    John says

    Oh Miss Bambi. What an adventure this must be for her! I love hearing the stories of what she is doing and how she’s adapting to sanctuary life. Keep them coming!

  11. REPLY
    Beji says

    Wow! What a beauty… a magnificent creature on the road to recovery and we have the gift of watching everyone’s progress. What a blessing. Who takes the great pictures and what camera are you using!! You truly capture the essence of these ladies. They are so photogenic. Strike a pose and say cheese! Do elephants even like cheese???

    • REPLY
      Kat Blais says

      I don’t believe either of us has ever tried to give them cheese. 🙂

  12. REPLY
    Wim says

    Bambi hears a WHO. Hopefully she’ll find the paths in the near future. ??

  13. REPLY
    Lori Hoover says

    Did you ever believe Bambi could be such a barreling bundle of fun? Well, I’m sure you could imagine it, but her spirit just seems so large, it’s hard to believe she is that girl that would go hide in the corner of her room at the zoo. Granted, I’m sure she did a lot of thinking back there, but her fears were so evident. I am so glad that she has barreled right through those old fears of hers. She certainly has barreled into my heart.

    I am laughing at the idea of a calm, quieter Rana and Mara tagging behind, though, LOLOL

  14. REPLY
    Nancy J Shaw says

    How Funny !

  15. REPLY
    Debbie Sides says

    She’s almost like a clumsy puppy she’s so cute!

  16. REPLY
    Susan says

    Hahahah! Love hearing all of these stories about the girls!

  17. REPLY
    jean says

    She is like an awkward adolescent approaching teen years trying to figure out how to act around adults.
    Love her exuberance for her new life!❤❤??❤

  18. REPLY
    Lila Nieto says

    I love the adventures in the habitat 🙂

  19. REPLY
    Sallie says

    WOW! TREATS IN THE DARK! Seems to always draw attention and gather the girls to snack and talk about the day! Nothing more yummy than gossip!

  20. REPLY
    Sunny says

    ?

  21. REPLY
    Carey says

    Hilarious! Bambi is such a character, love her!

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