Bambi Crashes Through the Bushes

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)

Nannette Stone says
January 23, 2021 at 2:04 pm
Oh Bambi, each time I hear something new about you, I fall in love with you more
Suzanne Eaton says
January 23, 2021 at 2:04 pm
Love your narrations of our beautiful elephant family. Always makes me smile. Thank you.
Carol says
January 23, 2021 at 2:07 pm
???
NicoleP says
January 23, 2021 at 2:28 pm
She’s your class clown.
Elaine Kay Decker says
January 23, 2021 at 2:32 pm
Bambi is my favorite… if I were to have a favorite.?
Katie Howard says
January 23, 2021 at 2:38 pm
Ah, Bambi! You’ve redefined the term “party crasher”! You crash, instead, to fool your humans into giving you girls a midnight party! ?
Alana says
January 23, 2021 at 2:42 pm
All that wonderful green! I’m sure the girls are saying “It don’t get no better than this.”
Tammy says
January 23, 2021 at 3:25 pm
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 ?
SHEILA says
January 23, 2021 at 3:36 pm
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??
John says
January 23, 2021 at 4:13 pm
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!
Beji says
January 23, 2021 at 4:39 pm
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
  January 25, 2021 at 6:02 pm
  I don’t believe either of us has ever tried to give them cheese. 🙂
Wim says
January 23, 2021 at 4:42 pm
Bambi hears a WHO. Hopefully she’ll find the paths in the near future. ??
Lori Hoover says
January 23, 2021 at 5:11 pm
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
Nancy J Shaw says
January 23, 2021 at 7:16 pm
How Funny !
Debbie Sides says
January 23, 2021 at 7:21 pm
She’s almost like a clumsy puppy she’s so cute!
Susan says
January 23, 2021 at 7:34 pm
Hahahah! Love hearing all of these stories about the girls!
jean says
January 23, 2021 at 8:04 pm
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!❤❤??❤
Lila Nieto says
January 23, 2021 at 8:36 pm
I love the adventures in the habitat 🙂
Sallie says
January 24, 2021 at 1:08 am
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!
Sunny says
January 25, 2021 at 12:05 am
?
Carey says
January 25, 2021 at 8:07 am
Hilarious! Bambi is such a character, love her!

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