BAMBI
Female Asian Elephant
RE-BIRTHDAY: RESCUED SEPTEMBER 26, 2020
Meet Bambi
For as frightened as Bambi was at the zoo...
… to step outside, go into the container, and put herself out there, she has already shown that is not her true self after arriving at the sanctuary. Bambi is a long, leggy elephant who was severely underweight and lacking in muscle mass when she arrived. She can be hesitant with certain things, but she is also an elephant who will run up the hill to playfully chase the four-wheeler and have her own trumpet parties in the middle of the yard.
She is cute and spunky and has a big personality. When she first arrived, Mara was charmed by her, but seemed to get overwhelmed by her boundless energy. After some time on her own, then a few weeks sharing space with Rana, Bambi was able to begin rebuilding her friendship with Mara. She is learning how to tailor her behaviors to what’s appropriate to a given situation these days. Bambi perhaps sees Guillermina as a potential playmate, but has taken on the task of being a leader in teaching Guille about adjusting her own energy to fit the mood of the group. It’s been a huge evolution for Bambi and we look forward to seeing how she continues to evolve.
FACTS
Age
59 years old
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Forever Home
Elephant Sanctuary Brazil
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Personality
A bit of a puppy dog personality; she is easily excited finds joy in the little things.
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History
Circus elephant for 40+ years; confiscated and sent to Leme Zoo for 5 years, then Zoo at Ribeirão Preto from 2015 to 2020
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Health
Blind in one eye
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Body Condition
Initially arrived at sanctuary thin, but has grown to a healthy weight
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Bambi at the zoos
When we first met Bambi at the zoo in 2013 she was spunky, but seven years later and she was a different elephant.
When we visited Bambi at the Leme Zoo in 2013, she was interactive when we initially arrived. She was all ears and attentive when we spoke to her, but she never vocalized. She was on the brink of being silly; you could see it in her face, as she stuck her tail out—just a half a step away, but never got there. We were brought closer to look at her, and she was respectful but much more reserved with people near. The zoo, who had only taken her temporarily after she was confiscated from the circus, asked us if we could take her right away. It was a surreal but sad moment that they were offering, yet we did not even have a property for the sanctuary at that point. Leaving the zoo that day, we knew there was a chance that she might never know sanctuary. And it was heartbreaking.
A SHADOW OF HER FORMER SELF
It had been seven years since then when we next met Bambi, and the cute little butterball we briefly knew was a shadow of her former self. Bambi had lost a significant amount of muscle mass and weight. She is now blind in one eye and initially carried her head low. Being unsure of the reason for her decline in condition, we were prepared for the possibility of a serious health situation. But some simple adjustments, such as diet and exercise, made a huge difference for Bambi physically. And as anyone who has followed our past rescues knows, autonomy, individualized care and respect, and the support of compatible herd members help to heal the soul.
