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Each elephant at Elephant Sanctuary Brazil has their own story of what life was like before they arrived. None of their pasts are ideal, and all of them have dealt with trauma, the likes of which we likely can’t comprehend. There are challenges to welcoming a new elephant home to sanctuary, and primary among them is the near-certainty of poor health. Sadly, all of the elephants have arrived at ESB in need of some degree of healing–both physical and mental, and likely even emotional. Bambi faced struggles on several fronts, from the literal top of her head to the bottom of her tender feet, plus the insecurities she almost certainly internalized after a contentious relationship with another elephant. 

When we first met Bambi at the Leme Zoo, she had been confiscated from a circus for neglect and abuse, but was still plump and spunky. The zoo had a decent enclosure, and a caregiver that adored her, but they felt they were not able to take care of her in the way she needed. At the time, the sanctuary did not physically exist, so they moved her to the Zoo at Ribeirão Preto, where we met her again five years later.  She was thin and withdrawn, and seemed to fear Maison, the elephant in the neighboring enclosure. She stereotyped constantly and seemed to lack self-confidence, often hiding in the corner of her indoor stall. (Stereotyping is a physical manifestation of anxiety or stress, expressed as a self-soothing, repetitive behavior, often manifesting in swaying back and forth, head bobbing, or walking in circles.) There was no paperwork presented showing any medical or foot care had been done, but there was a paragraph detailing an examination done by an ophthalmologist, who performed a standing sedation at the zoo. The doctor looked at the already-existing cataract in her left eye, but this was only performed after the judicial process had begun to remove her from the zoo. We received no other information, no blood or fecal test results, and no record of any care. By the time she was ready to come home to ESB, Bambi was 1500 pounds underweight, and we didn’t have the data to determine if that was due to a physical issue, her diet, or stress from her living situation. All of this, in combination with the many unknowns in her medical history, meant that none of us could know what we’d all face together. 

A lack of documentation meant that we mostly had to start from scratch when evaluating Bambi’s health. Other than her obvious cataract, she was visibly uncomfortable, having layer upon layer of dead skin buildup all over her body, particularly on her forehead. (The veterinarian at the zoo assured us it was just dirt, though it took about a year to resolve.) The zoo insisted that Bambi shouldn’t be moved to sanctuary because her teeth were overgrown (most likely due to an inappropriate diet), but we knew that access to grazing 24 hours a day would help wear them organically, plus she could be hand-fed if necessary until her teeth became more even. When it came to her feet, it was obvious that she’d had no footwork for quite some time (if ever). There were holes in her toenails and overgrown pads and cuticles, which could potentially impact her gait. 

When exams of Bambi’s eyes were shared with a veterinary ophthalmologist from the US weeks after her arrival, they found that Bambi’s left eye had a mature cataract and corneal scar, among other things. The cataract had moved forward in her eye, in front of the iris. Because of the long amount of time the lens had been luxated in this way, we had to watch closely for signs of pain, irritation, or infection, which could be identified by increased tear production, squinting of the eye, and increased sensitivity to light. It was apparent that Bambi also had an immature cataract in her right eye back then, which could only be seen in certain lighting. Of course, today, that cataract is becoming fully apparent, which means she’s losing her vision significantly, perhaps completely soon. Possible causes of the cataracts are age, excess exposure to UV light, lack of vitamins and minerals in her diet, previous infection in the eye, trauma, or genetics. We’ll never know which–or a combination of several–was the culprit, but we do know the zoo’s remaining elephant Maison now also suffers from a cataract as well. (Read more details about Bambi’s cataracts in an early post, written not long after Bambi’s arrival.)

Because Bambi had little in the way of positive elephant relationships, the zoo shared with us a video of Maison chasing Bambi into the pool in their enclosure, and it showed Bambi displaying stress when she was unable to get out. We initially focused on introducing and hopefully integrating her into the larger group of elephants at the sanctuary. She struggled at first with understanding how to become a calm elephant who didn’t overwhelm her new “herd mates.” Remarkably, once Bambi found Mara, she seemed to both settle down and come out of her shell, discovering an elephant in Mara who seemed to want some protection (it was shortly after Mara’s GI issues) and Bambi obliged. Though this friendship has gone on hiatus (and we don’t know if it could potentially change or develop in the future), their friendship was an essential component of her relationship-building process. 

Once things seemed settled in the social arena, and since Bambi began to put on weight right away after receiving an appropriate diet, we began positive reinforcement training to get her ready for foot and eye treatments. She stopped stereotyping pretty quickly–though she has picked up the habit again every once in a while, when she seems to be having an insecure day because of her vision loss. Her closest companions Maia and Guille are there to comfort her and provide stability, which seems to help Bambi relax; she knows she’s not alone. Her left eye gets twice daily drops that are intended to provide comfort and, hopefully, slow the progression of that eye’s cataract. Bambi is not a good candidate for cataract surgery because of her age and prior medical concerns. The type of cataracts she has break apart easily, so surgery could ultimately make her vision worse, and this surgery has only been done on a handful of elephants. 

Like many of her elephant companions, Bambi has gone through massive changes in the past few years. Her heart has opened to new relationships, her feet have massively improved, and her skin looks silky smooth, even when it’s covered in lovely mud. She has learned how to receive all of her evaluations and looks forward to the snacks she earns when she offers excellent treatment behaviors. While Mara initially helped Bambi come out of her shell, Bambi has become comfortable enough with her sense of self that she knows and makes decisions based on who she wants to be around, given the choice to select her friends. Some may hope for a reconciliation–and we don’t know what will happen–but sanctuary life means Bambi has the chance to choose those things, which is essential to the healing process. We continue to hand feed Bambi her meals, just to make sure she sees all of her breakfast and dinner, and that her companions don’t sneak little bites here and there, especially since she was so underweight when she arrived. It hasn’t been an easy journey for her, but she’s facing her health challenges and insecurities with a great deal of bravery.