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If you are just joining us, co-founder Scott is currently with Bambi at her zoo in Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil. She is our next rescue and will be coming home to Elephant Sanctuary Brazil next week. If you’d like to learn more, please visit her Rescue Page.

Everything is continuing to go great today.  Bambi is doing well, feeling calm, and seems more comfortable today.  She remains a little suspicious – when we touch the gates, she backs out pretty quickly.  That is expected at this point in a rescue, and we believe her comfort will continue to grow.

She has a great appetite.  She seems to enjoy sweet foods like pineapple and watermelon.  There’s been a large amount of activity around her today, so she feels a little sleepy right now.

There is another elephant in the enclosure, Maison.  A judge ordered Bambi’s removal to a sanctuary due to concerns about her treatment and health.  Maison was not included in the court order, and she will remain at the zoo. This does not mean we are forgetting Maison. Please know we are communicating with the zoo about potentially providing her a home with us.  They are open to the possibility, but nothing is official.

Bambi is putting all four feet in the crate now to reach her snacks and treats.  She is more comfortable in the transport container today. She has some health issues – one of which is her weight loss. That could be related to her quality of food or a chronic health issue. We won’t know more until she is settled in a Sanctuary and allows our veterinary team to examine her thoroughly.

She’s quite tall – we first thought she was around Maia’s height, but now Scott suspects she may be as tall as Mara & Rana.  She’s also a speedy walker, even in her tiny space.  We are very curious to see how fast Bambi will go once she is in a large area.  Once she arrives at sanctuary next week, she will have access to 75 acres of trees, pastures, mud, creeks, and ponds to explore as fast – or as slow – as she’d like.

The video unexpectedly ended again (see the video below for the day’s end wrapup); we are still working on our connection issues.  It may just be an ongoing issue while we are filming in the enclosure.

A huge thank you for all you’ve done to make this rescue possible and to make the sanctuary possible.  We appreciate each of you and your support!

September 19, 2020

Bambi is enjoying her last few bites of hay in her transport container before her keeper calls her into her stall for the evening. Once she arrives home at Elephant Sanctuary Brazil, she will no longer be asked to sleep in a stall, or even indoors. We leave the barn open for the elephants at night, but they are free to sleep outside, under the moon and stars.

The transport team is wrapping up for the day and organizing for tomorrow before heading back to their hotel for the evening. Thanks for joining us and following along! We will talk to you tomorrow!