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Did You Guess Guille’s Weight? And Why Is Weight Important?

Thanks to everyone who guessed, commented, and asked questions on the post about Guillermina’s weight. We wanted to write this for a couple of reasons: first, people often say they forget how big elephants are until you see them next to a person, so guessing a weight is really difficult. The staff here guesses before we weigh anyone, and even we had a range of about 900 lbs/400kg apart when guessing Guille’s weight.

The other reason we thought it was important to write about the subject is that most people don’t realize how overweight many captive elephants are. Guille is this size because of her life in captivity, and it will change here. She will lose weight and gain muscle at a rate that is healthy, and she will feel so much better for it. While Guille is “cute” chunky, it is damaging to her longevity, her joints, and her overall health. Thankfully, she is young, and will not bear the burden of an extra 1000 lbs/450 kg for a lifetime. 

Part of our responsibility to elephants is to educate those who care about them on all aspects of their being – or at least do the best job we can. And that includes encouraging people to really look at an elephant and see them, the good/the bad, the physical/the emotional. For instance, looking at an elephant like Bambi now, who you might remember was over 1,000 lbs/450 kg underweight, you can see that she is a pretty ideal weight for her size. She does have muscle loss along her spine, but this is normal for an elephant over 50, and she is 58. 

Although most people guessed over the actual number, we did have one person on Facebook and one on Instagram who guessed exactly, and a couple of others who were very close. But we love all of the participation, the guesses, and those who felt they should be protective of Guille. Both her and Pocha are already on the road to becoming much healthier, and everyone has played a role in that. So, thank you. 

Comments(8)

  1. REPLY
    Bil says
    July 5, 2022 at 5:39 pm

    Well, not even close. I “guessed” at least 10,000 pounds.

  2. REPLY
    Patricia says
    July 5, 2022 at 5:44 pm

    They inspire awe in so many ways! What a blessing to be able to get to know and know about chubby beauty Guille. 💖🌸💖

  3. REPLY
    Tammy says
    July 5, 2022 at 5:45 pm

    Wowee! First my apologies to Guille unfortunately I got a lil crazy with her numbers she will always be a beautiful young lady no matter what but now at a consistent healthy weight that suits her best! When you see Scott stand next to the girls its extremely impressive at how they just tower over him makes them appear so much bigger and of course sadly I havent been lucky enough to be next to one of these massive gentle giants! Thanks guys that was fun and very informative let’s do it again soon! 💗🐘💗

  4. REPLY
    Victoria Jones says
    July 5, 2022 at 5:50 pm

    Beautiful Guille! I’m happy to know she will naturally drop in size due to her living in the Sanctuary.
    How about Pocha’s weight?
    Love all the photos & info about the lovely ele ladies!

    • REPLY
      Sara says
      July 5, 2022 at 5:52 pm

      Pocha is on the heavy side as well, but not as chubby as Guille.

  5. REPLY
    Richard Chiger says
    July 6, 2022 at 8:22 am

    I would think Guille’s weight is about 10,000 pounds. I would like to know how tall she and Pocha are.

    • REPLY
      Sara says
      July 6, 2022 at 10:37 am

      We don’t measure their height, since it doesn’t really give us information we need for their care. But, needless to say, they’re very tall!

  6. REPLY
    Sandi says
    July 6, 2022 at 10:37 am

    So happy that she’s at the sanctuary and can now lose weight and be as healthy as she can! My guess was close, but it was a little under what she weighs. She’s beautiful though; hope to see her losing that weight so she’s comfortable and able to move around the sanctuary easily. I think she’ll love doing that more and more as the days and weeks and months go by. You guys are great! The elephants are so lucky to have you all.

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