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EleFact Friday: Elephants Yet To Come

This week, for EleFACT Friday, we wanted to address questions that many of you have been asking about elephants yet to come to Elephant Sanctuary Brazil. There is always so much excitement around new elephant transports and we want to make sure that everyone has an understanding of where all parties are in the process, which impacts the time frame of each arrival. 

All three female African elephants, Kenya from Mendoza and Kuky and Pupy from Buenos Aires, applied for their CITES permits last month. This is the permit necessary for the elephants to be moved outside of the country. At this point, none of those permits have been approved. We don’t have information on when the permits will be reviewed and signed off on (they have a window of six months), so we can’t make a reasonable estimate for any arrivals. Once the permits have been approved, the crates will be sent off, and all elephants will go through the required quarantine of at least 30 days. 

As for Tamy, the team at Mendoza must work with him on training to learn the necessary behaviors needed for pre-travel medical testing. Because the staff will need to give him access to Pocha and Guillermina’s former enclosure in order to work with him, they are constructing stronger training walls, which is necessary for male elephants. Once that is complete, Tamy will be working face-to-face with his caregivers for the first time. This means that trust must be built among them before training can even begin. 

Right now, we are continuing our daily work with the elephants here at sanctuary, taking care of the girls and working closely with Pocha and Guillermina while they continue to adjust to life at sanctuary and the social dynamics of a herd. Waiting certainly isn’t necessarily the most fun part of transporting new elephants to sanctuary, but everyone is doing what they can at the moment. As soon as we know more, we will give you the information. Thanks to all of you for your concern and enthusiasm. It’s heartening to know how many people are out there looking forward to seeing more elephants come home to sanctuary. 

Photo of Pupy in Buenos Aires

Comments(19)

  1. REPLY
    Rand says
    August 5, 2022 at 2:09 pm

    You’re going to need more $$ 🙂

    • REPLY
      Sara says
      August 5, 2022 at 2:11 pm

      We’re always grateful for the support we receive.

  2. REPLY
    Pam says
    August 5, 2022 at 2:09 pm

    Such great news that Kuky, Pupy, and Kenya are getting closer to their rebirthdays! Thanks for the update.

  3. REPLY
    Julie says
    August 5, 2022 at 2:20 pm

    So exciting to think about more Ellies benefitting from what you all are doing there! Thank you ever so much for your life’s work!

  4. REPLY
    Alana says
    August 5, 2022 at 2:26 pm

    How old are these elephants? This is so exciting. More to Love!

    • REPLY
      Sara says
      August 5, 2022 at 2:38 pm

      All three African females are in their thirties.

  5. REPLY
    Deb says
    August 5, 2022 at 2:34 pm

    GODspeed for the girls & Tamy 🐘🐘🐘🐘💕

  6. REPLY
    LW says
    August 5, 2022 at 3:03 pm

    Would Tamy ever get a chance to see his daughter again once he at sanctuary since the male and female Asian habitats need to be separated? Is there any way P&G can sense Tamy’s arrival and presence. He must miss them terribly and it would be good for all of them to know they have been reunited at this elephant paradise.

    • REPLY
      Sara says
      August 5, 2022 at 3:10 pm

      They are not a nuclear family, like humans are. But they did have limited contact over the concrete walls in Mendoza. There will be a corridor that connects the two habitats that will be accessible, should they show interest in seeing one another. They should be able to smell each other once Tamy arrives.

  7. REPLY
    Katie Howard says
    August 5, 2022 at 3:52 pm

    All things in due time. I trust the process that has successfully brought 9 elephants to ESB so far. Part of that success is taking time with new arrivals to ensure they are comfortable in their new space and with the growing herd, before inundating hem with more new elephants.
    We ALL want all captive elephants in South America safely brought to Sanctuary, of course. It’s just one of those things…we wait, and wait – and then there is this flurry of activity and new elephant(s) arrive…and the cycle starts again!
    I am jus so THANKFUL that GSE even exists! That provides hope for captive elephants not only in SA but everywhere! They have established a successful model that could be replicated elsewhere in the world for the benefit of captive elephants everywhere.
    Waiting, as I’ve come to finally learn in my “advanced years”, is hard but also sometimes necessary, and even beneficial. ❤️

    • REPLY
      Sara says
      August 5, 2022 at 5:34 pm

      Thank you, Katie. All things is due time.

  8. REPLY
    Charlotte Hansen says
    August 5, 2022 at 4:09 pm

    Thank you for this update! Lots of good info here for us to keep in mind. You guys are the hardest-working group of people ANYWHERE! God bless you all!

  9. REPLY
    Nicole says
    August 5, 2022 at 4:43 pm

    Just out of curiosity, how many elephants can be at your sanctuary?

    • REPLY
      Sara says
      August 5, 2022 at 5:34 pm

      I don’t know that I can provide a specific number because it would depend upon the type of elephant. For instance, African elephants and males need more space than females.

  10. REPLY
    JoAnn Merriman Eaton says
    August 5, 2022 at 6:32 pm

    Wonderful! Thank you for the update. Is there anything working, or news about Maison? 🐘♥️

    • REPLY
      Sara says
      August 6, 2022 at 10:02 am

      We are no longer in contact with the zoo where Maison lives, but would welcome her if the time ever came that it was possible.

  11. REPLY
    Carey says
    August 6, 2022 at 7:48 am

    Thank you for your update, I echo what Katie Howard says. Best wishes

  12. REPLY
    CriCri says
    August 27, 2022 at 9:56 am

    Is there anything that we can do to help mend the relationship with Maison’s zoo? Would letters from concerned people of the world make a difference and encourage the zoo to work with you again?

    • REPLY
      Kat Blais says
      August 27, 2022 at 2:18 pm

      i don’t think so. they changed the director and everything shifted. right now, we would have to expand before taking any more female Asian elephants, so no sense in doing any sort of campaign at this point. maybe once the expansion is partly done it could be considered.

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