Elephant Diary

Grateful for Her Growth. Every Single Day.

We’ve briefly mentioned it a few times, but we wanted to dedicate an entire post to Lady’s emotional growth. Talking about emotional milestones are different because they are not tangible wins. Something like touching Lady’s foot for the first time, or her learning a new behavior, is a precise moment.…...

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Elephants Connection to the Land

People frequently ask how the elephants know to eat off the land and provide for themselves. We have been asked this by zoo officials, zookeepers, and laypeople alike. They worry that after not seeing or experiencing grass, vines, or trees up close for decades, the elephants literally won’t know what…...

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The Pond, Some Palms, and a Bath

After spending the morning in the pond, Maia got out for a brief break to enjoy a snack pile that Kat left her – some palm fronds and a small amount of fruit. Kat was nearby cleaning a water trough along a fence, so Maia headed over for a drink…...

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I’m Sleepy. I’m Happy.

This is Rana’s “I’m sleepy, I’m happy, the sun feels good, and I might fall asleep” face, which is a common sentiment among the animals here lately. Routines are slowly shifting from rainy season routines to dry season routines, and it’s a nice change after a few months of rain.…...

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That Big-Eyed Lady Look

Our human team has been working hard to train Lady to present her feet for medically necessary footwork. It’s beginning to feel a little repetitive to just ask for her feet over and over again, but we also know that repetition is what solidifies the behavior and she isn’t 100%…...

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It’s Over When I Say It’s Over

Lady is a character. She’s only been at Sanctuary for a few months, so she is still figuring out who she is. We can see Lady growing into more of herself as she feels more comfortable and learns who she is for the first time. We are continuing to fall…...

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