Five Girls Meet at the Fence

Female Asian elephant Rana walks toward the camera. To her right, female Asian elephant Mara looks in the other direction across a fence. Female Asian elephant Guillermina faces Mara from the other side of the fence while female Asian elephant Maia walks to the right out of frame

It was dinner time and when caregivers headed down toward where Yards 1 and 5 of the Female Asian Habitat meet. They saw five elephants standing near each other, almost looking as though they were standing in the same yard. They weren’t but all five of the Asian elephants were standing in adjacent yards, just across the fence from one another. It had been a while since the girls had all been this near each other and the caregivers didn’t want to interrupt the moment, so they stopped the 4-wheelers farther back than usual and generally kept their distance.

Guillermina was positioned at the fence, almost face to face with Mara, who was making lots of squeaky noises. Rana was near Mara’s side and remained there, quietly watching. Bambi began inching toward Mara and Rana but eventually stopped in her tracks, not moving any farther forward. After a couple of minutes, Guille began walking back and forth between the two groups, almost as though she wanted to keep an eye on Bambi and make sure she was okay, while still having a few moments with Mara.

Even though Mara and Rana have been tentative about spending time with Guille in the past due to her boisterous nature, Mara chose not to move away from her at all. Maia eventually took a few steps forward and she and Mara shared a nice, easygoing moment together, touching each other’s trunks. Mara was instigating the whole encounter, and it was the most respectful those caregivers had seen Guille being with Mara and Rana. Rana must have decided that she was hungry, so she headed away from the group and toward the fence for her meal. Bambi’s choice to keep her distance exemplifies the importance of space and autonomy at sanctuary. She didn’t have to share space with another elephant who made her uncomfortable, and had room to walk farther away if she wanted to.

In this photo, you can see Rana headed away from the group, while Mara is facing Guille, who is on the other side of the fence. The elephant walking out of frame is Maia.

Comments(10)

Barbara L Smith says
November 11, 2025 at 2:20 pm

Looks like a community meeting.🐘🥰
Ada says
November 11, 2025 at 2:21 pm

Such a beautiful sight for their caregivers to have witnessed this🥰
Shelley Wolinsky says
November 11, 2025 at 2:42 pm

Kenya won’t come w these girls because she is an African elephant? Ever?
- REPLY
  Sara says
  November 11, 2025 at 2:43 pm
  
  Because they are different species, we think it’s best for them to have their own habitats. Other facilities have allowed it in the past, but in our experience it almost always leads to conflict. For instance, when Mara and Pupy lived together at the ecoparque in Buenos Aires, they had to be separated after an incident–and those two elephants are both known to be fairly calm. The two species behave very differently and what an African elephant considers play could be seen by Asian elephants as aggression.
  - Harry says
    November 12, 2025 at 6:06 am
    
    Interessante saber desses detalhes sobre as duas espécies. Elefantes me parecem animais extremamente sensíveis, então é compreensível tal comportamento.
Doe Fowler says
November 11, 2025 at 6:51 pm

How special! This seemed to be a wonderful meeting of the minds. 🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘💛
- REPLY
  Disey says
  November 12, 2025 at 6:29 pm
  
  💜🩵💛🧡❤️ Bless you all. Keep enjoying every moment of living FREELY. I love you all. Thanks Carers 😊🫂🙏
Bonnie says
November 11, 2025 at 11:54 pm

Nice to see them all in one spot
Terri Melcher says
November 19, 2025 at 12:07 pm

How did Kenya know that Pupy had died, and will she ever get another elephant to possibly become friends with
- REPLY
  Sara says
  November 19, 2025 at 12:28 pm
  
  Kenya was nearby when Pupy passed and was able to see her body at that time, so it was clear to her what happened. As for bringing more elephants to sanctuary, there are many elephants still in need, including African elephants. But it can take years of negotiations and legal intervention to get them home. But things are constantly going on behind the scenes.

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