Giving Maia and Guida More Space

As many of you know, in order to be able to rescue Maia and Guida and not have them sent to another facility, we had to take them before the first full 40-acre area was fenced in. This is the same process we will probably be using to rescue the next elephants as well.

It allows us to get them here, let them learn all that sanctuary is about while continuing to grow. Yesterday the girls were given access to the next area that was finished being fenced in. They will still have access to the first area as well.

Maia and Guida have spent their time exploring and enjoying the new space. Guida is searching out the thin vines and focussing on young grass while Maia is hunting for a weed that has a slight lemony smell that is released as she hits the roots to shake the dirt off. They each go their separate ways, only giving away their location by the rustle in the grass and trees, but come together from time to time to seemingly stop and say hello for a bit. It is a simple pleasure we relish here at sanctuary, watching the elephants embrace the nature that surrounds them.

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWcqifSa2uE[/embedyt]

Last night was the first time we have done night feed and happily had to search for the girls- Miss Maia was hiding. This morning Scott was greeted with soft trumpets, a more content trumpet than excited and celebratory. Their way of letting us know they are very appreciative of what they have been given.

Although the space they had in their first yard was so much more than Maia and Guida had ever known, we know from elephants in our past that more space equals more growth and healing in elephants. We are happy to be able to open up a new space, but we are far from done with expanding for them and will continue to build so they can experience all sanctuary has to offer.

Comments(4)

Lori Sirianni says
December 29, 2016 at 6:48 am
It’s heartwarming to see Miss Maia and Miss Guida exploring their lush expanded habitat! I loved your video! Especially the part where happy flapping elephant ears are barely visible through the thick foliage, just as it ought to be. It’s so green and beautiful at Elephant Sanctuary Brazil, you found the perfect piece of heaven on earth for elephants to heal, grow and thrive in. What a difference it must be for Maia and Guida after so many years performing in the artificial atmosphere of circuses, to now have that natural space and serenity, immersed in nature and in each other, and able to figure out who they really are. Thank you, Kat and Scott, for giving them this priceless gift. They must both feel like they’ve won the elephant lottery, and they have. And so will the four elephants at the Mendoza Zoo when they arrive, and Ramba, and so many others who will follow. Thank you for your dedication and hard work to give them all the lives they deserve to live.
- REPLY
  Kathleen M Smith says
  January 5, 2017 at 3:04 am
  Beautifully said, I agree whole heartedly.
Diana Disney-Coker says
December 29, 2016 at 9:37 pm
This is wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing these two precious elephants. I cannot donate now but I promise I will. I love what you’re doing and wish I could be there and help with their care. I will be following the future of the girls and the four coming from Mendoza Zoo. I am an active member of Care2 where I saw the article about the zoo giving them up to you.
I saw somewhere that you have something in Tenn. I think it was a tweet but we have no account with them so I couldn’t ask when I was reading some of the tweets. We live in Western NC close to the Tenn line about 1 1/2 hours from Johnson City. Do you have a sanctuary in Tenn?
I haven’t finished looking at everything on your website but I will. I could browse on it for days!
Thank you for what you do!
Diana
- REPLY
  Kat Blais says
  December 29, 2016 at 10:47 pm
  Scott Blais, our founder, co-founded the elephant sanctuary in Tennessee. He is no longer with them, but the sanctuary is still there and continues to care for elephants. Our home base is in Tennessee, but just an office, not another sanctuary. Since there are already two in the US, we are moving forward to create sanctuaries in countries, and continents that don’t have a healthy option for captive elephants. Thank you for taking the time to look more into what we do and our elephants.

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