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As we mentioned earlier this week, Scott recently took the backhoe into the habitat while the elephants were in the yards close to the barn (though in different areas). The goal was to tidy up the creek crossings so that there was no debris or other obstacles that were in the way. None of the girls have shown any signs of having difficulty walking up or down the hills, but it’s a safety precaution we take to keep the pathway clear – especially for Bambi and Rana, who have range of motion issues with a front leg. 

Guillermina has been showing some hesitancy about crossing the creek to get into the back section of Yard 5, which takes you to a super green part of the habitat. Scott wanted to make sure that she isn’t insecure and didn’t think the hills leading to the creek were a big to-do, because they certainly are not. All four other elephants have crossed both creeks at some point, but Guille seems to have a concern about going that way. It is likely that there’s some sort of mental block keeping her from it, because she certainly doesn’t have anything physical that would prevent her from going. Maia and Bambi have been spending time in that distant area, and may be trying to convince their friend to join them, to no avail. We believe that, if Guille wants to head that way, nothing is stopping her from making the trip. Perhaps she just needs more time to consider it and will eventually follow the other two. The choice is up to her.

Photo of Guillermina wandering the habitat with Maia and Bambi