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Guillermina Wants To Play

Guillermina has been continuing to display her childlike silliness, and the others are remaining mostly patient with her. The older girls seem to understand that this new, somewhat large kid, has a lot to learn. Part of that learning curve means finding out what the limits are for some of her playful behavior. 

During a recent dinner, Guille walked over and took some of Bambi’s hay, which Bambi wasn’t particularly thrilled about. Bambi stepped forward into Guillermina for just a minute, setting a boundary in a calm, but definitive way. While Guille sees the behavior and gets the message behind it, she doesn’t always choose to listen, and the other girls seem to understand this as well.

Guille’s current favorite play friend is Maia, though Maia may not necessarily be playing along with her all of the time. Guillermina will back up toward Maia, sticking her tail straight out, and even swiping Maia’s face with it. It seems that Guillermina just wants a response of some kind – like a little kid pushing someone’s buttons to see just how far they can take things before getting in trouble. This is something we have seen between other elephants in our past and often develops into a big and little sister dynamic, with the “older sister” somewhat enjoying the playful corrections they give. She definitely could be “correcting” Guille more, so for the time being Maia may be intrigued. (Maia did give Guille a gentle smack on the bottom a couple of times, which only dissuaded Guillermina for a little while. It seemed like a playful game between the two of them.) 

The two elephants have such similar personalities that they could end up being best friends or, perhaps, start to irritate one another. For now, their interactions seem harmless and charming – and we’ll be interested to see how things continue to unfold between our two youngest elephants. 

Photo of Pocha and Guillermina

Comments(10)

  1. REPLY
    Kayle says

    Sara, your insight is so descriptive I feel like I’m there. Thank you so very much.

    • REPLY
      Sara says

      Thank you!

  2. REPLY
    katherine says

    sounds like lovely playful behaviour

  3. REPLY
    Pam says

    I love these posts that provide insights into elephant behavior! So relatable. Thank you for another great article!

  4. REPLY
    JoAnn Merriman-Eaton says

    Guille you just keep on being you. You will find your place in the herd family. So funny….. “the older girls and this somewhat large kid”!!!!!! hahahahha

  5. REPLY
    John says

    I agree with what’s been commented, these posts are a fascinating insight into getting to know each elephant in such a personal way. Thank you!

  6. REPLY
    Leslie says

    Loving learning about how the current residents are helping both Guille and Pocha uncover their true ele-selves. So blessed! Thank you Sara❤️🐘🐘❤️

  7. REPLY
    Barb says

    Sara, we love your tales of tails! Never stop sharing these wonderful interactions!

  8. REPLY
    Lynne Russert says

    Aw, she’s young & wants/needs to play as part of growing up. Maybe you can find a younger needy elephant to take in to give her that? 😁

  9. REPLY
    Nancy Shaw says

    My thought was “OH!”
    Better watch out. lol

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