Maia is doing ok considering she just said her last good-bye to her best friend yesterday. Her mood is somewhat what you would expect, but better than we hoped. In her past, before coming to the sanctuary, Maia’s response to any strong emotion was anger. Her lashing out was a possibility, but she has been soft and quiet.
This morning she was affectionate and seemed appreciative of human interaction, but not needy. At times she looks like she may need or want Rana but neither appear quite ready. They will cross paths and have very brief exchanges, but then one will go on their way. That being said, Rana has been staying close and not wandering off, just a rumble away if needed.
It’s hard to watch Maia as she seems a little lost, emotionally searching for something that is no longer there, but the pain is only because of how meaningful her relationship with Guida was. After decades of them having a fairly terrible relationship with each other, they made up for it in the nearly three years they had at Elephant Sanctuary Brazil. They grew exponentially with each other’s support, and it was beautiful to watch. It was a gift to see that sanctuary allowed them to leave their past behind and learn to trust and love each other. So while it is sad to see Maia missing her friend, the comfort is knowing how special their relationship was and the depth of joy it allowed both of them to experience.
June 27, 2019
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alana says
June 27, 2019 at 7:00 pmPossibly Maia has exactly the same feeling for her humans now to, I bet she is comforted a lot by you all being there for her.
Carolyn McNeil says
June 27, 2019 at 9:31 pmThere’s a lot of healing for Maia, you two wonderful souls and all the caretakers ahead. As devastated as I am, I can’t even imagine the pain and heartache all of you are feeling. I hope when Ramba, Pocha and Guillermo come that Maia will find another best friend. As I have seen at TES, the elephants pick their friends and pair off in two’s or three. I will miss Guida.
Maggie says
June 28, 2019 at 5:51 amBless Maia, it shows how much she has grown since coming to live with you. She is grieving and I guess she needs reassurance from you guys that you are still there for her.
Carey says
June 28, 2019 at 7:57 amSo so sorry for Maia, but love , as you say that she developed such a close and nurturing relationship with dear Guida. Take care all at GSE…. and thank you….
Nancy Nortell says
June 28, 2019 at 11:28 amTime will hopefully heal Maia’s broken heart, but the memory of her dear friend, Guida, will stay with her always. It’s interesting to me that while they were together in the past, they were adversaries, yet at the sanctuary they became good friends. Perhaps the stress of being working elephants was too much for Maia and her response to any one or any other elephant was simply anger. Finally, when she could relax at the sanctuary, she learned that life was not awful anymore and she could open her heart a little and allow love to flow in. Just my thoughts. I know all of you are in pain, still, and I hope you call all get through this tremendous loss. Blessings, everyone.
Sherry says
July 7, 2019 at 5:53 amI am so sorry, my heart aches!
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