Kenya Brings a Snack to Dinner

Kenya has gone from polite habitat wanderer to adventurous explorer. We’re seeing more and more trees knocked down. She’s discovering her power and embracing her elephant instincts, finding more ways to exercise her body, eat throughout the day, and keep her mind sharp. In this video, Kenya has found her own snack, not waiting on caregivers to bring her dinner. She does seem pretty sleepy here though, so it’s possible she was up several times in the night, checking out new or favorite spots.

When an elephant is in a zoo, it can be difficult to keep their mind active, since they see the same thing day in and day out. There’s rarely any modification to what goes on over the course of 24-hours. For that reason, elephants who arrive from zoos or circuses may come to sanctuary with unnatural relationships with humans. If all you’ve ever known for companionship is a person, that individual might end up being the focal point of your day, for good or for bad. But sanctuary is changing that for Kenya, just as it’s done for all of the other elephants here.

She’s now realizing that, unlike in her past, there are plenty of things to do in her day. She’s coming to the barn less and less often, and when she does it seems to be just to check to see if anything is happening that she might be interested in. When Kenya sees caregivers, she might do the same thing: step over for a quick peek. Whenever she does this, we will give her some healthy attention, perhaps in the form of bug spray, butt scratching, and a gentle greeting. That seems to be enough for her, and she makes her way back into the habitat to do her own thing. She seems to be feeling more confident and independent and not as emotionally dependent on her caregivers. That’s a sign that sanctuary is giving her brain lots to focus on and she’s excited about all the new things she’s figuring out.

Comments(16)

Robin Vitulle says
August 7, 2025 at 2:08 pm

It’s so wonderful she feels so much at ease that she will drift off into a nap in your presence!!
She looks to be thriving and loving her new life!
🥰♥️🥰♥️🥰
Ada says
August 7, 2025 at 3:40 pm

Baby girl is partying at night that’s why she’s sleepy during the day🙂‍↕️😌😬I love this life for her and her ele siblings in the sanctuary🥰
Lori Hoover says
August 7, 2025 at 3:45 pm

I can almost hear Kenya: Hey, look what I brought!! I’m glad she’s exploring and plowing down some trees. She looks beautiful and thoughtful in the video, as she always looks to me. She is a very pretty elephant.
Beji says
August 7, 2025 at 4:07 pm

You had me at butt scratching…I wish I had a million dollars….it would be yours…umm..let me think about that…
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  Sara says
  August 7, 2025 at 4:28 pm
  
  Wouldn’t that be nice for everyone! We appreciate it anyway 😉
Barbara L Smith says
August 7, 2025 at 4:14 pm

It’s a lot of work keeping this place in order.🐘🌿🌱😊❤️
Jeanine says
August 7, 2025 at 4:34 pm

I think Kenya is bringing you a gift.❤️
Doe Fowler says
August 7, 2025 at 5:46 pm

Yes, it does look like she may have pulled an all-nighter. 🙂 Kenya seems content and well-settled into her beautiful surroundings. I love her! Peace all to all.
Susan Flewelling says
August 7, 2025 at 8:25 pm

With her and Puppy on the job, there soon won’t be a tree left standing!
Beci says
August 8, 2025 at 12:00 am

I think she loves the camera. It seems whenever she sees it she stops and looks. She has really pretty eyes. She is looking lighter, as in her spirit/aura. I’m not into that stuff but just looking at her in the video you can tell that. Ty to all of you, you are all amazing to works your butts off and selflessly give all your time so these gorgeous beings can live as close to freedom safely.
I am knocking on wood that there isn’t, but God forbid should an emergency happen, fire, etc do you have a plan and is there anyway to get them to safety? I know the elephants would sense it probably before you would be aware but I’m very interested in if there is a plan?
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  Sara says
  August 8, 2025 at 1:41 am
  
  We have an extensive fire safety plan with lots of things taken into consideration. There was a fire that reached the property about four years ago and it was fairly destructive but the elephants were placed in a safe location.
Bonnie says
August 8, 2025 at 1:56 am

she looks so tired but I’m sure she’s having the time of her life being free to roam and roam 😇
Johnny says
August 8, 2025 at 1:12 pm

“My, what a big branch you have Kenya!” Love it!
Alice says
August 8, 2025 at 5:45 pm

Kenya looks beautiful and so happy for all you do for her. I can’t thank you enough for what you do for all elephants. Speaking of zoos, Columbus, OH zoo has been posting disgusting Facebook posts about a new elephant calf and another on the way from forced breeding, claiming to help “save” the species!! I wish something could be done about this.
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  Sara says
  August 8, 2025 at 6:29 pm
  
  It can be really effective to organize at the grassroots level and work on educating the public. Contact sanctuaries in the US to see if they’re already working on helping individual elephants and if they could use more community involvement!
  Thanks for your commitment!
Terry says
August 10, 2025 at 11:07 pm

Ken-ya???

She sure can!!!!😁😉

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