Kenya Seeks More Greenery

For those of you who have been thinking about Kenya lately, we want to report that she’s having some really productive and positive days. Her care team is helping her become increasingly comfortable with foot palpation, since she lost confidence in having her feet touched after they became more sensitive. Soon she will be able to receive more intensive care for her feet, which need lots of attention. She’s been enthusiastic to participate, which is a huge positive.

Immediately after Pupy died, Kenya was spending a good deal of her time around the barn, perhaps wanting the security that comes from having a safe place to return. Lately, she’s been wandering farther into the woods than she has since Pupy passed, which we take as a positive sign. She has begun eating more leaves and branches in addition to her supplementary food, and really taking time to head to her favorite spots and chew on more trees. Perhaps she’s channeling her loss by recommitting to being a true elephant again.

When this video was taken, Kenya had walked almost all the way to the back of Yard 1, and she had easy access to the barn and the mud wallow, which she’s enjoying more and more lately. When her caregivers checked on her, she was fully engaged in pulling apart a small tree for a snack. She’s working to make a new normal for herself and is returning to the natural world, which provides significant chances to engage with her surroundings and stimulates her brain.

P.S.: We are still working to diagnose Kenya’s foot issues, which are severe and impact all four of her feet to some degree. She needs to be trained on how to have a radiograph taken, which requires an elephant to place her foot in a specific way and stand super still, and that can take lots of practice, especially since she seems concerned about the discomfort in her feet. We strongly suspect that she has osteomyelitis, a degenerative bone disease which is what Lady lived with for years–longer than we thought she would, and what Rana has also been diagnosed with. Foot and arthritis problems are the primary killer of elephants in captivity, so our goal is to slow Kenya’s infection progression as much as possible and bring her some physical comfort. We don’t know yet how Kenya’s infected foot pads will respond to treatment, but she remains on anti-inflammatories and low dose pain medications to make sure she’s as pain free as she can be. She’s not limping in the same way she once did, and she now has a smoother gait, demonstrating some improvement when she moves around.

Comments(16)

Ada says
November 5, 2025 at 2:39 pm

Hi there sweet girl! I hope she soon gets to the point where she’ll allow her caregivers to check her feet and get it properly treated. I’m glad that at least for the time being she’s getting some treatment so she won’t be as uncomfortable as she walks around her home🥰
Joey says
November 5, 2025 at 2:50 pm

I think her every day and wonder how she is doing. Thank you for the update. Positive signs are always welcome to hear. My hope is that she will wake up one day to the sound of another African elephant being guided into the African elephant yards so she can begin getting used to a new friend to share the rest of their lives together. Time heals all wounds, not just physical but emotional. I’m thrilled that Kenya’s in such a great place with caregivers who love her and will help her heal. I love her. I miss Pupy.
Elizabeth says
November 5, 2025 at 4:04 pm

Poor thing… foot issues are the worst!
Jeanine says
November 5, 2025 at 4:19 pm

I hope Kenya is feeling better with her foot issues. I am wondering if she will get another elephant friend at anytime? Thank you.
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  Sara says
  November 5, 2025 at 4:26 pm
  
  There are many elephants still in need, including African elephants. But it can take years of negotiations and legal intervention to get them home. It’s uncommon for an organization like a zoo or circus to willingly give up an elephant to sanctuary, since they are generally considered big money makers. But things are always going on behind the scenes!
Elsa says
November 5, 2025 at 4:33 pm

Sólo espero que haberla llevado al Ssntuario sea realmente efectivo. Todavía no puedo entender la repentina muerte de Pupy. Me pregunto si tanto entrenamiento y un viaje tan agotador , sumado a un cambio en su alimentación ( árboles y hojas que nunca comió ), personas que la cuidan , pero que ella no conocia , un ambiente tan distinto al que vivió siempre ( recuerdo el tiempo que le llevó salir de la caja ) no agravaron sus problemas de sslud y anímicos. Quizás después de tantos años de encierro , tanta libertad desconocida , la colapso. Y aclaro que no apoyo ni apoyaré los zoológicos , pero quizás se necesite evaluar mucho más el traslado de estos animales tan grandes a distancias enormes .Deseo lo mejor para Kenya , pero , como lo mencionan y hacen referencia siempre desde el santuario , el problema de sus patas parecería agravarse , con las consecuencias que conocemos. Kenya pasó por varios duelos y estoy absoluramente segura de que esto repercute muy mal rn du ánimo.
Kenya te queremos tanto ! Y sólo queremos tu bien. Ojalá pronto lo logres , sin que sea un sufrimiento grande , que se sume los que ya padeciste.
Cuídenla mucho ! Trabajamos por su libertad y ojalá haya sido por su bien.
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  Sara says
  November 5, 2025 at 4:44 pm
  
  Elephants are often moved by zoos over much longer distances and Pupy’s health was such that she made the trip easily. The elephants who come to sanctuary have spent decades with poor diet, no exercise, and often no medical care at all. Almost every elephant who has ever lived here arrived with some sort of illness or deficiency. It would be wonderful if crossing over into sanctuary cured every ailment, but sometimes the years of neglect are too much for a body to take.
Elsa says
November 5, 2025 at 4:37 pm

Hice un comentario y cuando lo quise enviar , saltó una leyenda diciéndome que ya había dicho lo que allí escribí. Cosa que no fue así. Será porque hacía preguntas o afirmaciones incómodas ?
Espero que desde el santuario me respondan. Sino pensaré que eligen qué publicar.
- REPLY
  Sara says
  November 5, 2025 at 4:45 pm
  
  We don’t censor posts and try to respond to every message. However, we have a spam filter and it takes time to approve each message as it comes in. Please know that your comments will eventually post.
- REPLY
  Bonnie says
  November 5, 2025 at 10:00 pm
  
  Kenya looks pretty good Sara question is Kenya’s right foot front ok i saw in the video were she was standing and lifted it up just asking because I read about her feet
  - Sara says
    November 6, 2025 at 12:00 am
    
    All four of Kenya’s feet are in bad shape, but the front right is the one giving her the most trouble right now.
Elsa says
November 5, 2025 at 4:40 pm

Por qué debe ser moderado mi cmentario ? En mi otro comentario me preguntaba sobre temas acerca de los que me interesaba tener respuesta del santurio. Muy extraño. Será que sólo admiten comentarios que convienen y los que no tanto no se publican ? Soy amable y correcta en mi vocabulario. Por lo tanto , no admito censura.
- REPLY
  Sara says
  November 5, 2025 at 4:46 pm
  
  Hopefully you’ve now understood our answer. Each post must be manually approved and our staff monitors it throughout the day.
Wim says
November 5, 2025 at 4:45 pm

Hopefully you still can give Kenya some more pain relief. So sad for her to have this illness.
🫶🐘🤗
Alice says
November 5, 2025 at 5:49 pm

Thank you so much for all you are doing for the lovely Kenya! She is beautiful!
Terry says
November 5, 2025 at 8:53 pm

Embracing Kenya with Love and Light along with everyone at Sanctuary! Thank you!!!

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