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We had a brief cold snap here at the sanctuary,  just lasting a couple of days. What’s cold to the humans here is likely mild weather to most, but when you’re used to near-constant ideal temperatures, 50 degrees F (10 degrees C) feels freezing. The elephants seem to fare much better than the people. Their bodies store up heat from the sunshine during the day and release it gradually during the evening. 

The climate here is well-suited for elephants because the temperatures don’t stay in the lower range very long, unlike some other regions where it can be wintry for months. Still, Lady seems to get cold more easily than some of the other elephants. During these couple of days, we didn’t bring her in for foot soaks. The elephant treatment barn is shaded and being wet would only make her more chilled. During these days, her foot treatment is done at a training wall in the habitat, where there is direct sunlight. We also switch up our treatment products to use items that won’t get her wet. 

Like some humans when their bodies tighten up, she may get a little achy during cold weather, so we try not to do anything that would exacerbate that and give her overall body some extra attention. It’s important that we try to ensure she’s as comfortable as possible. Now that those cold days have passed, everyone seems to be appreciating the sun and the warm weather that comes with it. 

Photo of Lady