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The morning breakfast routine isn’t necessarily that routine at all, at least with regard to where it will be served. Caregivers don’t know exactly where the elephants will be when they set out to bring the daily meals. Often, they’ll place the girls’ food close to where they ended up after they awoke (which can be different from day to day), or the care team might want to change things up and encourage the elephants to eat their meals in a different spot or need them to shift a little bit for cleaning or any needed habitat maintenance. 

It’s also common for the girls to meet at the fence at meal time, since they know about what time their caregivers will stop by. That’s what happened on this particular day. The three girls–Bambi (left), Maia (right), and Guillermina (in the back)–shared their food side by side, as they frequently do. Bambi can sometimes be a slower eater, but Guille was polite and stayed away from Bambi’s food until she walked away from it; after Bambi was finished, Guille scooted over to help clean up the little bit that was left, staying there while her friends moved over a few feet. Soon a little mini-party erupted between the two ladies, with Maia squeaking excitedly and Bambi offering up some low rumbles.

Maia and Bambi are incredibly affectionate with each other. They can be found gently caressing each other on the face or the belly, as they stand so close together that their bodies touch. Here, Maia is almost sucking on Bambi’s nose in an affectionate way and Bambi reaches over for Maia’s trunk and leg. Physical touch, like the rest of Bambi’s senses, may become increasingly important for her as her eyesight continues to decrease. Luckily, there’s an excellent chance that her friends will be present with her as the changes continue.