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Generally, Maia and Guillermina are pretty fast eaters. It’s best not to feed them before the other ladies have been located and fed, otherwise they might just head over and try to share in their sisters’ food. So caregiver Shirlei was keeping an eye on the two of them, offering some extra snacks to keep them busy while the other caregivers located the Powerpuff Girls. Usually that might mean some flakes of hay, but this time Shirlei gave both elephants some palms that she’d brought with her. 

Maia loves palms but the last time we gave some to Guille, she wasn’t particularly interested in them. Perhaps watching Maia enjoy hers encouraged Guille to give them another try – deciding they were delicious. So, the two of them were content to stand there enjoying their hay and palms. 

This time gave Shirlei an opportunity to sit back and quietly watch the dynamics between the two. She was impressed at how calm and easy Maia is with Guillermina. Both girls seemed relaxed together. At one point, Guille took part of Maia’s palm to eat. At the beginning of their relationship, that would have been a no-no, but their friendship has evolved to the point where Maia has no problem sharing her treats. This goes both ways as they often eat from each other’s hay piles if fed next to each other. Their bond is truly evolving and it seems they are spending more and more time together. They don’t necessarily physically break away from the other elephants often, but they do seem to have a connection with one another that is unique to them. They’re often not just physically together, but also emotionally together. 

Photo of Maia