Maia and the Mysterious Noise

Each night, we make a trip to the barn for Pocha and Guillermina’s night feed. (We visit new elephants in the evenings until they are acclimated to their environment and know we’re there for them at any time of day, if needed.) Before we give the two their food, we move any other elephants nearby into the neighboring Yard 4 so mother and daughter don’t have any competition for their snacks.

On this particular night, Kat was encouraging Maia to head into Yard 4 from outside the fence line. Maia tends to follow quickly because she knows there will be a food reward on the other side of the fence. She walked about ¾ of the way to the gate and stopped. At first, Kat thought Maia may have fallen asleep, given her love for naps. She called for Maia again and Maia looked at her – so she was awake, but this was out of character. Kat then drove the 4-wheeler to the spot she wanted Maia to walk to and shut off the engine. When she did, Kat heard a noise and saw that Maia was looking in the direction of that same noise.

About 3 seconds passed and Kat heard what sounded like a kitten’s meow. She looked at Maia and asked, “Is that what you’re looking at?” Maia continued to stare in the direction of the sound and the kitten-like noise continued. Kat asked Maia to follow her into Yard 4, promising she’d check out the noise as soon as she could. Maia obliged and, once the gate was closed, Kat went on a hunt for the mysterious creature that so concerned Maia. There was a lot of brush in that area, but Kat heard something moving around and – thank goodness – the culprit was a frog whose leg was stuck under a branch. One of his legs was pinned, so Kat moved the sapling trapping him, and the frog hopped away. Though Kat did the legwork, Maia was the hero of the day for her worry about another animal at sanctuary.

Photo of Maia and her magnificent ears

Comments(22)

Pam says
July 14, 2022 at 2:10 pm
Such a great story! I love that Kat is so in tune with Maia, able both to receive her message and then to convey to her that Kat would take care of the problem. Such a great example of the connection that is possible between elephant and human. Thank you.
John says
July 14, 2022 at 2:23 pm
How wonderful! This was definitely one of your more interesting and intriguing posts. These elephants continue to amaze me.
Tracy H says
July 14, 2022 at 2:26 pm
Just another great example of the love and kindness shown for all! Can’t say enough good things about the work that is done at Sanctuary! Bravo Maia and Kat. Such good team work!
Deb says
July 14, 2022 at 2:33 pm
I LOVE this story ! I LOVE all the ladies !
💖🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘💖
JUlie says
July 14, 2022 at 2:39 pm
Go wildlife warrior, Maia (and Kat, of course).
Sunny says
July 14, 2022 at 3:17 pm
Oh, Maia you are a beautiful being 😘
Alana says
July 14, 2022 at 3:29 pm
It’s the little things that mean so much & this story is one of them.
Barb says
July 14, 2022 at 3:47 pm
OK, that made me shed tears of happiness. Thank you, Maia and Kat, (from me and the frog)!
Elizabeth says
July 14, 2022 at 4:02 pm
I was on the edge of my seat, wondering what the sound was. Wow, a frog! Such a cute story. I was secretly hoping for a kitten to add to their household. The joint rescue force is a winner and I’m happy the frog is safe.
- REPLY
  Sara says
  July 14, 2022 at 4:07 pm
  As much as we would have liked a kitten, they are so much work. Kat and Scott would never sleep!
Tammy says
July 14, 2022 at 4:49 pm
Oh bless her lil heart 🙏💞 it’s funny how no matter what the animal a distress call is one that all animals seem to understand…good job Maia👏
Wim says
July 14, 2022 at 4:54 pm
Beautiful story. The circle of life is real.
Great teamwork.
Christen says
July 14, 2022 at 5:45 pm
A frog? So very sweet and how big was that frog?? Amazing Maia and love the caring for all the animals all the time ☺♥
Charlotte Hansen says
July 14, 2022 at 11:27 pm
this is why we all love all of you at ESB so much! What a great story!!
Patricia says
July 15, 2022 at 12:44 am
How wonderful! Maia! Kat! Just a bunch of great hearts at ESB! 💞💗💞💗💞
Bonnie says
July 15, 2022 at 1:54 am
that is so amazing to me that Maia noticed and sense the sound of an animal in need of help Kat you and Maia rock
Gayle says
July 15, 2022 at 2:17 am
Wow! What an amazing story of just how in tune elephants are with their surroundings. Thank you Maia and Kat for freeing the little frog from his predicament so he could continue on with his evening, no worse for the wear. ❤️
Susy says
July 15, 2022 at 8:53 am
Que narración tan precisa, me pareció estar ahí..junto a Maia alertando de la situación. Gracias por compartir las vivencias del santuario.
Chris K says
July 15, 2022 at 4:19 pm
Baaaahahaha! “Kat did the legwork!”
Exciting story with an entertaining pun! Twice as nice!
JoAnn Merriman-Eaton says
July 15, 2022 at 7:28 pm
Maia! Super Hero. This frog will never know there were two guardian angels watching over that night. Maia and Kat!!!!
Anne says
July 29, 2022 at 3:14 pm
I love this story, a couple of sweet ladies helping out someone who though lesser in size still had importance in its world. I know it’s not in the immediate future, but I can’t wait for the next rescues to arrive. Being retired and having physical limitations make sedentary activities much better for me. I’ve been following the Tennessee sanctuary for a while, and was introduced to these awesome people and elephants just before Pocha and Guille made their journey there. Getting to know all of them has been fun.
Sheila says
July 31, 2022 at 2:37 am
MAIA🐘. IS A VERY AWARE WHEN SOMETHING IS DIFFERENT IN HER PRESENCE, IT APPEARS SHE RECOGNIZED SOMETHING NEEDED HELP. A VERY SMART LADY MZ MAIA. MAIA U R A SWEETHEART. 😍 SO HAPPY. U R HANGING ALOT WITH THE NEW GALS POCHA AND GUILLE. YES U CAN TEACH MANNERS TO GUILLE, SHE NEEDS HELP FROM OTHER LADIES BECAUSE POCHA IS VERY PERMISSIVE WITH HER BABY!

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