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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)

  1. REPLY
    Pam says

    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.

  2. REPLY
    John says

    How wonderful! This was definitely one of your more interesting and intriguing posts. These elephants continue to amaze me.

  3. REPLY
    Tracy H says

    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!

  4. REPLY
    Deb says

    I LOVE this story ! I LOVE all the ladies !
    💖🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘🐘💖

  5. REPLY
    JUlie says

    Go wildlife warrior, Maia (and Kat, of course).

  6. REPLY
    Sunny says

    Oh, Maia you are a beautiful being 😘

  7. REPLY
    Alana says

    It’s the little things that mean so much & this story is one of them.

  8. REPLY
    Barb says

    OK, that made me shed tears of happiness. Thank you, Maia and Kat, (from me and the frog)!

  9. REPLY
    Elizabeth says

    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

      As much as we would have liked a kitten, they are so much work. Kat and Scott would never sleep!

  10. REPLY
    Tammy says

    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👏

  11. REPLY
    Wim says

    Beautiful story. The circle of life is real.
    Great teamwork.

  12. REPLY
    Christen says

    A frog? So very sweet and how big was that frog?? Amazing Maia and love the caring for all the animals all the time ☺♥

  13. REPLY
    Charlotte Hansen says

    this is why we all love all of you at ESB so much! What a great story!!

  14. REPLY
    Patricia says

    How wonderful! Maia! Kat! Just a bunch of great hearts at ESB! 💞💗💞💗💞

  15. REPLY
    Bonnie says

    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

  16. REPLY
    Gayle says

    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. ❤️

  17. REPLY
    Susy says

    Que narración tan precisa, me pareció estar ahí..junto a Maia alertando de la situación. Gracias por compartir las vivencias del santuario.

  18. REPLY
    Chris K says

    Baaaahahaha! “Kat did the legwork!”
    Exciting story with an entertaining pun! Twice as nice!

  19. REPLY
    JoAnn Merriman-Eaton says

    Maia! Super Hero. This frog will never know there were two guardian angels watching over that night. Maia and Kat!!!!

  20. REPLY
    Anne says

    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.

  21. REPLY
    Sheila says

    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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