Blog

There’s been a tree near the annex in Yard 4 that’s been losing a few branches here and there during storms (it’s alive, but winds have taken a few bits down). Mara and Rana often get treatment in that chute when they are out in the east end of the habitat and not near the barn. When they are farther out, we like to go to them instead of asking them to come to us.

After treatment, the caregivers decided to see if Mara or Rana was interested in the convenient snack; normally they’d be looking for browse on their own, but since nature already decided the branches’ fate, we preferred not to have it go to waste.  Mara was initially more interested in the tree than Rana, and decided she really wanted to taste the branch, dragging it to the fence line and breaking off a piece that was large, but manageable. Asian elephants do like sticks and bushes, but tend toward smaller pieces than African elephants. That’s part of their species’ grazing tendencies, versus the tree-toppling approach of the average African elephant. If any other tasty bites make themselves available, we’ll make sure to offer them again.

P.S.: Many of you were part of our recent Room to Roam fundraiser for the Female Asian Habitat expansion. It turned into one of the most moving expressions of support we have seen, with people around the world stepping forward to help give the girls more space and more choice in their days. If you would like to see how our sanctuary family showed up for Maia, Bambi, Rana, Guille, and Mara, you can visit our Room to Roam page.