Mara and Bambi continue to have a strong bond and spend most of their time together these days. Rana is frequently with them as well, but she enjoys taking breaks to do her own thing. When wandering, she usually remains in the area, just a little farther away.
We are seeing some modifications to the pond in Yard 4, courtesy of Mara. There is a shelf area that she has been making larger and larger by playing in the mud. The girls have now created an entire wading pool on the side that is large enough for all three elephants to fit. Mara and Bambi both seem to have decided that this corner is the best place to hang out. They spend so much time standing in the wading area that there is no longer any grass growing near it. When they want to graze, they now need to leave the pond and take a few steps to get a snack.
The area seems to work well for them. We still haven’t seen Bambi go deep in the pond, but the shelf gives her a nice, shallow place to hang out while Mara and Rana swim.
Photo of Mara exiting “her shelf” to stand next to Rana. If you look closely, you can see Bambi in the background between them.
Comments(17) 


















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Cintia Abney says
March 9, 2021 at 2:36 pmIs it Mara who likes to make mud balls?
Very happy for them.. and Rana just chilling, free time to hang out with Maia is she wants
sara says
March 9, 2021 at 5:20 pmYes – Mara is our mud ball girl. Good memory!
Nishant Bhajaria says
March 9, 2021 at 2:40 pmSo much joy
Kelejan says
March 9, 2021 at 2:43 pmWhat a sweet photo that is.
Julie says
March 9, 2021 at 2:52 pmOhhh. Thank you for the nice snippet of sanctuary life. I adore the photo. Is it Mara on the left and Bambi on the right?
sara says
March 9, 2021 at 5:18 pmThe photo shows Mara exiting “her shelf” to stand next to Rana. If you look closely, you can see Bambi in the background between them.
John says
March 9, 2021 at 3:08 pmIt’s wonderful to see them enjoying their new lives!
Sallee Kelly says
March 9, 2021 at 3:10 pmHow did donations go for “Happy Melon Monday” a week or so back??? I hope fantastic!
sara says
March 9, 2021 at 5:17 pmWe had a wonderful response! Thank you to all that helped Mara. We hope it will help us get her appetite up.
Linda says
March 9, 2021 at 3:32 pmMara and Bambi doing some landscaping 😀
Nancy Shaw says
March 9, 2021 at 4:44 pmYeah, I like wading pools or sprinklers !
Deb says
March 9, 2021 at 5:16 pmAre Rana and Mara not as tight as they were?
sara says
March 9, 2021 at 5:24 pmRana and Mara still have a strong relationship. Adding Bambi to the mix has just made them a tighter group.
Katie Howard says
March 9, 2021 at 7:54 pmThis seems just about perfect! ❤️
Terry Feleppa says
March 10, 2021 at 12:09 amI think they built it intentionally for Bambi to feel safe and give her the peace of mind to venture a little deeper!
SHEILA says
March 10, 2021 at 12:52 amYES, DOES MARA STIIL MAKE MUD BALLS AND PRESS THEM ON HER BODY❓ MY GOODNESS THAT WAS VERY FUNNY TO SEE??. GREAT BAMBI IS ENJOYING MARA RANA! NICE ALSO FOR RANA TO GET AWAY ABIT! I THINK THIS BERY WISE MATRIARCH IS BONDING MARA AND BAMBI FOR A GREAT FOREVER RELATIONSHIP LONG AFTER RANA IS HERE! ( GOD FORBID SHE DESERVES 10 MORE YRS).
WELL THESE GALS ARE VERY CREATIVE WITH ENVIRONMENT! I GUESS THEY FELT IT DIDNT HURT TO EXTEND THE POND FOR 3 LADIES TO BE IN POND ALL AT ONCE?‼️ GREAT THEY R ENJOYING THAT POND! HOPE BIG BAMBI GOES IN THE WATER AND ENJOYS A SOAKING! IM SURE SHE WILL IF MARA AND RANA ENCOURAGE HER?SO WONDERFUL THIS THREESOME DOES SO WELL WITH EACH OTHER❤️???❤️
carey says
March 10, 2021 at 8:27 pmGorgeous photo and story, thank you ?
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Mara’s Mud Pond Modifications