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Sometimes, caregivers will encourage the elephants to move around a bit, perhaps to inspire them to check out a new part of the habitat, settle into a comfy spot to eat, or to give their muscles a gentle workout. In this video, we’re seeing a couple of those things with Sandro. When he first arrived, the care team wanted him to find all of the water troughs in his habitat, so they drove the 4-wheelers along the fence line and pointed them out. He got the lay of the land quickly. They did the same in order to let him know where the mud wallow and pond were located. 

It’s good for Sandro to begin to use muscles that have gone unused for so long, so right now we’re encouraging him to move about on various terrain, but at his own pace. Here, Scott drove ahead while Sandro followed. Caregivers need to put their food down a bit ahead of them so it can be done safely. Sandro seemed to be feeling enthusiastic at that moment, because he strode forward confidently as Scott continued on encouragingly. Sandro picked up the pace, diverting himself farther into the trees before emerging into the clearing. While he’s not quite as quick here as Baby or Guillermina, he’s exhibiting a strong, steady pace. He does have trouble with one or more of his back legs and feet, so we don’t push him; instead we let him choose how fast or slow he wants to go–and here he chose to walk briskly.