New Training Areas and Treatment Chutes Going Up

It isn’t cost-effective to purchase partial loads of steel, so when purchasing tubes for Kenya’s fencing we had to round up a tiny bit. Thankfully, we always have ways to use extra steel. As Lady has revealed herself to be quite an explorer, we are using some of the extra to build a few training areas in the Asian habitat.

These sections of fencing can be used with all of the elephants, but we are primarily creating them because of Lady. Since we have to be a little more cautious when working with Lady, we currently only do training with her at the barn. The barn has reduced spacing between bars and additional horizontals to make it more difficult for an elephant to swing out. Modifying sections of fencing in the habitat gives us more flexibility in her care, which allows more freedom. All while being done in a safe manner.

Three training areas are currently being built along the fences in the habitat. One will be between Yards 2 & 3, designed so we can use from either yard (depending on what side the elephants are on). Another on the outside of Yard 3 (by one of her favorite spots), and the last one will be in Yard 4 near the pond. Karissa, our positive reinforcement training consultant, is coming back this month for a few weeks. We should have all three training walls completed before she arrives so that Karissa (and Lady) can use them. These won’t be used for foot soaks, but they will be used to get Lady to a better place in her understanding of positive reinforcement training and to work on her foot presents for footwork.

There is also a plan to use more of the extra pipe to build a single small stall with an attached medical treatment chute connected to the backside of Yard 4. One of our long-term plans is to expand the Asian habitat after Tamy’s (the male Asian elephant from Mendoza) yard is built. We are building the new stall and chute in such a way that, once we construct a new yard, it will be connected to the two spaces. That means, not only can it be accessed by both yards, but we will be able to use it to shift elephants in and out of the future Yard.

Once we complete the stall/chute area, we can immediately start using it for more in-depth treatments such as foot soaks. This means that Lady won’t have to go back to the barn for her foot soaks if she is spending time at the pond – something she will be delighted about!

Thank you again to everyone who donated to our Fences4Kenya fundraiser!! We are so excited to be able to “stretch” your gifts in this way, to help Lady live her best life as our wonderfully unexpectedly wandering diva. We cannot thank you enough, Kenya can’t thank you enough, and now neither can Lady!

Photo of our awesome maintenance team working on a training wall (& Bugsy “supervising”)

February 5, 2020

Comments(13)

Sheila says
February 6, 2020 at 4:25 pm
GREAT PLANS SCOTT?! LOVE UR INTUITION!❤️ WILL BE GREAT FOR POCHA AND GMINNA! ?MARRA TOO!‼️. I PRAY THIS LIL? LADY BENEFITS AS IM NOT SURE SHES MAKING HERSELF AVAILABLE FOR CONSISTENT FOOT CARE! LADY IS. SNEAKING OUT OF THE DEAL SO TO SPEAK, BECAUSE IN THE JUNGLE SHES RELAXING AND MUNCHING GREAT THINGS AND EXCITING ADVENTURES!! PERHAPS KARISSA HAS LADY ?FOOT PLANSBTW. THESE AREAS WILL BE GREAT FOR TICK PICKING UNLESS U HAVE A BATCH OF OXPECKERS OVER THERE! THEY LOVE TICKS IN AFRICA ON ELLIES AND RHINOS!!?. DO U HAVE BIRDS IN BRAZIL THAT DO THIS WORK!???
Barb says
February 6, 2020 at 5:12 pm
Exciting plans! Great to have the materials to complete the projects! Wish we could take a peek at the future training sessions ?❤️?
Kelejan says
February 6, 2020 at 5:21 pm
It is marvelous the way you use our donations to make the most of every cent we send. That includes all the different currencies that are sent to you. We know that you do not waste anything but stretch the funds as far as you can.
I would be interested in the long term plans you have that must change with all the different elephants you will be giving Sanctuary to: female & male, Indian &African, young & old. Is there ever any likelihood of mother with a baby elephant being given sanctuary. Or does every baby have to go through the trauma of being separated at birth from their mother, sisters, aunts and grandmothers?
Maggie says
February 6, 2020 at 6:19 pm
This is great news. So many things going on. Thank you for sharing this. It took me a minute to find Bugsy. He’s defiantly supervising. ???????
Patricia says
February 6, 2020 at 6:33 pm
Sheila mentioned Pocha and Guillermina , and another elephant. I would LOVE to see those girls in the sanctuary! Do you have an idea when they might come? You all are much more patient than I am. Hugs!
- REPLY
  EleComposer says
  February 6, 2020 at 6:36 pm
  Mara will be next, then Pocha and Guillermina after her – hopefully all by summer.
Rachel says
February 6, 2020 at 7:01 pm
Bugsy makes a great supervisor…he’s stealthlike – can hardly see him hanging around 😉
Sherry says
February 7, 2020 at 11:13 am
I love to see and learn what is happening at the sanctuary for the elephants so that they will be taken good care of their lives.
Renee says
February 7, 2020 at 4:27 pm
Why is Mara ‘next’ when she is clearly going to be stuck in bureaucratic hell with her permits like Ramba was? Why don’t you focus on getting 2 elephants out of the gulag that is Mendoza Zoo?
- REPLY
  EleComposer says
  February 7, 2020 at 6:17 pm
  All of these elephants have to deal with the same politics, so if it’s a roadblock for Mara, it will also be a roadblock for Pocha and Guillermina. Mara isn’t going to be stuck like Ramba, she already has her CITES. It’s a smaller document that is already on the final step. Although we know it sometimes feels like it takes forever, at least we have the ability to rescue elephants from zoos. It’s progress that is not happening in much of the world, so although frustrating at times, we are still incredibly grateful for the opportunity to provide so many elephants with sanctuary in such a short time.
Carey says
February 7, 2020 at 6:12 pm
I know its a lot of work/fund raising but am hoping that our boy Tamy gets to join his “family ” again soon. In that awful concrete jungle, soon to be entirely without even vocal contact will I’m sure be unspeakably sad for him. Do you have any idea about times scale for relocation and got to say it, rescue in Tamy’s case? (Got the Kaavan (Islamabad Zoo) going on in my head . 🙁 The building extension sounds super meticulously planned as always. It sounds great.. Huge job for everyone helping to make this happen again 🙂 It very interesting considering your plans and what needs to be done, especially when you will soon have more elephants.
- REPLY
  EleComposer says
  February 22, 2020 at 5:32 pm
  We have just re-done our Current Progress page; you will find Tamy’s current rescue status information there. Thanks, Carey!
- REPLY
  Kelejan says
  February 22, 2020 at 7:27 pm
  Carey, reading your post I went and checked on Tamy’s little video and what a soulless and depressing place place he is in. He must be so very lonely it brings tears to my eyes.

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