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Noises in the Night

When Scott and Kat are at the house in the evenings, they often hear a bit of noise coming from the habitat. Sometimes it can be rumbling or bellowing or trumpeting. Generally they make the decision on whether to go down to check on the elephants based on the energy surrounding the sounds. There is not a definitive rule; they’ve just learned a bit about what kinds of sounds signal trouble and what sounds are just general playfulness or ordinary elephant noises. It really just comes down to a feeling.

Occasionally, one of the elephants gets stuck on one side of a fence, separated from the others. Though elephants are quite smart, sometimes they get caught up in excitement and seem to forget that there are other gates open and they can walk just a short distance away to get where they need to go. 

One night, there was quite a bit of vocalizing coming from down the hill and, since neither Kat nor Scott had been in the habitat that afternoon, they double checked the cameras and only saw Bambi and Rana – but no Mara. This isn’t necessarily unusual because Bambi and Rana often lose track of Mara. Still, Scott decided to check to make sure there were no problems. When he arrived down the hill he found all three huddled together, deep in the bushes. Wanting to make sure things were truly good, he called out and asked, “Is everything okay?” and Mara immediately responded with one of her little squeaks. Clearly all three were fine, and they decided to get a bit silly – trumpeting and rumbling and making lots of noise. And so back to dinner Scott and Kat went, likely getting a bit more sleep than the girls, who seemed primed for a lively evening gathering. 

Photo of Rana, Bambi, and Mara

Comments(14)

  1. REPLY
    Barb says

    It’s hard to contain myself when I see those ele sisters standing side by side. OK, so a tear trickles down by cheek . . It’s a joyful tear believe me. I wish I could hear them when they start their lively evenings.

  2. REPLY
    Charlotte Hansen says

    Is there any way to record the sounds of one of their night parties? We would so love to hear how all the noise sounds! Thank you for your generous sharing so much with us!

    • REPLY
      Sara says

      There really isn’t much of a way to get a good recording, since many times we just hear them from the house. There’s always a chance, if we go down during the night – but it’s generally done out of concern, so recordings don’t necessarily occur to us.

  3. REPLY
    Patricia says

    They’re just adorable!

  4. REPLY
    Melinda says

    They are so precious!

  5. REPLY
    John says

    Oh those elephants!

  6. REPLY
    SHEILA says

    OH MY. THE THREE❤️🐘🐘🐘❤️ LADIES JUST R SO HAPPY!! ITS GREAT THEY R LOOKING OUT FOR EACH OTHER AND MISS EACH OTHER WHEN THAT HAPPENS ‼️ THEY R SO BONDED AND THIS IS GREAT INCASE ONE OF THEM HAS ANY ISSUES IM SURE THE OTHER LADIES WOULD CAUSE QUIET ABIT OF NOISE AND GO LOOKING AS IN THE CASE OF 🐘BAMBI, SHE WILL BE RUNNING TO FIND 🐘MARA AND 🐘RANA😍. I THINK THIS ALL ENDEARING. TO KNOW HOW MUCH THEY MEAN TO EACH OTHER😍❤️🙏

  7. REPLY
    Beji says

    Kat and Scott…..you kids are living the dream. The universe just smiled and sighed…

  8. REPLY
    Debbie Sides says

    I love their squeaks and rumbles.

  9. REPLY
    Carey says

    When we see them like that it’s hard to believe they haven’t been together all their lives, they are incredible!

  10. REPLY
    Anita J says

    Amazing! That shows they truly bonded and they make up a little herd. A little family, even though not related at all. I can’t wait to see how Pocha and Guille will fit in this group! They both are so young, so they may be not only accepted but very much protected and made great fuss about! It will be awesome to witness. The Sanctuary is truly growing in numbers and relationships..:-)

  11. REPLY
    Katie Howard says

    Such a happy post! 😁

  12. REPLY
    Carole Kramer says

    Three elderly ladies cackling amongst themselves over some private joke! LOL!
    💜🤣💜😂💜😅🐘🌹🐘🌹🐘🌹

  13. REPLY
    Sallie says

    I think the girls were deliberately waiting to “Rooty Toot Toot” the attention of Kat & Scott! Nice work, Ladies! You all got my attention!

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