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For the past few days, Lady has shown interest in spending time in the yards closer to the barn rather than roam in Yard 5. We saw this as an opportunity to introduce Pocha and Guillermina to Yard 5, which is a whole new space for them. As we’ve mentioned before, Pocha and Guille arrived with almost no body awareness, so we wanted to wait until we were confident they had an understanding of sanctuary space and how things like hills, valleys, and streams could be maneuvered. Yard 5 is filled with diverse terrain, which is one of the reasons it can be exciting for elephants to explore; but we felt that some caution was in order regarding our two newest ladies and their level of observation skills. 

We opened up the gate to allow Pocha and Guille into Yard 5, but they stayed near the fence for a while, not wandering too far into the new space. We encouraged them to follow us as we drove our 4-wheelers along the fenceline toward the water trough, at which point they made their way to the Yard 5 pond. Overall, the two explored a few acres, but didn’t spend a lot of time in the new (to them) yard. The day was hot and none of the girls were in the mood to do much other than rest in the shade. 

Once Lady was ready to head back to Yard 5, we opened the gate to allow Guille and Pocha into Yard 4. Pocha eased through the gate fairly quietly. So quietly, in fact, that Guille – still playing by the pond – didn’t notice her mother was gone. She eventually looked up and realized that Pocha was gone. She called to Pocha and they finally reunited in Yard 4. They’ll have other opportunities to explore Yard 5, but now they know it’s an option should they want to return and Lady’s location allows. 

Photo of Pocha and Guillermina on a walk together