RAMBA
FEMALE ASIAN ELEPHANT
RE-BIRTHDAY: RESCUED OCTOBER 18, 2019
It breaks our hearts to share that Ramba passed on December 26, 2019.
Ramba's General Information
History
Ex-circus elephant 40 years (alone most of her life before coming to sanctuary).
Health
Pre-existing chronic kidney and liver issues.
Body Condition
Kept a little chunky for health reasons but losing weight.
Factoid
Very rumbly. Likes to get treat rewards for not doing asked behaviors. 🙂
Age
Estimated at 60-65 years old (no official records)
Current Location
Elephant Sanctuary Brazil
Personality
Easy breezy, very grounded. Decided that Rana would make a great best friend.
Her Story From Circus to Roadside Zoo...
RAMBA WAS KNOWN AS THE LAST CIRCUS ELEPHANT IN CHILE, ALTHOUGH HER CIRCUS LIFE BEGAN IN ARGENTINA
In 1997, she was confiscated from the circus “Los Tachuelas” for issues relating to abuse and neglect. Although she was officially “confiscated”, Ramba remained with the circus but was not allowed to perform.
Ecopolis, a small NGO in Chile, started a campaign to have Ramba removed from the property of the circus, where she continued to lead a solitary and abusive life. Years later they gained permission and made plans to relocate her to a roadside zoo as a temporary home. After several failed attempts at loading her into a trailer, Scott and Kat Blais were asked to come to Chile for her relocation. The judge stated it was Ecopolis’ last chance. Although the day of the move was less than smooth, with issues involving the circus and police protection, Ramba graciously boarded her transport trailer and was brought to her new home.
After arrangements for her to go to a sanctuary in the US fell through, Ecopolis was faced with the responsibility and expenses of caring for an elephant and finding her another suitable home. Elephants are a big responsibility and a geriatric elephant with several pre-existing health conditions is a handful. Global Sanctuary for Elephants stepped in, helping to direct her care, training caregivers, providing funding for supplements, paying caregiver salaries and offering her the home she needed to live out the rest of her life with other elephants, roaming through pastures and forests, enjoying a life of retirement.
Ramba was an utter gem of an elephant but she hadn’t found the security to fully open up emotionally before coming to sanctuary. Vocally she is also very reserved, she will rumble but does not vocalize in other ways (no squeaks, burps, trunk pops, whistles, etc.) We believe that now that she is with other elephants, this will change. Hopefully being with other beings now that can truly understand her journey, in a protected space, will allow her to become vulnerable to the healing she still needs to go through.
