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The crane has arrived! Excavating was finished last night, to make the ground where the container would be placed, level. For this step, one of Rana’s caregivers kept her occupied while the electric fence was dismantled and rebuilt around the transport container.

As with everything else, Rana was a total peach and hung out by her little house while everyone got to work.

This video is of Rana’s initial access to her crate. Just to be clear, we’re not trying to get her to load to start her trip. This time is to allow her to check things out at her own pace and decide if she is interested enough to go in just for a moment or hang out inside for longer.

It is why we put in grass and just a treat or two versus a ton of extra goodies at the far end. Although technically it would still be her choice to go in, baiting her with a ton of fantastic fruits is still a bit of a nudge. Since she’s relaxed, and we have days, we take things slowly and let it be more on her terms.

And, like many elephants, Rana is curious enough about the crate to step in after just a few minutes. She stayed in for a little while, eating grass, then backed out again. This is positive and totally acceptable.

Every elephant is different. With Maia and Guida, Maia spent a lot of time examining the crate from the outside and would only go in for short times initially. Guida went in and stayed in the entire afternoon, the first time she stepped in. It was also the first time any of us had seen her stop swaying.

So….good initial exploration, nice and relaxed, no stress.

December 14, 2018

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