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Rana seems to have an understanding that her treatment is what has made her feel better, so she happily comes in and stays for it. Her treatment at this point doesn’t take too much time. It is broken up into three parts, so she isn’t standing without reward for too long. An initial rinse, since she likes mud so much and generally has a nice coating, a wash to ensure proper pH, and then treatment. If she is having a fussy day (which is rare) we break it up with target training to keep her interest and give her increased large food rewards, which she of course enjoys.

Showing the video also allows people to see that you can do these kinds of procedures, with total cooperation and have the elephant completely relaxed. Sometimes it takes more time to get this accomplished but pushing too quickly generally creates distrust. Rana is a gem, but this is the goal for everything we do with all elephants.

And lastly, we’re sharing because she’s cute and squeaks. She almost always squeaks during treatment or during training or while waiting for her palms to come out after her treatment, but it’s so hard to get on camera. As soon as you put the phone down, she squeaks. So at least you can hear a heart-melting squeak.