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People often ask if Rana still squeaks. The answer is yes, pretty much daily, sometimes 6 to 8 times in a row. That is, until you pull the camera out. Once she sees a phone or camera, she stops. If you have them set up beforehand, she doesn’t do it at all. We have video of the dirt with Rana squeaking in the background, because once you lift your phone she stops. I’ve received voice messages from the barn where she had been squeaking, squeaking, squeaking, then nothing. She’s cute that way.

Many times she does it to get your attention. It’s her, ‘hey I’m so cute, I know you didn’t forget me.’ If we walk away during her footwork or treatment to get something, when we leave to get her palms, or when she has arrived and thinks we haven’t noticed her yet- those are all times you’re almost guaranteed to hear a squeak. But sometimes she just does them randomly throughout her treatment. Though it still does seem connected to the ‘look how cute or good I am’ kind of communication.

Every elephant is different, but Rana is definitely a people pleaser. She likes when you get silly and goofy with her (not all elephants do) and seems to enjoy making you laugh. She’s just a total peach.

So for now, so you can all see her squeaker isn’t broken, this is the best we can do for video. Far enough away so that she doesn’t notice she’s being recorded. And we purposefully left the end on so that you can see Scott did engage with her after, he didn’t just abandon her to see if she squeaked. Rana was actually on a multi-squeak run at the time Scott pulled out his phone. He was getting her post-treatment palm and Rana wanted to make sure he was coming back.  ❤️And for those wondering, Rana is outside in the habitat, it is Scott who is behind the bars.

August 28, 2019