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While Sandro is getting acclimated to his new sanctuary life, we’re feeding him the same diet he received at the zoo, with additional food because he is underweight. His muscle tone is poor and he will need to gain significant strength–something that diet and exercise will improve. His energy will also increase, which will encourage him to take the greatest advantage of all that his new habitat offers. As his body becomes stronger, and we can fully assess his teeth or lack of, we will adjust his diet to make sure he’s getting even more of the nutrients and supplements to improve his power and agility. 

In the meantime, he’s enjoying some chopped grass, plus some cooked veggies and fresh fruits, including some cut up watermelon. People are often fascinated by how dexterous an elephant’s trunk is and you can see Sandro curl his trunk up to pile the food and scoop it into his mouth. Like some of the ladies at the sanctuary, he takes his time and picks up manageable bites, while trying to sort through it and find any favorites. Right now, he’s getting an additional meal around 10 pm, just so he knows that people are around if he needs them and for us to lay eyes on him and make sure all is well. But Sandro is relaxing into his new home quickly, so we suspect he’ll be spending more and more time away from the barn (which is always open to him), and embracing more of the nature around him while he builds up his confidence.