vocalizing

Lady

Lady vs the Bush

December 1, 2019 EleComposer Blogs, Elephant Diary, Female Asian Barn, Lady

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This is the video we mentioned in the FB live feed. Lady was by herself and decided she wanted to take on the bush. Or maybe it started first, but either way, she had her own little party while doing so. The whole episode lasted about 10-15 minutes, with her taking breaks in between seemingly waiting to see if there was any sort of retaliation.   The drive on my phone is full, so I was only able to record under a minute.

At the beginning of the video you can hear her make a noise, it’s the same noise Maia makes when she plays. She also goes up an octave, closer to what we refer to as ‘whale song’, but we didn’t get that on video. And she ended one of her other noises in a sort of raspberry. We’ve definitely got a cute one on our hands. Towards the end of the video you will hear her do some trunk pops as well.

She made sure to use all of herself during the ‘brawl’. She swatted with her tail, swung her front legs, backed over, kicked her back legs at it, hit it. She trumpeted loudly at it a few times as well, which was what caught Maia’s attention. It was really nice to see that degree of playful side from her after just one day at the sanctuary.

December 1, 2019

 

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(click on the Vocalizing tag below to hear more from all the girls over the past few years!)

 

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Maia and Guida

One for the Road

June 29, 2019 EleComposer Blogs

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This morning Scott walked up to Maia as he always would and gave her a little rumble. For a moment she got a bit wide-eyed and excited, and then she fell silent. We’re not sure if it’s because she’s not ready to be silly yet, or she remembers at that moment that this would be the usual time for a trumpet party with Guida, or one of the many other reasons she could have. We hope in time this will change, but it did make us want to take a trip down memory lane for one last trumpet party with Maia and Guida.

June 29, 2019

 

Guida’s Memorial Page

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Maia and Guida

Rumble Spot

June 23, 2019 EleComposer Blogs

Scott was trying to get video of the area between their eyes, to show how it vibrates when they rumble. It starts with Maia, but Guida wants her turn to share as well. It can be hard, in this video, to see the vibrations, but you can see the area rise and fall with their deep breaths. At the end, you can also see Maia stick her trunk in Guida’s mouth.

People have asked about this behavior being to search for food (especially when Maia is doing it), but in the video you can see she is smelling the roof of her mouth. This is where their Jacobson’s Organ is located, which is a patch of sensory cells that detect heavy moisture-borne odour particles. This organ is also useful in the process of communicating chemical messages and may also be involved in the detection of chemical signals related to aggression and territoriality. Elephants can be seen both blowing smells from their trunks, into their mouths in this area as well as allowing other elephants to smell this area.

June 23, 2019

 

Read More About the Girls:
Maia’s Page →
Guida’s Page →

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Guida eye

Miss Maia Approves The New Water Trough 😄

June 16, 2019 EleComposer Blogs

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Construction and expansion of Elephant Sanctuary Brazil is a constant. We have water troughs in several places throughout the female Asian habitat, but yesterday Scott and Panto were finishing a new one at the furthest point of the habitat. It’s by the pond, and a favorite spot for all of the girls. The stream isn’t far, but towards the end of the rainy season it will dry up, and it’s nice for the girls to have the extra water source.

Maia and Guida had watched the process closely, but very quietly. Which isn’t the ‘norm’ for Maia. When everything was done, and the trough was filling, the girls came over to inspect. Maia’s big trumpet was the first noise she had made the entire time.  It seems she approves.

June 16, 2019

 

READ MORE ABOUT MAIA AND GUIDA:
Maia’s Page →
Guida’s Page →

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Maia

A Pre-Breakfast Chat

June 6, 2019 EleComposer Blogs

The lovely Maia (starts out on the right) and Guida having a pre-breakfast chat. Most of the loud noises are Maia, Guida chimes in with the grandma wheezes, rumbles, and trunk pops. Part way through you can hear a trumpet in the distance, that’s Rana. Usually if a couple of them are at the barn, having a little party, and someone else hears, they will join in vocally before they physically arrive.
 
As you can see, there is a lot of touching and smelling, from both girls. The trunk in mouth smelling is something an elephant will not allow another elephant to do if they are not completely comfortable. They just arrived, at the barn, so there’s no food in there for Maia to smell or steal. 😉 Maia and Guida showed up at the barn, so it’s a morning we will do some training, or some footwork if needed, and find a way to make their return to the barn advantageous. Not to worry, the girls love the extra food rewards they get, so they are happy to participate. If not, they are free to leave and do as they please in and around the habitat.
 
June 6, 2019
READ MORE ABOUT MAIA, GUIDA & RANA
Maia’s Page →
Guida’s Page →
Rana’s Page →
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Rana

Rana Rumbles and Trumpets

May 6, 2019 EleComposer Blogs

This video proves that Rana is ridiculously charming no matter what vocalization she makes.

If you listen carefully, you can hear Maia and Guida off in the distance. Around the five second mark, you can hear a trumpet. Just after that, there’s a good closeup of Rana’s ‘finger,’ and you can see how it vibrates as she rumbles. These are her ‘big girl’ trumpets, versus her small sounding, deflated trumpets, which are just as cute.

A beautiful thing about this video is how light and sweet her eyes are. With elephants, we generally watch the entire face, but eyes are always critical. Rana has such a lovely presence about her here. A lifetime away from how they looked before coming to the sanctuary, just a few months ago.

May 6, 2019

 

RELATED LINK
Rana’s Page →

 

(to hear more vocalizing from all the girls, click on the vocalizing tab below)

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