This Morning at Elephant Sanctuary Brazil

We filmed this footage this morning with our drone, named Wall-E. We don’t use Wall-E every day, but when we do want an unobtrusive check-in with the girls, we are grateful to have it.

There are a few areas (and elephants!) identified with captions in the video. We wanted to explain the video in detail for those who aren’t native English speakers and for those who want to know more. We hope this gives everyone an idea of what we are talking about when we mention certain features or parts of the habitat. The video isn’t an exhaustive tour of the habitat, it’s more of a quick flyover, but we think it will help all of our followers, new and old. The video only shows around 20% of the property, so this is just a small fraction of the incredible land here. The African habitat (Kenya’s) is not in this video – it’s on the top of the hill in the other direction.

The video begins with Mara & Rana. Mara is the slightly closer elephant, with Rana just behind her. They are both in the north side of Yard 4. This pasture is one of Rana’s favorite fields, and it’s also the field where Ramba is buried. When the elephants are here, they are visible from the office. The video continues across part of Yard 4 and cuts over to Yard 5. As you can see, the gate is open between Yard’s 4 & 5. That gate is called “Creeky Alley Gate,” and we refer to that path as “Creeky Alley.” The pond is the pond in Yard 5. Immediately after the pond, you can see Maia at the “Square.” The square is a connecting area between all the Yards, and we use it to shift the elephants. It’s also a training square, so we use it as a “human cage,” where the humans stand to work with elephants. It’s large enough to park a four-wheeler and move around a little without the elephants being able to touch the four-wheeler from any direction. The four-wheeler is not an elephant toy. ?

Just on the other side of the training square, you can see the (very wet) mud wallow that everyone – especially Lady – loves. It’s not always this wet. Once the video heads past the barn, you’ll see a dirt road large enough for vehicles. If you take the road to the right, it leads up to the office (and Scott & Kat’s house). If you head in the other direction, it goes towards the front gate. That next area you see is the male Asian elephant area, where hopefully Tamy, from Mendoza, will live.

We hope this helps everyone understand where at least some of the things we talk about are. If it doesn’t help you at all, at least you get to see some of this incredible place that Maia, Rana, Lady, and Mara call home.

Also, just to note – the drone does not bother the elephants. They don’t seem to respond to it. We know that wild African elephants respond to drones at times. We always observe the elephants here very carefully and approach in slow increments, to make sure it doesn’t bother them.

Map included below to help with yard identification.

May 27, 2020

Comments(26)

Nannette Stone says
May 27, 2020 at 4:12 pm
This is just totally breathtaking and beautiful ?
Sherry says
May 27, 2020 at 4:15 pm
Yes, it is a paradise. Lucky elephants! Thank you GSE!
Debbie Sides says
May 27, 2020 at 4:21 pm
Truly breathtaking. ?
Susan says
May 27, 2020 at 4:32 pm
Magical, thank you!!!! Love seeing the ladies from this view, too, it is so amazing! ❤️?❤️?❤️
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  Fran Hull says
  May 29, 2020 at 9:40 am
  A TRULY BEAUTIFUL place for elephants and families it looks like a paradise just gorgeous blessings to all your staff and everyone involved in this With our beautiful elephants ?????
Pat Culver says
May 27, 2020 at 4:38 pm
Absolutely breathtaking and I love the music. Thank you for all you are and all you do.
Alejandra(Sandy)Enquin says
May 27, 2020 at 4:40 pm
Como la cancion,it taKes my breath away.Muy emocionante.Hermoso habitat,mucho amor a las 4,y mi corazon Mara te adora,besos desde Argentina.
Julia Mercedes Eden says
May 27, 2020 at 4:42 pm
Do you think Rana takes Mara to Yard 4 because Ramba’s laid to rest there ? I believe elephants ? are hyper intuitive about their dead kin – am I right ? I found the clip super-emotional. – possibly because of the fabulous music ? with it??❤️
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  Kat Blais says
  May 27, 2020 at 5:01 pm
  Hi Julia, there is no way to know. Rana does visit that area frequently, but it also has her favorite type of grass growing there. She and Ramba spent a great deal of time there because of it, which is why we felt it was appropriate to lay Ramba to rest there. It would make sense that Rana visits her grave, but there are also going to be many times that she goes there simply because it’s a beautiful space that she loves.
alana says
May 27, 2020 at 4:47 pm
Just Stunning as far as you can see.
Greg Sholes says
May 27, 2020 at 5:02 pm
How many total acres of land do you have and are you using it all? And are there plans to purchase more land if necessary?
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  Kat Blais says
  May 27, 2020 at 10:13 pm
  The property is 2800-acres, with no plans to buy additional land, although it is available. From the elephants we worked with in TN, it was clear that significant land is needed for deeper levels of healing. We began the land search looking for larger properties and couldn’t have found a better property than this one. Right now, for the female Asian elephants, about 80-acres is fenced in. We are currently working on constructing the first three yards at the female African barn. We will continue to fence in more areas and expand the habitats as money is raised.
Renee' Killian-Zeiger says
May 27, 2020 at 5:12 pm
I can’t even begin! Brought tears to my eyes. This shows the total beauty of the life theses girls and future herd members both Asian and African will live out their lives. I am overwhelmed at the beauty. If only we could know what these girls think and feel once they begin to be without fear of punishment and/or abuse and can wander and mud wallow and swim and eat and scratch to their hearts are bursting with their own emotions. It’s not the wild life they could have had but it’s the life after captivity that us humans can only imagine if we were in captivity our whole lives and then….this……Scott and Kat and all those who help you with day to day living with these stunningly beautiful eles. Thank you for sharing your beautiful but hard lives honoring and caring for these Gorgeous giants. I wait with baited breath every day for the next “journal entry” of your lives with the girls.
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  Rosie P says
  May 28, 2020 at 2:34 am
  Beautiful sentiments, Renee. XX
Wim Diepeveen says
May 27, 2020 at 5:15 pm
Thank you very much for sharing this flyover view from your ‘little’ paradise. Really breathtaking beautiful. The Enchanted Elephants Forest. Must be wonderful to call it home. ??????
Pam Taylor says
May 27, 2020 at 5:37 pm
Absolutely incredible!! GSE is truly a paradise..❤️?
Paula says
May 27, 2020 at 6:56 pm
Al ver este hermoso video, recuerdo haber leído en una entrevista realizada a Scott, en su última visita a Mara en el ecoparque de Buenos Aires, responder a la pregunta ¿ Con qué se encontrará Mara al llegar a Brasil?
Él dijo: ” Al llegar, Mara encontrará el Edén para elefantes. Es algo que a Mara le gustará mucho…”
MUCHAS MUCHAS MUCHAS GRACIAS POR HABER CREADO ESTE EDÉN PARA ELEFANTES!❤
Los admiro profundamente!
Son personas muy generosas, compartir tantos vídeos de las señoras y sus extensas descripciones, con el máximo detalle para hacernos sentir a nosotros que estamos allí y comprender la naturaleza de los elefantes a través de su experiencia.
Bendita tierra para los elefantes
?? Es un lugar maravilloso!
Aguanten Kenia, Pocha, Guillermina y Tamy?, ya llegarán al Edén también!
Lila Nieto says
May 27, 2020 at 6:58 pm
Oh, it’s beautiful. Magical. Thank you!
Carmelita Cappellino says
May 27, 2020 at 7:05 pm
Breathtaking!! How many acres is the sanctuary?
- REPLY
  Kat Blais says
  May 27, 2020 at 10:08 pm
  2800 acres total, but it will take years to fence all of it in.
Patricia says
May 27, 2020 at 9:01 pm
Ellas duermen en algún lugar cerrado? O en un corral?? O duermen al aire libre??
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  Kat Blais says
  May 27, 2020 at 10:10 pm
  They sleep where they choose, which is almost always outside. When new elephants arrive, sometimes they find comfort in sleeping inside of the barn. This is especially true of zoo elephants. But most elephants almost immediately want to explore and enjoy sleeping in the woods or in the pasture under the stars. But they know where the barn is and can return if they want.
Cristina Ortellado says
May 27, 2020 at 9:31 pm
Increible lugar. Felicitaciones a Ustedes por este lugar para nuestros queridos elefantes.
Patricia A Morales says
May 27, 2020 at 10:05 pm
Beautifull stated! My sentiments exactly! Thank you GSE for this gorgeousl video!
Rosie P says
May 28, 2020 at 2:29 am
This is breathtaking! To know that we all have in our own way, however small, helped to bring these elephants to this magical place really warms my heart. Just to be a tiny part of this makes me feel very proud but also very humble. Yes, I shed a few tears watching this beautiful video but these were tears of joy.
What must go through these precious girl’s minds? Transported to a wonderland.
Long may you reign Kat and Scott and all the amazing carers. I for one will always support you in whatever way I can.
Thank you is never enough!xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Nancy says
May 28, 2020 at 5:27 pm
Awesome space awesome elephants awesome kat and Scott thank you for showing the elephants home I can really picture everywhere they go now. Brilliant video and such serene music

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