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Just as with Kenya, we are working with Pupy to get her used to a different type of treatment and checkup. She has experience with positive reinforcement training from her years at the ecoparque, but there were some things that her caregivers just couldn’t do because of the way her enclosure was laid out; they weren’t able to access certain parts of her body, so there are procedures that she needs to become more accustomed to. Right now, we’re continuing to work to get Pupy comfortable with being touched on different spots. Nobody has ever really touched her belly, her inguinal area, or checked the folds around her ears, armpits, and vulva for ticks–and those are things we’ll be doing with Pupy on a regular basis, just like the other girls. 

Pupy is much more food motivated than Kenya, which helps when we ask her to do certain behaviors. She needs to become genuinely comfortable with being touched all over, since tick checks involve caregivers putting their hands in different folds along the body, exams mean doing palpations on various areas, and tusk evaluations involve contact with the face (which she was already good with). Her past training is making a big positive difference, especially since she’s used to having footwork done, and we’re just building on that history to make her feel at ease during any treatment needed at sanctuary. 

Photo of Pupy swinging her trunk