Blog

Video: Bambi Loses Her Dinner Companions

As you probably know, the three sisters (aka Mara, Bambi, and Rana), often like to take their evening meals at the barn – particularly Mara. So, at the end of the day we open the small yards, so that Mara can make her way down from the larger yards if she choses. She can position herself in her preferred spot in the chute where we can give her a quick check, a little bath and, of course, her dinner. Mara really enjoys taking her meals in peace and, with her stellar appetite (and without her sisters helping her finish meals), she is putting on more weight and getting a bit more shape to her belly.

Because she has become such a voracious eater (for Mara anyway), she usually leads the way to the barn. But Mara does occasionally like to make some side stops along the way, which can slow her down. During one of these recent breaks, Bambi ended up beating Mara to the barn for dinner. Normally, the three take the path down the middle road, but that gate happened to be closed that evening. The gate at the square was open and it’s right around the corner; they travel that way frequently and Bambi managed the trip just fine. 

However, when Bambi got to the barn, she quickly realized that Mara and Rana were not there. She began rumbling, trumpeting, kicking trees, and generally making a ruckus – trying to get their attention. Mara began rumbling and Rana met up with her, and together they began to rumble, squeak, and trumpet, too. 

Mara and Rana headed down for dinner using their usual route, but ended up passing by the closed middle road gate. Though there were two other open gates, Bambi stayed right across from them on the other side of the fence. In her excitement, Bambi climbed up on the fence and they all continued to rumble and trumpet and generally act silly. Eventually, Mara and Rana walked to the other gate and Bambi ran through to join them. But after their initial celebration, Rana decided to stand at the gate’s entrance and acted as a roadblock for about five minutes. All three ultimately made their way to the barn and celebrated their little adventure with much softer rumbles. 

Comments(23)

  1. REPLY
    Susan says

    I love watching, and listening, to these beautiful girls!

  2. REPLY
    Debbie Sides says

    Awe Bambi stood on the fence wanting to be with her sisters bless her.

  3. REPLY
    Ellen Bollinger says

    Such pure joy and fun..what a beautiful experience.

  4. REPLY
    John says

    This is so incredibly awesome and magnificent and incredible and wonderful!

  5. REPLY
    Patricia says

    That is the cutest danged story! Those girls! They are so amazing in every way. Tell them that old granny Patricia loves them madly. xoxoxo

  6. REPLY
    Bill says

    I love their antics. They appear to be enjoying their new life.

  7. REPLY
    Sara says

    I just compared this video to the first video of Bambi at the zoo, when she was getting prepared to come to the sanctuary, and especially compared to that, she really looks good now!

  8. REPLY
    Mary says

    The joy of being able to see a video of the girls means everything to me. It shows their joy and freedom that can be explained but it is most stunning to see it in action.

  9. REPLY
    Carol in BC, Canada says

    I love these girls more with every post you share. I feel like my heart will burst with love for them – and joy that they are relishing Sanctuary so very much… THANK YOU

  10. REPLY
    Shirley Taylor says

    I loved this video. It just shows how close the 3 have got with each other. Made me smile. Thank you for sharing this with us all.xx

  11. REPLY
    Wim says

    Wonderful sound Bambi it’s no fun dinner for one.
    They are a beautiful threesome. ????❤️

  12. REPLY
    Cintia Abney says

    No words to describe my happiness seeing this.. specially Bambi, always the star ⭐️

  13. REPLY
    Lane says

    What a great video. And thanks for the narrative–it really gives us the story of what’s going on. Loved seeing Bambi up on the fence which is something I’ve never seen before in any video watched over the past many years.

  14. REPLY
    SHEILA says

    OH MY. BEAUTIFUL ❤️?BAMBI WAS FRANTIC❗️HER GIRLFRIENDS NO WHERE TO BE SEEN❗️ SHES REALLY WORRIED SHE LOST MARA ?AND ?RANA SHE TRUMPETED! SPUN AROUND AND RAN LIKE A HUGE PUPPY??! SHE WAS SO FAST AND EXCITED, LEAVING A BIG CLOUD OF DUST?OH MY THEN SHE STANDS ON THE LOWER FENCE PIPES❗️ SHE RANA AND MARA COULD SEE HER?WOW! SHES SO HAPPY TO HEAR AND SEE THE ??LADIES COMING!! A BIG HAPPY PARTY WHEN THEY R ALL TOGETHER! I BET BAMBI
    STICKS LIKE GLUE TO MARA AND OR RANA NOW! NO MORE EXPLORING ALONE??. THESE THREE LAADUES R VERY FUNNY! BAMBI? WINS ACADEMEY AWARD FOR HER ANTICS, SHES HILARIOUS?❤️?

  15. REPLY
    Joyce Etter says

    How far can trumpeting be heard in open land where the sanctuary is? It almost earth shaking!

    • REPLY
      Sara says

      It depends on the type of trumpet and the purpose for the communication, or even the time of day. Estimates run from 2.5 to 6 km. On an open savannah, their sounds can be heard and felt over much larger distances. Rumbles are often more effective in communication than trumpeting.

  16. REPLY
    Nancy Shaw says

    First I LOVE the sticky-outie tail, then rumbles and trumpets, GOING to get her Sisters , oooh yeah : kicking the shrub and standing on the fence!!! Oh My Gosh!! ( :

  17. REPLY
    Carey says

    I see what you mean about how fast Bambi is, and climbing on the fence made me laugh! A great example of the closeness of these three. She does look much better now with a nice little curve to her belly.

  18. REPLY
    John says

    More videos please!!!!!

  19. REPLY
    Anita Janusz-Wong says

    I also could not believe our Bambi standing up with impatience to join her friends! How much she changed since coming here! Wow! These videos with our girls having so much joy and fun should be shown to all the ZOO’s and circuses which still keep the captive. Amazing viewing. Thank you!

  20. REPLY
    Janet on Cape Cod says

    I love all the green foliage!

  21. REPLY
    Katie Howard says

    Silly, happy Bambi! Love her need to be surrounded by her friends! ❤️🐘🐘🐘❤️

  22. REPLY
    Susie Ngamsuwan says

    I love to watch elephant videos, but often don’t understand what I actually ‘see’. After I watched this one, I read the story, and of course, I just had to watch the video again. It was a mere joy!

Post a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.