Saying Goodbye to Bella
Last Wednesday, October 26th, was a day of mourning for everyone at the Elephant Sanctuary. Our beloved Bella had passed away to the great sadness of everyone who knew her – but especially to her best friend Tarra. Staff found her little body not far from the Asia Barn near the pond that she and Tarra often frequented.
Dr. Scott and a representative from the Tennessee Wildlife Resource Center were consulted and determined that Bella died from wounds suffered from a coyote attack.
After all the details were put into place, Rob made the announcement to the public about just what had transpired over the course of our 24 hour search for Bella. His statement to our supporters and a press release sent to the media can be viewed at We Say Goodbye to Bella, Tarra's Little Dog, and The Elephant Sanctuary Mourns the Loss of Bella the Dog, Dear Companion to Tarra the Elephant.
This amazing little white dog who bravely defied canine logic and befriended an elephant brought nothing but joy to Tarra's life. Though their friendship may have been a mystery to Tarra's elephant sisters, who sometimes did not seem to understand their relationship, that never mattered to Tarra and Bella.
The story of Bella's passing is as much a testament to the bonds of friendship as is the story of their life together. Staff members recount the chain of events and their personal feelings over the course of last week's sad discovery:
Monday, Oct. 24, 2011
Caregiver Suz remembers the last time she saw Tarra and Bella together: "I found Tarra and Bella heading out of the Right Branch of Marcellas, so they were probably back in there for the day. And Bella—oh geez—Bella was Bella times ten that night. She is always pretty excited about meal time, but tonight, she was incredible. She always does this funny thing with her front legs—from her spinal injury years ago—and she was jumping up and splaying them and I couldn't stop laughing and I scratched her head and told them both goodnight and left."
Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011
Tuesday morning, when staff members went out to feed, Tarra was found in the same spot she had eaten dinner, but Bella was not with her. While this was not unheard of, as Tarra and Bella sometimes went off on adventures without each other, Caregivers were nonetheless very concerned, and started an immediate search.
Suz describes the stressful morning, "The next morning, Tuesday, I went out to feed. And Tarra was in the exact same spot I fed her dinner…but… Bella wasn't there. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't trust my eyes that didn't see her running over, my ears who couldn't hear her barking. I sat there, after feeding Tarra, just…confused. I mean… I had never seen them apart. Tarra seemed quiet, and sad. But… I mean, I wouldn't accept it."
"I kept reminding myself she was a dog, dogs chase things sometimes. She would be back. Give it five minutes. Five became ten. I started driving around the area, knowing she just HAD to be there. I left for half an hour to clean and fill a nearby water trough, which I had to do before leaving the area. I came back. Still no Bella. I could not and would not wrap my head around it. This was not right. This was not happening. I put her food dish down in plain view of the camera tower, at the entrance to Marcellas, maybe 100 feet from Tarra. I rode back to the barn, put the camera on the spot, and Laurie emailed the other barns—saying, please keep an eye on this camera, Bella is missing, if you see her PLEASE call our phone immediately."
Caregivers paid extra attention to Tarra when she returned to the barn alone, giving her treats and talking to her soothingly. On four-wheelers, staff split up and began combing the area Bella was last seen. They walked Marcellas, calling her name, shaking food bowls, and listening in vain for a bark in response. That Tarra returned by herself to the barn, and that she appeared to be depressed and grieving seemed to indicate the outcome for Bella everyone feared. However, we held out hope and continued to search but, despite everyone's efforts, Bella was not yet found.
Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2011
The next morning, the staff resumed the search of those places where Tarra and Bella used to hang out most often. Suz recounts the hopeful but solemn search "Laurie, Angela, Maddie, and I went out, again on four-wheelers, drove through the elephant fence (since Tarra was nearby) and continued our search on foot where Tarra could not go. We were still desperately holding out hope that Bella was just injured, and that she was where Tarra couldn't get to her, and that is why Tarra didn't lead us to her. That it wasn't too late. That it COULDN'T be too late. Tarra stood by the elephant fence at the spot we drove in. And watched us call for Bella, and shake dog food bowls. She waited in that spot until we came back."
Meanwhile, as the staff continued to search throughout The Sanctuary for Bella, Steve Smith, Director of Elephant Husbandry, decided to search the area close to the barn. To Steve's shock and to everyone's despair, Bella's body was found near the pond she and Tarra often frequented – just yards away from the Asian Barn they called home.
Steve made the heartbreaking calls to staff to end the search and return to the barn – Bella was found.
As the staff absorbed the terrible news, Dr. Scott, Bella's veterinarian, was called in to examine her body and determine the cause of her death. Dr. Scott's assessment was that Bella most likely died from injuries caused by a coyote attack. He also noted that based on the condition of her fur, she put up a fierce fight to the very end. That was the Bella we knew and loved – afraid of nothing – not even an elephant.
With this information in hand, over the course of the next 24 hours, the rest of the story began to crystallize. There were no signs of a violent struggle near Bella's body – the ground was left undisturbed as if she was laid in her final resting place. Marcella's, the last known area they were seen together, was almost a mile from the barn, yet with the injuries sustained, there was no way Bella could have made that long journey back. When devastated Caregivers discovered blood on the underside of Tarra's trunk, all became clear. Tarra must have interrupted the attack and then, gently cradling Bella's body in her trunk, carried her home.
Rob, The Sanctuary's CEO commented on the amazing discovery. "I am still humbled by what Tarra did for Bella at the end. Why did she carry her home? We'll never know, but I do know that in the wild bereaved elephant mothers will carry their recently dead babies. Having been so close to them since their birth maybe those mothers simply cannot bear to be separated. So, for a time, they carry them perhaps because in their grief they do not know what else to do. Tarra, like all our Girls, had an upbringing totally unlike the way a wild elephant would be brought up. We would understand if Tarra and all our Girls had lost all their inherent 'elephantness'. Yet time and time again they show us that they are much stronger than this, that they just need the chance to show themselves as the magnificent elephant beings they are."
Wednesday evening, the staff rode out on four-wheelers to bury Bella's body in Marcella's. Although Caregivers gave her every chance to participate, our normally inquisitive and engaging Tarra kept her distance. Steve reflects on her behavior, "We expected Tarra to visit Bella, as elephants in their grief pay great attention to the bodies of their dead, but to our surprise Tarra stayed away."
Suz describes Bella's burial ceremony, "Under a setting sun, there were 8 of us present, going out on multiple four-wheelers, carrying Bella out to Tarra for a final goodbye. We buried her in the spot where we had sat with Tarra, crying for much of the day. It is also where Tarra and Bella spent Bella's last day together. Tarra chose not to participate in her burial. She was close, less than 100 yards away, on the other side of some trees but she would not come over. She had already said goodbye. This was for the humans."
Thursday, October 27, 2011
The following day, Caregivers made the heartbreaking discovery that Tarra had gone to visit Bella's grave sometime during the night or early morning. They found fresh dung nearby and an elephant foot print directly on Bella's grave.
Caregiver Laurie, struggling with her own grief, "Tonight I set out to deliver dinner to Shirley and was just coming around the pond when I saw Tarra! I burst into tears. I felt so, so, so glad to see her, but it was so, so, so painful to see her walk down the hill towards the barn without Bella bounding in front of her and to realize the last time she made that journey, she was carrying her friend."
In such times of sadness, we all look for signs of hope. "Bella was a wonderful, wonderful soul—as we all know. She was full of life, able to be ferocious – a fighter to the end. It was incredible to have known their relationship, to have witnessed it, to have seen that bond, that love, that gentle, gentle side of both of them. I know many, many people found strength in their relationship. I know I did. And it will be hard for Tarra in the coming weeks. But we want everyone to know, Tarra is loved. Tarra is well taken care of. And she will turn to elephants in this time of heartbreak, and use this loss to strengthen her relationship with the rest of the herd." - Caregiver Suz
Thank you so much for your overwhelming support - to read the hundreds of tributes submitted by our members visit Bella's Tribute Page or visit the Bella Fund (link will be forthcoming) and learn how you can help create a lasting legacy in Bella's honor.