The Sanctuary has been fortunate to see some really nice weather the past couple of weeks – a little rain and not too hot. We thought it was a good time to provide some updates on the goings-on inside the elephant habitats. The Girls have been busy.
At Q-Habitat…
Debbie and Ronnie have been enjoying dips in the South Pond. Turns out, they aren’t the only ones – as our EleCams revealed to us recently. See video below.
At Asia Habitat…
Misty and Dulary have been keeping a pretty full schedule of naps, swims in their pond, and lots of ear flapping. Misty has also “discovered” a new favorite delicacy, reports Caregiver Peter. “We noticed Misty at the fence line near the barn straining to stretch her trunk as far through it as possible.” For what? A nice patch of buffalo grass. The lure of buffalo grass also took Misty to the North Yard area of the habitat recently. To get there, Misty had to traverse a couple of really steep hills. While she was munching away at the buffalo grass there, Caregivers witnessed her interacting with Sissy and Winkie. Misty usually prefers staying closer to the Barn, so it was remarkable to see her in a part of the habitat where she hasn’t been in a long time. Caregiver Peter continues, “Sis and Winks have been coming back to that area a lot lately, and I think they are coming to see Misty, which is kind of awesome!”
Sissy and Winkie continue to spend a lot of time at the Pipeline area of the habitat. Something out of the ordinary happened this week. Caregivers went out to drop off food only to find Sissy …but no Winkie. Winkie, for whatever reason, had made her way 3/4s of a mile from Sissy and the Pipeline to an area nearer the barn. After several bananas and a lot of encouragement from Caregivers, Winkie returned to the Pipeline...and Sissy. Again, Caregiver Peter, “Winkie ignored her food to go straight to her [Sissy], making a ‘happy’ Winkie noise (it’s kind of a ‘whoooo’, but high pitched, very refined, and not overly loud) and tapping her trunk. Sissy picked up her hay and came over to reunite!” The Caregivers left them to their breakfast together.
Winkie and Sissy
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Shirley
Shirley and Tarra, as per usual, are constantly on the move – sometimes together, sometimes apart. Tarra has been venturing into areas of the habitat where we’ve never seen her go before. Shirley has been spending a lot of time in the woods. We’ve observed her walking over smaller pine trees and using them to scratch her belly. Don’t believe us? Watch.
At Africa Habitat…
Flora and Tange seem to be doing well. They’ve been moving back and forth between the Pipeline area and the Barn, just being their normal, majestic selves.
Caregiver Peter offers a final thought, “Life is good at The Sanctuary for pachyderms, canines, felines, and two-legged residents as well.”
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