The Staff at Africa Barn are thrilled to share that Donna and Tange’s socialization training has been going very well. Donna has been taking a gradual approach to getting to know each of her new herd mates, and she now allows Tange, who sometimes displays more dominant behaviors than the other females, to touch her back with her trunk under the guidance of Care Staff. This training has helped build confidence between the elephants and encourages natural, friendly behaviors.
With support from Caregivers to build muscle strength and confidence, Donna has also started navigating the steeper hills of her diverse habitat with assurance, which she initially found challenging upon arriving at The Sanctuary. Thanks to the dedication of Care Staff, Donna has mastered descending these hills leading into both the South Valley and North Valley, providing her with additional space to roam and explore.
As new elephants arrive at The Sanctuary, Staff employ various methods to help them acclimate to their new environment and to each other. Caregivers facilitate relationship-building through techniques like "cooperative feeding", which may involve prompting the less confident elephant to approach the dominant one with a barrier between them and strategically rewarding both with food. Other approaches to help acclimate may also include placing preferred foods and enrichment items in the habitats to encourage play, exploration, and foraging. Food may be buried or placed in puzzle feeders, and easy access to browse (tree branches) is provided for them to eat. Large piles of sand, dirt, mud wallows, and accessible water sources encourage natural behaviors such as dusting, mudding, and swimming.