Shirley came back to the barn for another visit, but didn’t come her usual way. She spent the day in an area that she has never been in (that we know of), and although it is by a place where Sis and Winks spend a bit of their time, they have only gone into that spot a handful of times. This made for an extended search for our "grandma," pleasing Sissy, Winkie, and Tarra to no end, as they enjoyed the company of two people on a four wheeler driving back and forth. After Shirley spent two days in that general area, she came to the barn on Saturday night, appeared to have gone into the south yard with Misty and Dulary (at least her poop did) and was still here in the morning. She had breakfast by the barn, spent some time dusting at one of the new sand piles and then headed down Lake Road, but not far enough that she couldn't be seen from the barn. Shortly after Shirley headed out that way, Tarra came from the other direction and took her turn visiting with her sisters. Sis and Winks are still at Marcella’s Road exploring some of Tarra’s back trails and going down new hills. They seem to be starting to share notes on how to keep the caregivers in the habitat for the longest amount of time possible—cute girls.
The Threesome have moved over to the Phase I barn for a little while so we can do a bit more fence construction. The yard they have all to themselves is lovely and they are slowly beginning to explore it once more. On cold evenings, the Four have access into the barn. Even when the evening caregiver gives Debbie and Ronnie access on the cooler nights, they are nowhere to be found. They occasionally prefer the shelter of the trees to the barn, and can be found sleeping among great tree trunks in the morning.
For the African caregivers, the last couple of days have been about the same…go out with Tange and Flora, drive around and try to find the Girls, sit and listen to the trees being knocked down somewhere in the woods. On occasion, the Girls remind us that they can still run, climb hills and that they can meticulously take something apart. On one such occasion Carol’s help was needed in Africa: she was able to see Tange running and hurdling over downed trees and Flora dismantling a 4-wheeler. Both Girls showed that they can climb up a muddy hill just as fast as they go down and can navigate a slippery muddy road back to the Barn at an incredible pace.
Elephant Awareness Month is in full swing. Check out all the outreach events here.