Late last month, the elephants received some special, seasonally appropriate enrichment from the Caregivers.
Quarantine Barn and Habitat Caregivers placed a "carrot" of orange cardboard paper and bamboo in the habitat for the elephants to discover. Caregiver Keleigh explains, "Ronnie got to the carrot first. She likes to pick up things in her trunk and walk with them, and she quickly picked up the carrot and walked away with it. Before Minnie could catch up, Ronnie finished off the bamboo. She didn't seem as interested in the paper." The bamboo was harvested on site by volunteers from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Billie (above, left) and Debbie walked out into their habitats to find candies lining the top rails of the fencing. The elephants skillfully used their powerful trunks to delicately pick up one sweet at a time and place in their mouths.
African elephants Tange, Flora, Sukari, Rosie, and Hadari found "goodie nests" distributed throughout the habitat. The nests were made of grapevines (donated by Amber Falls Winery and Cellars and collected by volunteers from Appalachian State University) and hay and then topped with kale and sweets.
Tange finds her "nest."
Watch a video of the "Girls" getting their Spring Treats here:
The elephants in the Asia Habitat have been exploring the new sand piles placed there by The Sanctuary staff. The sand piles offer the elephants nice soft places to rest out in the sun and plenty of sand for dusting themselves. Caregivers spotted Misty (above) testing out a pile earlier this week!
The Sanctuary's Maintenance Team has been clearing a lot of brush away from the fence lines, and that means that the elephants have been getting to interact with new trees, shrubs, and branches placed in their habitat. Shirley (above, left), Tarra (above, right), Misty, Sissy, and Winkie have all been spotted scratching against the branches and even sampling some of the bark and leaves.
The Big Payback is Back!
The Big Payback, a 24-hour online giving day hosted by the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee, returns on May 3rd and The Elephant Sanctuary is thrilled to be participating! Visit elephants.com on May 3rd to make your contribution. How does it work? Starting at 12:00am-Central on May 3rd, donors can make gifts online at our website, elephants.com. Throughout the day, your contributions could be amplified by additional incentives, bonuses and prizes made possible by The Big Payback sponsors. All gifts via The Big Payback will be used for mission-critical needs, providing captive elephants with lifelong care and raising public awareness about elephants in captivity and in the wild.
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Remembering Queenie
Queenie was one of the eight elephants transferred from the Hawthorn Corporation to The Sanctuary in early 2006. Queenie traveled to The Sanctuary with Liz, whom she had performed with for years at New Hampshire Wild Animal park before being sold to Hawthorn. At The Sanctuary, Queenie became very close with Lottie and Minnie, the three were often seen together exploring the habitat or splashing in the ponds. Queenie passed away on March 29, 2008. You can read the public's tributes here.