Since the passings of Rosie and Hadari, Care Staff have closely observed the emotional behaviors exhibited by Flora, Tange, and Sukari.
When Sukari, Rosie's closest companion, visited her body before burial, she spent several minutes caressing, nudging, and pulling sand over Rosie. In the following days, Tange was observed spending more time with Sukari, touching and caressing with her trunk—a behavior that was observed between Ronnie and Billie after Frieda’s passing.
In recent weeks, Tange, Flora, and Sukari have been had many opportunities to spend time together, and in that time have gotten much more tactile, whether play sparring over the fence or touching one another with their trunks. Sukari and Flora, who only recently began sharing space, are now regularly spending time together. Their interactions are mostly uneventful—grazing together or choosing to explore opposite ends of the habitat—however, Flora’s dominant personality has shown through a time or two.
In Memory
The Sanctuary would like to remember Zula, who passed January 11th, 2004. Zula’s personality was described by Caregivers as wise, regal, and kind. Her friendship with Tange remained her focus, while her bond with Flora continued to grow, despite their occasional rivalries for the role of herd matriarch. Each year, Zula and Tange would expand their explorations even further into their vast habitat—eventually breaking their old zoo habits of returning to the barn every evening and choosing to spend nights under the stars instead.
Zula's legacy will never be forgotten. Please visit Zula's biography page to learn more about her amazing life.
