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As of June 1, 2007, please follow Dulary's progress
from the Asian Elediary.
May 15,
2007
It has been two weeks since Dulary’s arrival; what a gem she
is. Her days are filled with mini excursions, naps in the woods, and Misty’s
constant companionship. Over the past week Dulary has often needed some me-time,
but Misty does not understand the concept. Dulary gives her the slightest head
gesture and Misty giggles, then Dulary acts more demonstrative, even using
her foot to push Misty a few inches away, and Misty simply refuses to accept
the suggestion that Dulary does not need her shadowing her every single moment
of every day. Misty always wins out, or so it seems, since she spends all of
her time racing back and forth between Delhi and Dulary. When she is lucky
enough to have her two best friends side by side, she is ecstatic.
Dulary has wandered down a couple of the paths that lead out into the habitat
and has spent a couple of nights sleeping in the woods. We keep hoping she will
catch a whiff of the lake, but that has not yet happened. In the meantime, she
is exploring her world adjacent to the barn and forging strong relationships
with the other elephants.
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May 5,
2007
Afternoon:
The sky was clear and the sun was beating down. Dulary had wandered some distance
from the barn so Scott took the mobile ele-water wagon out to Dulary. She appeared
to be quite pleased with the service. She played non-stop for a good twenty
minutes and was seen wallowing in the mud hole even after the empty water wagon
pulled away.
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This was a good day for a grand adventure, and after only three full days
of Sanctuary life Dulary was ready for more exploring. Her curiosity got the
best of her as caregivers and dogs headed out towards the lake. Dulary dusted,
grazed and played in a mud puddle as she made her way down the road that leads
to the lake. She hesitated for a moment (but only a moment) as she passed through
the open gate. She may have wondered why these people keep leaving all the
gates open, but she did not waste any time; instead, she walked through the
open gate and right up the hill. She loves the new grasses growing alongside
the road and the mud was good enough to cover her body with, completely. When
she reached the top of the hill the vegetation was more than she could resist,
and that is where she stayed all afternoon and into the night. Another day
in paradise.
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May 4,
2007
Today Dulary wandered away from Misty and Delhi and ended up
near the barn. This was a great opportunity to see if Dulary was interested
to coming inside to check out the barn. There was no urgency in her interest,
but Dulary did enter the barn and stood on the outside porch for some time.
She pulled out all the goodies in the treat toy that just happened to be
in reach and then walked all the way inside the barn. She leisurely wandered
around a couple of the stalls, ate some hay and assorted produce that had
been spread around for her enjoyment, and then wandered back outside. Dulary
is a gem; she is relaxed and confident and shows no stress when experiencing
something new.
May 3,
2007
This afternoon was another busy one for Dulary. She, Delhi, and Misty are
already best of friends, and this afternoon she met Sissy and Winkie. Sissy
is always completely submissive with other elephants, which endears her to
them almost immediately, but Winkie has difficulty relating on a level other
than dominance. Usually time and space is the key to Winkie bonding with new
elephants and this will most likely be the case with Dulary as well.
Winkie
approached Dulary, slowly maneuvering around her, curious but cautious. Sissy
stood patiently, waiting for Dulary to notice her, and when she did they
engaged in gentle trunk touches. The rest of the afternoon and evening were
spent peacefully hanging out in the south yard together; Misty, Delhi, Dulary,
Tarra, Winkie and Sissy.
It was really not a big surprise when late in the evening
Winkie tested Dulary in a show of dominance. Dulary responded with resistance.
They engaged in a pushing match, neither wanting to be submissive, both holding
their own ground. The pushing subsided but Winkie continued to press the
issue of dominance and this time Dulary did not engage. Dulary stood passively
with Winkie at her side. After some time Winkie finally walked away secure
in her status as the dominant individual.
Interestingly enough, not all elephants
need to establish their dominance over each other. In fact, in this herd
Winkie is the only individual that feels her personal security depends
on her dominance; the others are motivated to be equals. One explanation for
Winkie’s
behavior could be her past traumas, another is hormone levels and also
there is the issue of her low self esteem. Most likely it is a combination
of all three causing Winkie to protect herself from imagined threats that exist
exclusively in her mind. Caregivers were with Winkie and Dulary the entire
time, encouraging and reassuring them. Dulary continued to eat and dust during
and after the confrontation, she handled Winkie like a pro.
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The past three days have been filled with new adventures and blossoming friendships
for Dulary. Finally, her need for sleep caught up with her. The amazing thing
is that less than 48 hours after meeting the first Sanctuary resident, Dulary
felt comfortable enough to lie down and sleep in their presence. Misty adores
Dulary and stood over her as she slept, obviously providing the sense of
security Dulary needed to have a restful nap.
May 1,
2007
Dulary and Tarra Slide
Show
After more than 4 hours of waiting, Dulary finally left the trailer and set
all four feet firmly on Tennessee soil. But she did not stand still for
long. The minute she touched ground she was interacting with elephants,
sampling the vegetation, dusting and exploring.
Tarra caught her attention
right away; in fact Tarra was the reason Dulary left the trailer. After a
brief interaction with Dulary still standing in the trailer, evaluating Tarra’s
intention, Tarra walked away and Dulary stepped right out of the trailer
and hustled after her.
With Dulary in hot pursuit, Tarra hesitated long enough for
Dulary to catch up and they both burst into vocalizations and gentle trunk
touches. They were immediately comfortable with each other with Dulary
following whenever Tarra moved. The two could not get enough of each other…and
then Dulary discovered the vegetation…and dirt…and trees…and
the exploration began. Every few minutes Dulary would look around to see
where Tarra was and rejoin her to share more chattering and touches.
Then Dulary decided to check out the area on the far end of the barn. She
grazed her way down the elephant trail until she came to a cross roads; to
the right was the north road where, several miles away, Bunny and Shirley were
engaged in their own habitat exploration, and to the left, the road
that leads to the lake. How exciting it was to see Dulary start out on the
lake road…all
by herself.
But then it was time for Dulary to meet two more sisters.
Delhi and Misty had been patiently waiting, literally for hours,
to meet Dulary, so when Dulary turned around and headed back towards the barn,
Misty got very excited. With much composure Misty approached Dulary. With
Misty and Tarra on either side, Dulary was showered once again with sweet
affection from both.
Dulary noticed Delhi at the water trough and without
hesitation headed over to greet her. Misty, in a show of over-protection
for the elder of the herd, raced over and squeezed between her old friend
and new friend, but Dulary took no offence; Delhi and Dulary were still able
to interact and the introductions were complete. Since this time, Dulary
has remained in the constant company of her new sisters; eating, napping,
sharing affection, and exploring her new habitat. Her assimilation into
her new life has been remarkably instantaneous.
5:37 p.m.
As Dulary was backing out of the trailer, Tarra came up to see what was happening
-- Dulary was a little uncertain about that, but after she realized that
Tarra just wanted some of her food, everything was OK. Dulary followed Tarra
and they have been playing ever since!
2:30 p.m.
Dulary has arrived, safe and sound. She took a bath in the trailer
where she remains, enjoying the sights and sounds of her new home. She is
munching on lots of hay and 3 of her new sisters wait anxiously -- Misty, Delhi,
and Tarra.
7:30 AM
Dulary is on her final leg of her journey home.
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April 30, 2007
11:45 pm
At an undisclosed location outside of Knoxville, Tennessee, Dulary settles
in for a well deserved nights rest. She has traveled well and remains attentive
and affectionate. No doubt she will sleep well tonight. By 7:30am tomorrow
morning Dulary and her entourage will be on the road, heading for home.
9:15pm
Dulary and friends just crossed into the state of Tennessee, south of Bristol.
They are making excellent time and Dulary has been an exceptional traveler.
Jen, one of her keepers from the zoo, has been traveling with Dulary and
checks in on her regularly with Scott at her side. Dulary’s behavior
towards Jen is affectionate but not needy; just the response we had hoped
for. She is dealing with the move well. In two hours they will stop for
the night and Dulary will have many hours to rest and prepare for the remainder
of her trip.
......late afternoon.....
4:45pm - Roanoke, Virginia
For years Dulary habitually took a short nap in her zoo yard every morning
before noon. This has been her pattern for as long as her keepers can remember
and is one of the most endearing things to her zoo family. We knew that Dulary
might be a little tired this afternoon, since she would miss her constitutional
nap, so at 4:45 the convoy stopped so that Dulary and her entire entourage
could take a short nap. The break was appreciated by all, especially Dulary.
......and earlier......
Dulary wasted no time walking right into her transport trailer this morning
as soon as she was given access. It was really no surprise that Dulary
calmly walked right into the trailer without so much as a hesitation. This
is such a tribute to the sense of trust Dulary has in her caring staff.
Zoo staff is traveling with Dulary, continuing to provide her with the
security that will ensure she has as stress-free a trip as possible. Scott
Blais was on hand for the loading and is traveling in the rig with Dulary.
He reports that she is traveling extremely well, not swaying, is eating
well and demonstrating a serene calmness befitting a queen. Her estimated
time of arrival at the Sanctuary is tomorrow around noon.
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April
29, 2007
It was another promising day for Dulary. She was given access to the trailer
and this time she showed no reservation at all. Calm and confident Dulary
walked up to the trailer and placed both front feet on the ramp leading into
the trailer.
A goodbye party was held for Dulary. A visitor at the zoo documented the
well-wishes of many of those who came to celebrate.
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April
28, 2007
The elephant transport trailer arrived at the zoo yesterday. Before the driver
could get the trailer in place, the tractor got stuck in some soft earth behind
the elephant yard. After a collective effort which took four hours, several
men, a tow truck and another tractor, the tractor hauling Dulary’s trailer
was unstuck and her trailer was backed into place.
Dulary had a chance to see what all the commotion was about first thing this
morning. By all reports she was inquisitive. Then it seems she preferred that
the intruder be removed, so the gate leading from her yard to the trailer was
closed. Sometime later the gate was opened again and she seemed more relaxed
about its presence.
A zoo visitor sent these photos of Dulary investigating the trailer and later
taking her signature swim in the pool, what a doll!
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April
27, 2007
This baby picture of Dulary (only a few months old) was provided by the Philadelphia
Zoo. The photo was taken soon after her arrival in 1964 and clearly documents
her early affinity to a swimming pool full of water!
April
26, 2007, 6pm
Message from a staff member:
As I arrived at the Sanctuary gate leading into the newly expanded Asian
elephant habitat, I saw something unmistakable. Directly before me were large
tire tracks leading from the gate out onto the adjacent county road. These
were very large muddy tire tracks. The familiar red-orange tracks were caused
by a vehicle which recently had driven on the churt road leaving the Sanctuary.
Churt is a rocky substraight that for years has been used to pave roads throughout
the county. After a rain, this clay-filled Tennessee pavement covers your
tires, leaving a trail wherever you drive. Tears sprang to my eyes as I realized
exactly what this rainbow of tire tracks meant; Angie (the elephants’ favorite
transport driver) had picked up the Sanctuary’s transport trailer. Suddenly,
Dulary’s arrival was made real; the many details we are still juggling
and the entire behind-the-scenes effort came to life completely. Through my
happy tears I began to follow these tracks out of town, but they soon faded
away, as the tires were washed clean by the gentle rain…these vanished
footprints mark the real beginning of beautiful Dulary’s journey.
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April
24, 2007
Carol visited Dulary at the Philadelphia zoo today
and found her in great health, surrounded by a qualified and caring staff.
The weather was perfect and Dulary appeared to be quite comfortable in her
surroundings. She even settled in for a short nap while a zoo full of visitors
looked on. At one point, Dulary came over to investigate close enough for
a few photos to be taken before she was off again to explore her yard. Dulary
appears to be a very calm and confident individual. She is in good physical
condition and her feet show no signs of disease. Her physical and emotional
condition suggests that Dulary’s
ability to enjoy Sanctuary life will be limitless. The zoo staff could not
hide their excitement over Dulary’s future. How fortunate Dulary is
to have experienced such a loving family at her zoo and soon will join another
equally caring family at the Sanctuary. In an instant the love that surrounds
her will double! We are so pleased that Dulary is one of the lucky elephants
that gets to have it all.
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