June 30, 2010

The 300-acre African Habitat is made up of three areas, all have beautiful valleys, creeks, hills and secret little gullies. All three also have lots of magnificent trees, both conifers and deciduous, and offer our African elephants at the Sanctuary the unique opportunity to freely exercise their natural, wild instincts to browse and create savannas.
 
Currently, Tange and Flora have access to two of these areas. One is a 10-acre section near the Barn, where at one time you could not even see into the Valley because of all the trees. Today, it looks like a bomb has exploded. (Their names were Zula, Tange and Flora!) It's a healthy site to see though, because that means the Girls have constantly been on the move and eating what they like to their heart's content. The second area is about 50 acres that includes the Plateau and Pipeline, places where they have knocked down so many trees it's hard to keep the roads clear. This area also includes a very lush Valley where they spend a lot of time, and you can often hear trees popping down in this Valley.
 
The third area is approximately 240 acres that has only been partly explored by Tange and Zula in years past, but because of Flora's more robust fencing requirements, she has not yet toured this area. We would like to change that, but first need to rebuild the fencing to Flora's standards. Plans are currently underway to apply for some grants in hopes we can get this project underwritten soon, allowing us to open up more areas of habitat to both Flora and Tange once new fence construction is complete.

On average, the Girls knock down and eat at least four trees a day (and who knows how many at night!). The African Girls are resourceful and will eat the entire tree, starting with the tender tips of the Pines, the roots of the Hickories as well as stripping and eating the bark off of all of them.

In most areas, the only trees that are left standing are the ones sitting on the side of a very steep hill or in a deep gully—we even have an area where the Girls have eaten off all the tops of the trees and left the rest, giving it a very manufactured look. Thanks to their tireless landscaping efforts, Africa is being transformed into a very nice, very flat Plain, full of all types of grasses, weeds, and of course, 100 to 300-gallon mud holes.
 
Ordinarily these new greenways sound ideal to sustain them, but Africans prefer to have trees in their diet. Basic math tells us that at the rate they are going, with the exception of the trees growing on steep slopes the elephants aren't able to easily navigate, they could eventually de-forest almost the entire 300 acres. When this new fencing project is complete, our goal is to be able to rotate them into different areas of the habitat at different times of the year, allowing new forest growth to preserve the mainstay of their diets, while giving them new areas to explore that are virtually untouched.

Watch Slide Show!

March 15, 2010

You may wonder what activities Flora finds to keep her busy. Landscaping for one. Flora comes from a long line of "landscapers" in the African savannah. Taking down trees and shrubs is a "natural," as well as planting seeds through her dung droppings. The elephants of Africa are constantly changing the landscape, which transforms forest to savannah and savannah back to forests. As you can see, Flora is very focused on her task at hand. (See the 3/15/10 Ele-Notes for the rest of the story)

February 20, 2010

We are sometimes asked about the size of Tange and Flora’s tusks; why they are smaller than African elephants in the wild, and do not appear to have grown very much in the 6 years they have been here at the Sanctuary. While elephant tusks are often trimmed and filed in captivity, that is not the case here. Just like people, an elephant’s hair, toenails and tusks grow at different rates. Genetically, some have long tusks, some short, some thin and others thick.  The role that any captive environment plays on tusk formation is the result of having man-made, unnaturally hard surfaces like concrete and steel--these will often wear their tusks at a higher rate than you would see in the wild.

In a recent visit to Africa, researchers talked about right and left-handed elephants; they often have one tusk they favor more than the other for pulling roots and small trees, many times leading to deep grooves and additional wear in just one of their tusks. 

Here at the Sanctuary, Flora’s tusks do not grow as fast at Tange’s--a genetic trait, plus Flora is a little harder on hers. She often chips them when playing in the barn and wears them rapidly when digging roots or stripping the bark off the trees. Also with Flora, the portion of the trunk that drapes over and around her tusks is longer and wider than Tange’s, which also contributes to the smaller appearance. When Flora raises her trunk and exposes her tusks, they are actually over 12 inches long.

In these photos, you can see the size difference in Tange and Flora's tusks vs. how much larger they actually are when they raise their trunks in play.

January 20, 2010

Tange and Flora having fun in the mud - something that is practically an every day occurrence for these two!

December 27, 2009

This photo which was taken last month clearly demonstrates that Tange has figured out how to maintain custody of the infamous "tire".

These past few days have been warmer and wet, good weather for the girls to be outside enjoying their tire. Tange maintains her title as "Tire Queen", effectively keeping the tire for herself most of the time. Yes, there are other toys but much of the fun is keeping one for yourself. Tange has figured out how to balance the tire upright, on the treads, a talent that many of the elephants develop after long hours spent getting to know their tire. Of course tires are not new to Tange. When she lived at the zoo she would slip a large tractor tire all the way over her head, wearing it like a necklace, always appearing quite proud of herself. Sometimes when Tange has the tire, Flora will find something else to play with, like an uprooted Cedar bush or large fallen log. Flora enjoys the challenge of dislodging anything from its footing.

November 15, 2009

Look closely: can you find them? Amazing, isn't it? When they stand still, it seems the girls blend right into their habitat. Exploring their world together, Tange and Flora continue to flourish. The woods are full of adventure, and from the looks of it, an easy place to hide!

August 24, 2009

Tange found a great toy but could not keep it a secret for long. Flora soon appeared to inspect it and later was seen playing with the giant tire as well.

August 23, 2009

Life is good and trees are tasty. Tange and Flora are seriously enjoying the lush vegetation that is abundant in their habitat, and true to their species, trees are still their favorite snack.

August 22, 2009

Yes, elephants lie on their sides when they sleep, but they also "cat nap" in a standing position. The best way to tell if elephants are napping is to look at the last few inches of their trunks. Not surprisingly, each elephant is unique in its trunk position while napping, but they share a napping commonality that includes standing nearly perfectly still, eyes closed, head a little drooped, and the end of their trunk totally relaxed on the ground, like a wet noodle—as Tange is demonstrating for you in this photo!

May 20, 2009

Many of you have been asking about Queenie and Zula’s necropsy results. In Queenie's case her gross evaluation uncovered only the smallest clue of a twisted gut; one small area in the intestinal tract that had a slight discoloration. She was not impacted and everything else about her intestinal tract looked normal. Queenie had no organ or intestine problems, no disease process and once the necropsy samples were processed the cause of death was determined to be a twisted gut.
 
Upon gross evaluation during Zula’s necropsy, the focus was drawn to the condition and function of her heart. Just as with Queenie’s necropsy no disease process was found, nor indication that any other organ was problematic. Zula's cause of death was determined to be a pre-existing heart problem.
 

March 13 , 2009

Flora and Tange are inseparable. Their relationship continues to deepen, which brings joy not only to each other, but also to everyone who cares about their well-being. Today when they dug up a tractor tire from the mud, sharing the popular toy was a challenge. Flora had it first, of course, but Tange had her chance to play with it as well. It seems that every game has a common goal...to win. Flora made every effort to smash the tire against the pipe corral. You would not think of a huge tractor tire as squishy, but that is what it looked like under Tange and Flora pressure. They had a blast!

January 23, 2009

Dirt + a winter rain = luscious mud; perfect for afternoon playtime. Flora and Tange never let a good mud wallow escape them. Today they literally immersed themselves in the gooey fun!

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January 20, 2009

A personal note from Sandra
It's been over a week now since Zula passed away, it feels like yesterday.
How do elephants deal with losing a loved one, how does Tange deal with losing her best friend?
I believe that elephants have a much deeper understanding of life then we do.

I've been fortunate enough to witness elephants being born. First time mothers and aunties who were baby's themselves when rescued from a cull, so how do they know what to do with their new born calves? They kick them gently when the calf needs to get up, they put the calf in the center of the herd when danger is approaching. How do they know what to do? Is it their instinct, their intelligence?

Is it this same instinct and greater intelligence that makes them much more capable dealing with the death of a loved one then we are?

Putting my arms around Tanges trunk and looking up into her wise big brown eyes I feel the vibration of her deep soft rumble. I know she's hurting, but there is this calmness about her that is nurturing. She is teaching us to accept death as much as you would accept life.

Zula’s grain bucket was always half full, never half empty. She took the positive way in life. If she couldn’t climb that hill today, she would try it again the next day. The last year Zula has climbed hills with amazing grace and ease. She would never give up and knew that one day she would climb any hill she wanted to. We should honor her by trying to climb our hill of acceptance, because we know that’s what she would do. It’s not easy, as it still hurts so much. But with little steps and the elephants as our teachers, we too will climb that hill with grace.

Sandra de Rek
Lead caregiver of the African elephants

January 14, 2009

Tange and Flora have spent the past 2 days in each other's constant company. They were not present during Zula’s burial, but afterwards had access to Zula’s resting place. Footprints in the dirt around Zula’s resting site confirm that Zula’s sisters have already visited. Today, Tange and her caregiver went out together to visit Zula. Tange was tentative and smelled around the area. Later Tange and her caregiver went into the woods to sit and spend some quite time near Zula’s gravesite. Tange was relaxed, staying in the area eating her hay until her caregiver headed back to the barn, at which time Tange followed her.

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January 12, 2009

Our necropsy team from the University of Georgia arrived at the break of dawn. Along with Dr. Mikota, Dr. Scott and Sanctuary staff, the team outlined the procedure emphasizing their condolences for our loss. Each procedure objective was accompanied by a request for permission to remove the specific sample, the team members so cognizant of the impact the invasive procedure would have on the loved ones left behind. The team's sensitivity allowed us all to come together for a job we know was vital and heartbreaking.

Zula had already been placed in her grave in the heart of the habitat. The necropsy procedure took all day and will surely provide us with the answers we so need. The testing and reporting could take a few months to be compiled. A summary of the result will be posted.

As the sun set, the team gathered all of their belongings, sweeping the area clean of any sign of our presence, leaving Scott to ceremoniously cover Zula’s body in her final resting place.

January 11, 2009

Leave a Tribute to Zula

It is with great sorrow that we report that today we lost another of our precious elephants. Even if we were prepared for the loss, even if we had received some advance notice, the shock and sadness would not be diminished. But the suddenness of Zula’s passing has shaken us to our core. Zula, “big sister” and dearest friend to Tange, the nurturer, mature and kind, known to be gentle to everyone she ever met, left us tonight just after 11pm. By all accounts she was healthy and thriving when shortly after entering the barn for an evening meal she was found lying on the floor, struggling to rise. With her caregivers and vets at her side, Zula received emergency medical care in an effort to relieve her anxiety, encourage her to relax and regain her strength, and enable her to rise. When it was determined that the next step would be to hoist Zula onto her feet, she took her last breath and passed away. Zula’s sudden death leaves us with more questions than answers. The deep sorrow is felt by caregivers and elephant family alike. Zula remained in the barn with her sisters while arrangements were made for her necropsy and burial.

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