A Day in the Life of Tarra
7:30 AM: The air is brisk, the sunshine is warm, and Caregivers arrive to the silent Asia barn, their boots crunching on the limestone gravel as dogs with wagging tails circle around their legs, darting in and out. The Girls spent the night in the warmth of their heated barns to protect them from the cold winter night. Now, the barn comes to life as the Caregivers open the doors and look to see Tarra and her sisters in the warm barn. Greetings come in various ways from all, but Tarra gives her signature "barking" sound and reaches out with her trunk in greeting. The Girls jockey for a position at the front of the stall, ready for a morning meal.
8:00 AM: The smell of peanut butter and molasses reaches the sensitive trunks waiting beyond the kitchen area as the Caregivers mix supplements with both and stuff apples with the enticing mixture.
8:30 AM: Caregivers take their time rolling the breakfast cart with six buckets of specially prepared fruit and grain and vitamins to be spread on a flake of hay on the stall floor for each of the Girls. Tarra is the only one to be fed in a bucket as the other Girls are much too destructive with theirs in play. Tarra picks through the bucket to get her favorites first and then to see if any additional seasonal fruits are added, such as strawberries. After eating all the contents, she grasps her empty feed bucket with her trunk, and extends it to waiting caregivers, who give her a smile and a banana in return.
Then Tarra reaches over into Shirley's stall to see if she might gather a few more morsels of hay. Shirley, being Tarra's best friend and herd matriarch, allows Tarra a taste, but moves some of the hay a little further away and out of Tarra's reach.
9:30 AM: There is still hay to leisurely eat as the Caregivers finish cleaning the surrounding barn yards. Tarra hears the sound of gates moving and heads toward the barn exit near her. On this particular day she has chosen to be in the barn the night before, and the Caregivers have placed hay around in the habitat not far from the barn.
10:00 AM: Tarra wanders out of the barn with Shirley, heading toward the north. Winkie and Sissy soon follow. In the field are unusually shaped containers placed some distance apart by the Caregivers. Tarra goes directly over to investigate, with trunk reaching out to smell as she approaches one container. She is familiar with these containers and knows it most probably holds various treats including cut apples, oranges, bananas, alfalfa cubes and grapes. She is right.
Tarra finds the tasty treats inside the container
After several quick flips of the container, Tarra has gotten quite a few morsels and with a wad of hay in her trunk, she moves on to examine a ball container nearby. This allows Shirley to investigate the first container and shake loose a few more goodies.
Tarra moves to the ball as Shirley tastes the hay before going further to the treat container.
Mid-day: Tarra wanders along elephant paths she knows so well, sometimes napping in the woods amidst the aroma of pine trees or sunning on the pipelines. All of this is so familiar to her and the other Girls. It's their home, their Sanctuary.
Tarra seems to know where Shirley is spending her day, and "checks in" with Shirley periodically. Their greetings expressed with rumblings and trunk hugs and tails held straight out, show their excitement in each other's company and their contentment in their strong relationship.
Tarra found Shirley enjoying hay and joined her for a snack.
Tarra enjoys the rest of the day meandering around in the woods, crossing the pipeline in the sun and rests there a bit. Then she moves on to see what things of interest she can observe in her habitat. Later, as if sensing where Shirley may be, she heads in that direction. Tarra finds her good friend and their tender greetings show their joy at reuniting.
Tarra walks up Lake Road to find Sissy and Winkie, since they have been enjoying that area recently. Sure enough, she finds them, and greets them with a backwards walk towards them, all the while "er er erring…" Tarra continues to graze contentedly around Sissy and Winkie for a while.
Tarra and Shirley are joined by Sissy and Winkie on Lake Road.
3:30PM: A short afternoon shower gives everyone a chance to enjoy some mud baths. When Tarra returns to the barn, she finds the gates to the south yard are being opened for her, so she promptly heads through them to visit with Dulary and Misty in the south habitat. Tarra's "er ers" alert Dulary and Misty to her presences, and they join in the excited greetings and vocalizations.
Tarra finds Misty and Dulary in the mud after a light rain.
5:30PM: Early evening, Tarra anticipates her special delivery of onion, corn, cabbage, broccoli, potato and carrots with grain, brought on a 4-wheeler by her Caregivers. Hay is added to the selection and soon Tarra casually loosens her hay flake and throws a bit up and over her head to her back where it sticks to her hair.
Tarra "wears" some hay, sticks and dirt on her back.
As the darkness moves into the night, Tarra feels the cooler temperatures descending and she moves slowly toward the warm barn. Tarra senses the 10:00pm feeding will come soon. She'll enjoy the apples, oranges, bananas and grains along with her sisters. She even has some bamboo stalks to chew for hours this evening.
10:30pm: Caregiver activities are quiet now as they leave for the night. They know Shirley will most probably be the last to come in on this cold evening. The rest of the night is left to the Girls to enjoy in their own way, as the wee hours of the morning follow. A trumpet is heard from the barn, rolling across moonlight shadows on the north meadow; then silence, as one day moves quietly into another in the Sanctuary.