It has been just over a month since Asha arrived at The Elephant Sanctuary, and her days have been filled with opportunities to explore her new surroundings, build relationships with her Care Team, and become familiar with an entirely new approach to training and care.
Care and Veterinary teams continue to closely monitor Asha as she settles into Redbud Barn and surrounding habitats, tracking everything from habitat use and sleep patterns to hay consumption and other aspects of her daily routine. Overnight camera footage has shown that Asha regularly lies down to sleep, sometimes waking just long enough to stand and switch sides. When spending the night outdoors, she has been observed foraging or resting beneath the night sky.
The Elephant Sanctuary’s summer habitats at Redbud have a lot to offer to a curious elephant: over 100 acres including a variety of terrain and soils; trails and hillsides to wander; thousands of trees, shrubs and grasses to explore and eat; bat, bee, and butterfly pollinators and deer, voles and turkeys sharing the space; cool ponds to bathe in; and mud wallows and sand piles to help with comfort and skin care. During the heat of August, Asha regularly wallows in muddy water, splashes with the hose, and bathes using her waterer. Caregivers have added extra piles of sand and dirt throughout her spaces, which she uses for dusting and to help protect her skin from Tennessee's persistent summer insects.
One of Asha's biggest adjustments has been learning to participate in The Sanctuary's Protected Contact and positive reinforcement training program. Although she received health care at previous facilities, this approach introduces an entirely new set of verbal and visual cues. In just a few weeks, Asha has learned to voluntarily present both front feet for care, allow them to be rinsed, position either side of her body along the training wall, and follow a target to move throughout the barn.
“Transitioning to a new barn, new habitat, new Care Team, and entirely new way of training is a lot for an elephant to navigate,” says Caregiver Laura H., who has worked closely with Asha since her arrival. “We are excited to continue building Asha’s trust a little more each day and to see her exploring new areas of her habitat and resting comfortably each night.”
For now, Asha continues to have visual access to Flora and Tange while her health assessments are completed. Caregivers have even observed Asha watching Flora and Tange's training sessions from across the habitat. As she continues settling in, the Care Team will move at Asha's pace, providing opportunities for choice, exploration, and participation in her own care.