Send Ruth & Emily to The Elephant Sanctuary

10/31/2016

Just another reminder of how elephants really live...
Although we're not experts, it does seem a bit different than the exhibit at Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford, MA for Ruth & Emily.

Hello BEES Friends,

We have had big rains and huge power outages across our district the last few days. Its been extremely difficult to get online and stay up to date with emails. Please bare with us if you have been waiting to hear from us, also drop us another email or PM if your worried, your email responses may not be sending. Apologies for the delay in responding and lack of updates.

The elephants LOVE LOVE LOVE the rain and the greenery the rains bring!

Here Mae Kam and Mae Jumpee are loving the forest grasses and munching away happily. They both have a thick layer of dirt covering on there backs to keep them cool, protect themselves from the sun and also protect against insects. You can see Mae Jumpee has a thick covering of grassy dirt 😊 Looking lovely.

Wishing you all a wonderful fun filled rest of the weekend.

Many Thanks,
The BEES Team

10/31/2016

Even Emily sways from time to time. It's unclear whether this is stereotypy behavior (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypy_(non-human) ). It is short in duration, zoo staff were present with a bucket of treats, and she is alert and aware of her surroundings. The zoo might call this "anticipatory" behavior.

This video is Ruth exhibiting stereotyped behavior--the duration is much longer, there is no anticipated treat, and she seems unaware of her surroundings--except to occasionally dust.

What do you think? Does an elephant have to be "out of it" for it to be stereotyped behavior?

What is common to both is that wild elephants and captive elephants who have never been chained up do not exhibit this behavior.



www.friendsofruthandemily.jimdo.com
https://www.gofundme.com/R-ELegalFund

10/31/2016

Even Emily sways from time to time. It's unclear whether this is stereotyped behavior (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypy_(non-human) ). It is short in duration, zoo staff were present with a bucket of treats, and she is alert and aware of her surroundings. The zoo might call this "anticipatory" behavior.

The next video to be posted is Ruth exhibiting stereotyped behavior--the duration is much longer, there is no anticipated treat, and she seems unaware of her surroundings--except to occasionally dust.

What do you think? Does an elephant have to be "out of it" for it to be stereotyped behavior?

What is common to both is that wild elephants and captive elephants who have never been chained up do not exhibit this behavior.

(Previous post only visible on mobile devices as a canvas.)


www.friendsofruthandemily.jimdo.com
https://www.gofundme.com/R-ELegalFund

10/29/2016

It was 30 years ago today that Ruth was brought to Buttonwood Park Zoo--mainly because it had a facility large enough to hold her. But the decision ignored that she would be put in with a much larger, unrelated elephant who had aggression problems, Emily.

Ruth, who had been abandoned in a trailer with other animals and left for up to two days, was in poor shape. Yet on her arrival, she reached out in a traditional elephant greeting to Emily.

Emily had just come back from being trained by Alan Campbell, the infamous elephant trainer later killed by African elephant Tyke at a circus in Honolulu. Emily had also been attacked by Asian elephant Savannah during her stay in Baton Rouge Zoo. She had been ordered there by USDA until Buttonwood Park Zoo built her a proper shelter. Her first 18 years had been spent in social isolation, chained in the dirt yard at Buttonwood Park Zoo, and she had been kept in an unheated barn at night.

We can't celebrate either elephants' stay at the zoo, because despite claims that the zoo has improved, it never provided what all elephants need to thrive: vast open spaces filled with a rich diversity of habitat, companionship, and most importantly, autonomy.

But we can build a future for Ruth & Emily that gives them all of that. Visit www.friendsofruthandemily.jimdo.com to find out how you can help.



Friends of Woodland Park Zoo ElephantsFriends of LucyOklahoma Friends of Elephants - OFEFree the Oregon Zoo Elephants

10/29/2016

As Ruth finishes up her 30th year at BPZoo, you would think they would do something special for her, wouldn't you? Like a big party or special event.

While we can't celebrate that she's in the zoo, we can celebrate HER: her endurance, her indomitable spirit and will to live that saw her through a dark night in subzero temperatures during a blizzard and the painful ordeal afterwards, the pain of walking on an injured leg without any relief for a year, and going through traumatic (albeit necessary) treatment for a GI blockage this summer.

And we can give her our best wishes that the rest of her years are spent in a place of great peace and freedom--The The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.

10/28/2016

This post is of particular interest to followers of this page. Ruth suffered substantial damage to her ears in 2014, and it is possible that it affected her ability to cool herself.

This past summer was particularly hot, with temperatures at the elephant exhibit reading up to 6 degrees higher than the NWS weather station. That means when it was 95 F at the NWS station, it was 101 F on the exhibit. Yet neither the new area nor the old had a cooling pond for Ruth, who is also lame on her right front leg and doesn't access the concrete water feature unless the keepers coax her.

This may have led to dehydration and heat exhaustion, and she often displayed stereotypic behavior on exhibit.

So wouldn't that mean that it would be worse for her in Tennessee? Not necessarily. TES posted that some elephants stayed in the cool barn during the day and went out at night when it was cooler. TES also built a cooling shed out in the habitat, and has several shallow muddy ponds.

More reason to and !

This captive-held male elephant was attacked by a wild bull in the Assam region of India. The wild bull bit and ripped the captive bulls ear flap causing a serious injury. Veterinarians did surgery to repair the severely damaged ear. The veins in the back of an elephants’ ear flap is their primary cooling system. Without the ability to cool his body sufficiently, this bull could not survive. He died a few months later of his injury. This is another example why chain-free corrals are so important for captive-held elephants. When chained, captive-held elephants cannot defend themselves against an attack from a wild bull.

10/28/2016

Temps are now in the 40s during the day--below 40 F the elephants must be monitored for hypothermia. Ruth is undeterred yesterday morning with her hay in front of her. Emily, however, prefers the barn.

The cold weather means Emily will be inside for over 16 hours, and with the water feature emptied, she will start taking shelter there.

Please consider a donation https://www.gofundme.com/R-ELegalFund. Your generous tax-deductible donation will help get them out of the zoo and into the Sanctuary.

Learn more about our efforts at our website: http://friendsofruthandemily.jimdo.com/

10/27/2016

According to some elephant experts, chaining causes stereotyped behaviors even when the elephant is off the chains. Elephants who have never been chained up do not exhibit stereotypy.

It was the standard practice to chain elephants in place in zoos during the time that Ruth & Emily were growing up. Both exhibit stereotypy; Ruth more than Emily. Ruth exhibits it on a daily basis; but now that winter is setting in, Emily will begin rocking and swaying, too.

To learn more about Ruth & Emily's formative years, visit http://friendsofruthandemily.jimdo.com/ruth-emily/

Imagine spending your entire life shackled to the ground — trapped in agony by those who are supposed to care for you. Captive elephants should never be chained. They are sentient beings who deserve respect, autonomy and to be allowed to walk chain free and pain free.

10/26/2016

As the Global Sanctuary for Elephants (GSE) settles into routine with Maia and Guida, co-founder Scot Blais brings palms and other treats to the girls on the new red ATV. The current area is larger than they've ever had, and in another month, there will be additional acreage fenced in for them to roam.

We are glad that we were able to join the effort initiated by our colleagues at the Friends of Lucy, Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants, and Free the Oregon Zoo Elephants to buy the much-needed ATV.

This is part of our daily routine: palm delivery. Scott is surrounded on both sides by lovely delicious palms that the girls adore. Because their space isn't as big as we would like yet, we supplement them with natural forage from other places throughout the property. This promotes them being more gentle on the area they are in now allowing it to sustain them with natural foraging while we expand.

On that note, the guys are digging holes today (with an auger, not by hand anymore) and laying the next pipes for an extended area that connects into where Maia and Guida are now. Because of the time constraints with taking them, so they would not be sent to another sub standard facility, we could only fence in so much before their arrival. The area is much bigger than anything they have ever had, but they still need more. Our hope is to complete the next section in 3-4 weeks to allow them more room to roam. Fencing is something that will continue to be erected for years to come in order to completely enclose the property.

Our vehicle of cutting and delivery that Scott is riding on is our beautiful new four wheeler that Friends of Lucy Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants Send Ruth & Emily to The Elephant Sanctuary and raised funds to purchase. While we were busy raising money to rescue Maia and Guida, they joined together to help out and raise money to help us get a piece of equipment that is very needed to help care for them. We are literally grateful on a daily basis for their gift. As is Goomba, our dog from Tennessee, who has claimed it as his own.

People often ask if the four wheeler scares the elephants and in general they like it. Elephants have a tendency to like large equipment. Maia and Guida are no different. It brings delicious food and humans that they have learned are very good to them, so our little red ATV is often met with trumpets, rumbles and silliness.

10/26/2016

68 years old and still going strong! Maybe it's the great fresh air and peaceful sounds of the sanctuary.Or maybe it's just the ability to go where she wants and do as she pleases.

Looking forward to the day when Ruth and Emily can join her!

Asian Shirley finds a sunny spot amid the trees in her habitat at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee.

10/26/2016

Ruth & Emily got extra rations over the weekend--as usual. The most recent records indicate Ruth gained 150 lbs, although from the looks of her, that may have been from someone standing on the state police scale with her. At this rate, it will be some time before she regains the 680 lbs from her traumatic GI blockage and the 480 lbs from the "gentle diet" that she and Emily were put on in 2015.

10/25/2016

Beautiful place, happy elephants!

Asian Billie walks down a colorful tree-lined trail at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. www.elephants.com