Elephants understand far more than we once thought. 🐘 Studies show they can recognize familiar vs. threatening human voices, imitate sounds, and respond to tone, context, and cues from caregivers. Their communication goes well beyond words. Read more: https://ow.ly/3V1150XUg1g

Our petition asking for fair oversight for elephants in all facilities has 11,885 total signatures! You can still add your name here: https://www.change.org/p/protect-captive-elephants-and-demand-fair-oversight

Our sanctuary family is creating a kinder world for elephants, one day at a time. 💚

Our petition is growing! So far, we have 3,399 signatures in English, 5,227 signatures in Portuguese, and 925 signatures in Spanish. Help us improve the lives of captive elephants and add your name here: c.org/mDc6FKsDCX

Help us make an impact as we demand fair oversight and accountability for facilities with elephants. 🐘 Read our petition, sign, and share! www.change.org/p/protect-ca...

We have an important post for you to read today that addresses misinformation against the sanctuary and introduces our petition to demand fair oversight for non-sanctuary facilities who have elephants. Please read: globalelephants.org/transparency...

Breakfast near the barn meant it was a good time for Maia and Guille’s foot care. While caregivers set up, Maia splashed water from the trough and Guille stopped by to investigate—sharing a calm, slightly silly moment before the day continued. Read more: globalelephants.org/silly-fun-at...

Stella says, "Is it time to play?" 😄

Bambi was enjoying the soft dirt from one of the piles in the habitat. It's great for napping on and dusting with.

After treatments in Yard 4, caregivers offered Mara and Rana storm-fallen branches as a snack. Mara was especially interested, choosing a manageable piece—Asian elephants tend to prefer smaller browse than their African counterparts. Nothing goes to waste when nature lends a hand.

"Elephant Craig, who died on Saturday, January 3, 2026, famed for his massive tusks, could end up in a museum or be returned to the wild ecosystem . . . Conservation officials are exploring moving his remains to the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi." https://ow.ly/ukBN50XS37T

Habitat loss and human-elephant conflict, growing sources of stress for wild elephants, could be to blame for a growing number of calves being abandoned or separated from their herds. https://ow.ly/cbIi50XRiT0

Guillermina has always been a big fan of meal times. At this point, her friends are used to her checking around the ground for leftovers after breakfast–and maybe sometimes sneaking a bite or two from someone else’s food pile. On this week’s Sunday Smile,

Our latest podcast episode was released this week, and this was our final episode of 2025. In this snippet, Kat and Scott talk about our successful GivingTuesday and the importance that every gift has in helping us reach our goals.

Craig, one of the few remaining super tuskers, has passed away early this morning at age 54. He was deeply loved, incredibly important to the wild elephant population, and an icon for conservation. He was known for his calm and confident personality. www.dw.com/en/kenya-mou...

EleFact Friday 🐘🌿 While the habitat provides most of what the elephants need, we offer supplemental hay, grains, and produce. These extras help with weight, medications, and allow caregivers to closely monitor health—plus, small treats bring real joy. https://ow.ly/F3Yo50XR8ot

Kat and Scott spoke on the Living One podcast about sanctuary principles, trauma-informed responses, and the benefits of space. We invite you to watch and listen today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaL9ThmezrM

As morning broke over the sanctuary sky and we saw the sun start to peek over the hills, the birds began to awaken into their twittery chatter–everything from macaws and songbirds, to aracari and ani are almost always around and can be found throughout the habitats.

Space changes everything. When Guida arrived at sanctuary, having room to walk away, explore, and choose reshaped her confidence, her relationships, and her healing. Access to space gave her safety—and the freedom to grow. Read more: globalelephants.org/guida-and-em...

If you're looking for an interesting mid-week read, check out this article. "Ten Exceptional Ancient Elephants, From Small Swimming Creatures to Shovel-Tusked Beasts" www.smithsonianmag.com/science-natu...

Rana has unusually dark eyes. Scott and Kat say they may be the darkest eyes they've ever seen on an elephant!

VOLUME UP 🐘 Maia and Bambi have been in a playful, celebratory mood lately. Bambi navigates the habitat with confidence, speed, and joy—proof that limitations don’t stop elephants from expressing themselves. Read more: https://globalelephants.org/another-little-party-with-maia-and-bambi/

The Murcia tracksites confirm that straight-tusked elephants, Palaeoloxodon antiquus, crossed Spain’s southeastern coastal corridor about 125,000 years ago, leaving behind footprints that are now locked in ancient sand dunes. www.earth.com/news/prehist...

Stella's buried elephant toenail clippings have not yet grown into any kind of tree. 🤭

Space changes everything. At sanctuary, Rana went from isolated and shut down to engaged, vocal, and thriving—learning to listen, connect, and truly be an elephant again. Read more: https://globalelephants.org/rana-and-how-space-brings-emotional-healing/

Just because Maia is almost always near Bambi, that doesn’t mean that Bambi and Guillermina don’t get some special moments together, just the two of them. This Sunday Smile brings us a clip of Bambi and Guille after they discovered a few palms that caregivers left for them in the habitat.

Beautiful miss Bambi came to dinner and was illuminated by the evening sun. 🥰

In this video, Rana waits at the fence with Scott while Mara emerges from the trees. Mara typically stays near her dear friend, Rana, and the pair spend their days leisurely eating, walking, and swimming together. A few of our new supporters have asked how these lovely ladies became

Bani, 2-years old, celebrates Christmas at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Hospital in India after receiving treatment for a serious train injury. Look at that hair! https://dailypioneer.com/news/how-a-christmas-celebration-marks-an-elephant-calf-s-fight-back-from-a-train-tragedy

Guille often has wide, wild eyes. She's the only elephant at the sanctuary who consistently shows the whites of her eyes from holding them open so big. Is she excited? Is it youth? Or is it just Guillermina's way? We'll know more when she's older. ☺️

Elephants can distinguish between human languages and even voices. Studies show they react more defensively to groups that have historically posed a threat—an incredible display of intelligence. Read more in today's EleFact! https://globalelephants.org/elefact-friday-recognizing-threats/

Protests have erupted in Kenya following a week of fatal human-elephant encounters. Four people and one elephant have died. Experts are attributing the increased tension to lack of resources during a period of less rainfall. https://ow.ly/FjOZ50XOkqs

During this festive season, we are reminded of just how honored we are to have such a generous and empathetic family of sanctuary supporters. Regardless of whether you celebrate today, you have given a gift to the elephants by following and sharing their stories,

Happy Holidays, sanctuary family!

This afternoon, we went looking for Mara and Rana, who were in Yard 4. We drove toward one of the more remote areas where we thought they’d be (sometimes they head into wooded sections of the trees at night), but they were nowhere to be found. Eventually,

Rana has the darkest eyes of all the sanctuary residents. ☺️

Rana and Mara wandered slowly through the lush, green pasture. This has been an emotional week, but watching the girls fills us with peace and gratitude. Read more here: https://globalelephants.org/mara-and-rana-in-the-green-pasture/

C’sar, the oldest African bull #elephant in the United States, died Dec. 19 at the North Carolina Zoo. He passed away at age 51 and had been at the zoo since he was 4 years old. www.wral.com/news/state/n...

Nighttime at the sanctuary has a healing energy that's good for the elephants and humans, too. 🤍

Now that the rainy season has softened the girls' pads and nails, it's the perfect time to do some foot trimming. This was Stella's first time near a big trimming session, and she took it upon herself to gather the nail clippings and bury them. 🐶 globalelephants.org/stella-exper...

Today is the 7th anniversary of Rana’s arrival at ESB. She is sweet to her friends and is a clear communicator when it comes to her caregivers. Read more: globalelephants.org/its-ranas-7t...

Take a quiet moment with Kenya's memories in her Celebration of Life: youtube.com/live/wEwpFvG...

Kenya's Celebration of Life will be streamed live on Facebook and Youtube tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. EST / 4 p.m. UTC. 💚

We thought we’d post a few thoughts from one of Kenya’s primary caregivers, Michele. She was with Kenya almost until the moment of her passing, and has many lovely memories to share: https://globalelephants.org/from-michele-memories-of-kenya/

We don't usually do this, but to protect the sanctuary from speculation and the spread of misinformation we have shared preliminary information from both Pupy and Kenya’s necropsies, here: globalelephants.org/what-we-know...

Kenya's Celebration of Life will be this Saturday, Dec. 20th at 11 a.m. EST / 3 p.m. UTC, streamed live on YouTube and Facebook. Join us as we enjoy her memories and read some of her tributes from her memorial page: globalelephants.org/in-memory-of...

Kenya was a distinctive elephant. She was a big girl with big ears and a super-big personality. Her energy wound its way across the sanctuary, and she seemed able to access such great joy, even after decades of confinement. We believe that we witnessed her becoming more in touch with

Our beautiful Kenya passed away this morning. 💔 Please read the full post here: globalelephants.org/farewell-ken...

Kenya received fluids through an IV today, nebulization for her respiratory issues, and laser therapy for her legs. She spent time resting in the treatment chute with shade and a fan. Read more: globalelephants.org/monday-eveni...

Kenya seemed tired this morning and not very interested in her breakfast. Read the full update from her caregivers here: globalelephants.org/monday-morni...