Episode 12

Guida & Maia (Part 1) - Female Asian elephants Guida & Maia, ex-circus elephants, were the first who got to experience the magic of sanctuary in Brazil. Confiscated from the circus but with no suitable place to go, they had spent 5 years chained up on the prosecutor’s farm. Scott & Kat share their first encounters with the two elephants and how, through observation, they began to understand each individual’s character. Big, bossy Maia, dubbed the “bad elephant” by the circus, was tense and always ready to lash out, while Guida, labeled the “good elephant,” was seriously underweight and lost in her own world, trying to cope with her life through stereotypic swaying. We talk about how the transport crates were explored with great interest by both elephants and how, with a longer chain, Guida entered a new world for a few hours. Kat explains why their elephant transports are not carried out like those in Asia, and also explains why elephants are not sedated for transport, nor do they leave the crates until they get to the sanctuary. It is all done on elephant time and, when Guida & Maia were comfortable enough, the doors of the transport crates were closed, and their journey to healing began.

The episode transcript can be found here.

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