In this episode, we discuss recent developments at Elephant Sanctuary Brazil (ESB) following the deaths of Pupy and Kenya, the sanctuary’s two female African elephants, in 2025.

As we have seen in recent weeks, we are living in a time that is exposing a troubling side of our society — one where false and negative claims are more readily accepted than positive truth, and where it often seems easier to believe accusations of manipulation and corruption than to accept that honesty and integrity exist.

In this conversation, we examine how anti-sanctuary narratives and the temporary suspension of ESB’s license to bring in new elephants have emerged in this climate — and why the impact extends beyond elephants, affecting wider wildlife rescue and rehabilitation efforts.

At the same time, we explore why this difficult moment may also present an opportunity: to bring clarity through evidence-based review, and to highlight the vital — and too often misunderstood and ignored — responsibility sanctuaries around the world take on when they accept elderly, chronically ill, and end-of-life elephants into their care.

We urge supporters to sign and share our petition calling for fair, transparent, and equal standards — ensuring that Elephant Sanctuary Brazil and zoos in Brazil are assessed by the same regulatory criteria.

What we know so far about Pupy & Kenya’s passing

Transparency and Accountability for All

The episode transcript can be found here.

Email: We’d love to hear from you [email protected]

Who we are: Global Sanctuary for Elephants exists to create vast, safe spaces for captive elephants, where they are able to heal physically and emotionally. There are elephants around the world in need of sanctuary, but too few places exist to be able to care for even a fraction of the elephants. International support is necessary to build sanctuaries for elephants in need of rescue and rehabilitation. Our pilot project is Elephant Sanctuary Brazil where Asian and African elephants relocated from across South America live their best lives.

Website: https://globalelephants.org/

Donate: Global Sanctuary for Elephants is a U.S. 501(c)3 non-profit. Our work is made possible by donations. You can support our work with a general donation, purchasing items from our wishlist, or adopting one (or all) of our elephants for a year. You can also donate with Crypto!

Thank you for your support!

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads & YouTube. 

While we encourage and appreciate you sharing our podcast, please note that…

This presentation is protected by U.S. and International copyright laws. Reproduction and distribution of the presentation or its contents without written permission of the sponsor is prohibited.

© 2023 Global Sanctuary for Elephants

A big Thank You to the talented musicians Mike McGill, Ron McGill, & Sean Rodriquez for composing our podcast jingle.

Please note that this episode was recorded prior to Kenya’s passing.

In our final podcast of 2025, we start by clearing up last episode’s “acre-gate” and confirming the size of the expanded female Asian habitat: once completed, our elephants will have approximately 280 acres to roam.

There is still time to support our year-end fundraiser for this major expansion. With a USD 75k match in place, every dollar you give is doubled.

We look back on a year filled with both heartbreak and hope — from Argentina becoming elephant-free to the milestones, losses, and moments that shaped life at Elephant Sanctuary Brazil. Kat and Scott share their personal highlights of 2025, and we close with a look ahead to 2026, including early plans and possibilities for the year to come.

Links:

• Donate here for the expansion of the female Asian habitat

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• Watch our Vision for Sanctuary:

• Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads & YouTube. 

We’re back after our holiday and have a lot to talk about! Kat and Scott have just returned from the US, where part of their trip included attending one of the film festivals screening The Ramba Effect, the documentary about Chile’s last circus elephant and beloved late ESB resident, Ramba. We also share how Kenya is doing after the sudden and heartbreaking loss of her companion, Pupy.

As the year draws to a close, we turn to our end-of-year fundraiser, which kicked off on GivingTuesday, 2 December. This year’s campaign is made up of two parts: the GivingTuesday goal of USD 150,000 (including a USD 75,000 match), and a second year-end goal of another USD 150,000 (with a USD 75,000 match). In total, the combined goal is USD 300,000, with USD 150,000 of that coming from matching donations. This campaign supports the major expansion of the Female Asian Habitat: an additional approximately 200 acres, bringing the total area for the girls to around 280 acres.

The new area is one large, undivided landscape with natural vegetation, hills, streams, and endless opportunities for exploration — offering Maia, Rana, Mara, Bambi, and Guillermina even more freedom, choice, and room to heal.

*For scale: 280 acres ≈ 1.13 km², or about 159 soccer fields, 212 American football fields, and roughly one-third the size of Central Park in New York City.

The next podcast airs on Tuesday, 30. December 2025

Links:

• Donate here for the expansion of the female Asian habitat: https://globalelephants.org/room-to-roam-fundraiser-last-chance-to-give/

• Buy Christmas gifts for both humans & elephants: www.shop.globalelephants.com

• Watch our Vision for Sanctuary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgPw6W5J0Wc

Kenya & Pupy’s first steps together

Please note that this episode was recorded prior to Pupy’s sudden passing.

The moment we’ve all been waiting for since Kenya’s relocation to Elephant Sanctuary Brazil on July 9, 2025, is finally here! Pupy and Kenya are now sharing the same yards, and can begin exploring this next step.

Scott and Kat share how Kenya is learning to channel her big energy as she realizes that Pupy needs more reassurance in this new relationship. We also explore how Pupy’s past elephant interactions have shaped her personality, and why—just like with humans—being the same species doesn’t automatically mean becoming best friends. Expectations need to be realistic and never forced onto the elephants.

With Halloween just around the corner, we also talk about Kenya’s foot health and the fundraiser dedicated to it. Decades of captivity and little to no medical care have taken their toll on her feet, and she will require ongoing, long-term care.

🎃Donate here: Kenya’s Halloween Foot Care Fundraiser

Join the Facebook support group Friends of GSE

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads & YouTube. 

The episode transcript can be found here.

Email: We’d love to hear from you [email protected]

Who we are: Global Sanctuary for Elephants exists to create vast, safe spaces for captive elephants, where they are able to heal physically and emotionally. There are elephants around the world in need of sanctuary, but too few places exist to be able to care for even a fraction of the elephants. International support is necessary to build sanctuaries for elephants in need of rescue and rehabilitation. Our pilot project is Elephant Sanctuary Brazil where Asian and African elephants relocated from across South America live their best lives.

Website: https://globalelephants.org/

Donate: Global Sanctuary for Elephants is a U.S. 501(c)3 non-profit. Our work is made possible by donations. You can support our work with a general donation, purchasing items from our wishlist, or adopting one (or all) of our elephants for a year. You can also donate with Crypto!

Thank you for your support!

While we encourage and appreciate you sharing our podcast, please note that…

This presentation is protected by U.S. and International copyright laws. Reproduction and distribution of the presentation or its contents without written permission of the sponsor is prohibited.

© 2023 Global Sanctuary for Elephants

A big Thank You to the talented musicians Mike McGill, Ron McGill, & Sean Rodriquez for composing our podcast jingle.

On 29 August 2013, Global Sanctuary for Elephants was founded as a U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit—paving the way to a better life for South America’s elephants. In today’s episode, we look at the progress made over the past 12 years and what still needs to happen so captive elephants everywhere can live as naturally as possible.

☕ Giveaway: 🎉 Don’t miss your chance to celebrate 12 years with us! Win one of 12 “Sip-Rumble-Repeat” podcast mugs by sending an email to [email protected] with the words “I’d love a mug”.

If you don’t win, you can still order your mug at shop.globalelephants.org.

The episode transcript can be found here.

Email: We’d love to hear from you [email protected]

Who we are: Global Sanctuary for Elephants exists to create vast, safe spaces for captive elephants, where they are able to heal physically and emotionally. There are elephants around the world in need of sanctuary, but too few places exist to be able to care for even a fraction of the elephants. International support is necessary to build sanctuaries for elephants in need of rescue and rehabilitation. Our pilot project is Elephant Sanctuary Brazil where Asian and African elephants relocated from across South America live their best lives.

Website: https://globalelephants.org/

Donate: Global Sanctuary for Elephants is a U.S. 501(c)3 non-profit. Our work is made possible by donations. You can support our work with a general donation, purchasing items from our wishlist, or adopting one (or all) of our elephants for a year. You can also donate with Crypto!

Thank you for your support!

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, & YouTube 

While we encourage and appreciate you sharing our podcast, please note that…

This presentation is protected by U.S. and International copyright laws. Reproduction and distribution of the presentation or its contents without written permission of the sponsor is prohibited.

© 2023 Global Sanctuary for Elephants

A big Thank You to the talented musicians Mike McGill, Ron McGill, & Sean Rodriquez for composing our podcast jingle.

Time flies when you’re having fun—and that couldn’t be truer for Kenya, who has already spent her first four weeks in her new home.

In this episode, we discuss how Kenya is settling in, transforming from a polite wanderer into a bold explorer. She’s knocking down trees, enjoying her mud wallow, and her caregivers are training her to get comfortable with routine examinations.

And what about Pupy? While they often meet along the fence line, Scott and Kat explain that Pupy just needs a bit more time to adjust to Kenya’s bubbling energy.

Like the elephants before her, Kenya’s transformation—both physical and psychological—is well underway as she discovers herself with every step.

The episode transcript can be found here.

Email: We’d love to hear from you [email protected]

Who we are: Global Sanctuary for Elephants exists to create vast, safe spaces for captive elephants, where they are able to heal physically and emotionally. There are elephants around the world in need of sanctuary, but too few places exist to be able to care for even a fraction of the elephants. International support is necessary to build sanctuaries for elephants in need of rescue and rehabilitation. Our pilot project is Elephant Sanctuary Brazil where Asian and African elephants relocated from across South America live their best lives.

Website: https://globalelephants.org/

Donate: Global Sanctuary for Elephants is a U.S. 501(c)3 non-profit. Our work is made possible by donations. You can support our work with a general donation, purchasing items from our wishlist, or adopting one (or all) of our elephants for a year. You can also donate with Crypto!

Thank you for your support!

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, & YouTube 

While we encourage and appreciate you sharing our podcast, please note that…

This presentation is protected by U.S. and International copyright laws. Reproduction and distribution of the presentation or its contents without written permission of the sponsor is prohibited.

© 2023 Global Sanctuary for Elephants

A big Thank You to the talented musicians Mike McGill, Ron McGill, & Sean Rodriquez for composing our podcast jingle.

Happy days! Elephant Sanctuary Brazil has a new resident: Kenya, the female African elephant relocated from Mendoza Ecoparque in Argentina. In this podcast, we talk about the final days leading up to her move and the last-minute preparations before the team hit the road. Scott shares stories from the five-day journey, including some unexpected technical issues with the truck.

It was another daylight arrival—unlike Pupy, Kenya didn’t wait long to take her first steps onto sanctuary grounds.

A big thank you to Argentina, which has officially ended the practice of keeping elephants in captive zoo settings—an ethical decision that needs to be echoed around the world.

Check out Kenya’s relocation journey and learn more about her here.

Buy a gift basket for Kenya in our online shop.

The episode transcript can be found here.

Email: We’d love to hear from you [email protected]

Who we are: Global Sanctuary for Elephants exists to create vast, safe spaces for captive elephants, where they are able to heal physically and emotionally. There are elephants around the world in need of sanctuary, but too few places exist to be able to care for even a fraction of the elephants. International support is necessary to build sanctuaries for elephants in need of rescue and rehabilitation. Our pilot project is Elephant Sanctuary Brazil where Asian and African elephants relocated from across South America live their best lives.

Website: https://globalelephants.org/

Donate: Global Sanctuary for Elephants is a U.S. 501(c)3 non-profit. Our work is made possible by donations. You can support our work with a general donation, purchasing items from our wishlist, or adopting one (or all) of our elephants for a year. You can also donate with Crypto!

Thank you for your support!

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, & YouTube 

While we encourage and appreciate you sharing our podcast, please note that…

This presentation is protected by U.S. and International copyright laws. Reproduction and distribution of the presentation or its contents without written permission of the sponsor is prohibited.

© 2023 Global Sanctuary for Elephants

A big Thank You to the talented musicians Mike McGill, Ron McGill, & Sean Rodriquez for composing our podcast jingle.

With the shock and sadness of Tamy’s sudden passing still fresh, we take a closer look at the mechanisms behind elephant rescues and the broader challenges GSE faces. Transparency has always been a core value at GSE, and this extends to Tamy’s relocation story.

Kat and Scott share their thoughts on how elephants in captivity—particularly in zoos unequipped to meet their complex needs—have often been neglected for decades. While that neglect is quietly accepted by many, efforts to offer these elephants a better life are sometimes met with resistance and public outcry. External pressures, internal politics, complacency, and a reluctance to support meaningful change can ultimately rob elephants of the chance to live with dignity and autonomy—leaving them stuck in inappropriate environments or, as in Tamy’s case, passing away before rescue becomes reality.

Though we end the podcast in tears, Scott expresses a firm commitment to continue fighting for these elephants, despite this heartbreaking setback.

The episode transcript can be found here.

Email: We’d love to hear from you [email protected]

Who we are: Global Sanctuary for Elephants exists to create vast, safe spaces for captive elephants, where they are able to heal physically and emotionally. There are elephants around the world in need of sanctuary, but too few places exist to be able to care for even a fraction of the elephants. International support is necessary to build sanctuaries for elephants in need of rescue and rehabilitation. Our pilot project is Elephant Sanctuary Brazil where Asian and African elephants relocated from across South America live their best lives.

Website: https://globalelephants.org/

Donate: Global Sanctuary for Elephants is a U.S. 501(c)3 non-profit. Our work is made possible by donations. You can support our work with a general donation, purchasing items from our wishlist, or adopting one (or all) of our elephants for a year. You can also donate with Crypto!

Thank you for your support!

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, & YouTube 

While we encourage and appreciate you sharing our podcast, please note that…

This presentation is protected by U.S. and International copyright laws. Reproduction and distribution of the presentation or its contents without written permission of the sponsor is prohibited.

© 2023 Global Sanctuary for Elephants

A big Thank You to the talented musicians Mike McGill, Ron McGill, & Sean Rodriquez for composing our podcast jingle.

In this week’s podcast, we shine a light on the humans behind the sanctuary—especially co-founders Kat and Scott—to find out what they actually do all day. You might be surprised to learn that direct elephant care isn’t the main part of their daily routine. A large portion of their work involves managing staff in both Brazil and the U.S., juggling logistics, and overseeing projects across multiple time zones.

Kat and Scott also talk about their current projects and how their decades of expertise in captive elephant husbandry have made them sought-after consultants. Despite the heavy workload and immense responsibility of running a sanctuary, neither would have it any other way.

And soon, the winner (and guest) of our virtual auction sweepstakes will get the chance to see it all firsthand during their upcoming visit to the sanctuary.

Please note that this podcast was recorded before Tamy’s passing.

The episode transcript can be found here.

Email: We’d love to hear from you [email protected]

Who we are: Global Sanctuary for Elephants exists to create vast, safe spaces for captive elephants, where they are able to heal physically and emotionally. There are elephants around the world in need of sanctuary, but too few places exist to be able to care for even a fraction of the elephants. International support is necessary to build sanctuaries for elephants in need of rescue and rehabilitation. Our pilot project is Elephant Sanctuary Brazil where Asian and African elephants relocated from across South America live their best lives.

Website: https://globalelephants.org/

Donate: Global Sanctuary for Elephants is a U.S. 501(c)3 non-profit. Our work is made possible by donations. You can support our work with a general donation, purchasing items from our wishlist, or adopting one (or all) of our elephants for a year. You can also donate with Crypto!

Thank you for your support!

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, & YouTube 

While we encourage and appreciate you sharing our podcast, please note that…

This presentation is protected by U.S. and International copyright laws. Reproduction and distribution of the presentation or its contents without written permission of the sponsor is prohibited.

© 2023 Global Sanctuary for Elephants

A big Thank You to the talented musicians Mike McGill, Ron McGill, & Sean Rodriquez for composing our podcast jingle.

Our virtual online auction, Trunks & Treasures, is back! Starting on June 13 and running for 10 days, all proceeds will go toward the costs of relocating Kenya and Tamy—the last two elephants at the Mendoza Ecoparque in Argentina. Join us here: www.globalelephants.org/trunksandtreasures and bid on charming elephant items, purchase gifts for the Girls, and—if you’re a U.S. resident—buy one or more entries for a chance to win the prize of a lifetime: a 3-day trip with one guest to the sanctuary!

We also delve deeper into Pupy's journey of self-discovery and how she is healing both physically and emotionally from decades of unnatural captivity. The abundance and vastness of the sanctuary grounds are unveiling Pupy's true spirit, which she continues to discover each day.

The episode transcript can be found here.

Email: We’d love to hear from you [email protected]

Who we are: Global Sanctuary for Elephants exists to create vast, safe spaces for captive elephants, where they are able to heal physically and emotionally. There are elephants around the world in need of sanctuary, but too few places exist to be able to care for even a fraction of the elephants. International support is necessary to build sanctuaries for elephants in need of rescue and rehabilitation. Our pilot project is Elephant Sanctuary Brazil where Asian and African elephants relocated from across South America live their best lives.

Website: https://globalelephants.org/

Donate: Global Sanctuary for Elephants is a U.S. 501(c)3 non-profit. Our work is made possible by donations. You can support our work with a general donation, purchasing items from our wishlist, or adopting one (or all) of our elephants for a year. You can also donate with Crypto!

Thank you for your support!

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, & YouTube 

While we encourage and appreciate you sharing our podcast, please note that…

This presentation is protected by U.S. and International copyright laws. Reproduction and distribution of the presentation or its contents without written permission of the sponsor is prohibited.

© 2023 Global Sanctuary for Elephants

A big Thank You to the talented musicians Mike McGill, Ron McGill, & Sean Rodriquez for composing our podcast jingle.