This is a guest post by Trish London, DVM.

As a consultant with Global Sanctuary for Elephants in Brazil, I spend a couple of months a year there. I also helped with the last 4 transports to the sanctuary. In addition, when I am not there I consult remotely with Kat and Scott almost daily about other vet cases as they come up at the sanctuary. I first came to GSE with Lady in Nov 2019, meeting her at a zoo on the east coast of Brazil and then traveling 5 days together across Brazil to the sanctuary. It was pretty amazing to take the journey and travel the road to the sanctuary as Lady saw it for the first time.

Words can’t describe the magic of the sanctuary. The land in Brazil is so quiet and secluded with macaws flying overhead and amazing sunrises and sunsets and a sky full of stars on clear nights. Lady walked right into the container without any problems. Little did I know how difficult each additional transport would be. In comparison, in September 2020, Bambi was only a three day journey away from the sanctuary but getting her into the transport container was much more difficult than Lady.

Last morning at the Ecoparque — Pocha on left, Guillermina on the right

I first met Pocha and Guillermina – a mother-daughter pair, in August of 2021. After a mandatory 10 days in quarantine in Argentina, we had 10 days to get them in their crates loaded and across the border into Brazil before the CITES permits expired. Shortly after arriving at the Ecoparque in Mendoza, it became apparent the girls were not used to going in the crates and so we knew we were up against a big hurdle. First, we moved the crates so they were back to back instead of in two different areas of their enclosure. Pocha quickly started coming in all the way to the front and Guillermina would come in with two feet into the second one. So we went for closing Pocha in and hoping Guillermina would face her fears and run after her mom but we were wrong. We waited all night and tried moving Pocha’s crate a little bit but Guillermina was not ready to leave. As we could not move Pocha without her daughter, we decided to stay and keep trying to get the girls comfortable In the crates while we waited for CITES permits to be renewed hoping it would take 4-6 weeks to get the new permits.

Watching and listening to the two of them being reunited that night after being separated by gates for only a couple hours really hit me hard because that is how every elephant in captivity must have felt when they were taken from their mothers. Luckily, Guillermina will never be taken away from her mother. About a month after we first tried, on her own Guillermina started backing all the way in surprising us all and Pocha started following her in. We kept waiting for CITES permits and eventually a petition had to be started to convince the Argentina government to approve the move of the girls. I left them in October to return to my two elephants in Nepal hoping I would be coming back to move mom and daughter soon. It was very hard to leave knowing these two were still stuck in their concrete dungeon. But as one supporter said freedom delayed is not freedom denied and this kept me going during the next 7 months.

I was visiting GSE in April when we got the sudden news that the permits had been issued. Within a week of issue the team had assembled in Mendoza and the girls were still hanging out in their transport crates, now more comfortable and ready to move. We were all still nervous if we could indeed close both elephants in their individual crates. Closing the girls in their separate crates went amazingly well. I think they were both ready to go. We loaded Pocha on first to go backwards and then Guillermina second to ride going forward facing her mom.

Pocha in her container on the road at a rest stop

I find the first 24-48 hours with all the girls can induce motion sickness. Guillermina started out eating really well. Pocha was very picky but then they switched as the long 5 day journey went on. Guillermina became more anxious and was eating less and Pocha settled into the groove of the road trip and became more affectionate, opening her mouth and showing her tongue which she does when she wants attention. Days on the road are long, trying to leave at sunrise and usually driving till 11 pm or even 1 am. We do stop every 3-4 hours to refresh food and water for people and elephants, but the longer we stop the longer the journey will take. So we are always trying to find the right balance of getting the miles in but also watching to see what the girls need as the elephants can rest deeply only when we stop. After the caravan stops the girls still have to be fed and offered water but usually they were exhausted themselves and ready for bed. As the vet in charge of the elephants we travel with a 50 lb emergency bag of drugs and IV fluids, everything and anything we might possibly need if we had an emergency anywhere along the road, which is often not near any town. It is a bit nerve wracking to have such precious cargo under your care. Luckily all 4 elephants I have transported to GSE have all done well and not required any medical interventions but we are ready to treat any abdominal pain/colic, pain, allergic reaction, dehydration, etc. We use essential oils around the containers to help with the transition and journey and the elephants get flower essences to help them deal with the emotions and I do think these two modalities help make a big difference. I like to get the girls different sweet treats at the truck stops: cookies, dried fruit, juices, fruit popsicles, etc. just to keep them excited. We also use ginger candies for motion sickness. Scott is in charge of all the logistics and my priority is to make sure the elephants are remaining as calm as they can be and physically mentally doing well as we move the containers from the ground to the trucks and on the road.

Pocha reaching out to grab cookies and flower essences at a food-water break

When moving Lady and Bambi we had two cars following the elephant truck and police escorts in front.This time with two elephants we had two trucks (one just to carry food and supplies), two police escorts, a van from Ecoparque Mendoza with previous caregivers, and two cars following the girls. At the Brazil border we were met by ESB staff and volunteers, our typical transport crew and so two more cars. We also had 7 photographers in total documenting the journey!

At the border we had to clean both crates thoroughly as possible to not bring anything into Brazil from Argentina. Scott , Ingo and two caregivers from Mendoza and myself stayed up all night cleaning the containers in the dark and the rain but also having a lot of fun, so excited to be at the Brazil border and hopefully just 2 days away from sanctuary! We drove through rural Argentina and Brazil where most people have never even seen an elephant even in a zoo. So when we stop for gas and to give the girls food and water we cause quite a spectacle but it’s a great time to educate people about zoos and the sanctuary in Brazil. And we meet lovely people along the way, some donating food for the people or elephants and even one gas station donating diesel for the trucks!

Talking to and checking on Pocha on the trip

Arriving at the sanctuary we all thought and expected the girls to come running out like Bambi did and I was really surprised how hard it was for both of them to leave the crates. But the crates which 7 months ago had been foreign, had now become home to both. Similar to people too afraid to leave their house, town, or country, it just shows the trauma elephants have been through and how we all process things at different speeds and ways. I thought I would cry when the girls came out of their crates but it took so long for them to leave, I was just too exhausted to feel anything but relief that they were both out and safely delivered.

An unexpected rain storm led to first mud bath at the sanctuary with two feet out of the container

It has been amazing to work at GSE with Scott and Kat and Ingo and the rest of the Elephant Sanctuary Brazil team. We all brainstorm together what to do next watching and listening to the elephants and keep trying new things to help them feel comfortable with their transition to life at the sanctuary. I was with them at the sanctuary for a week and it was so interesting to watch them both get the courage to leave the barn, often they both felt comfortable leaving only when we would all leave and stop staring at them. But we could still watch them on the cameras from the office. It has been amazing to watch their transition these past two months with everyday bringing new firsts — feet on the grass, covered in dirt, grazing on grass themselves, breaking trees, finding the mud wallows and pond and meeting five new friends. I can not wait to get back and see them again and bring more elephants to the sanctuary.

Trish London, DVM
Asian Elephant Wellness Project