Tarra celebrates second anniversary at Elephant Refuge North America
Nov. 25—ATTAPULGUS- Tarra, a 49-year-old Asian elephant, celebrated her second anniversary at Elephant Refuge North America (ERNA) on November 18th. As the matriarch of her Refuge family, Tarra is the oldest elephant, teacher, and tour guide of the vast habitat located in sunny, southernmost Georgia. She shares the 850-acre sanctuary with gentle giant Bo (a castrated male) and playful Mundi (female African), challenging both elephant companions to venture deeper into the wooded areas and pastures with her.
Tarra explores every inch of the Refuge and blazes trails into the depths of thick forests, surrounded by spring-fed creeks, ponds, and lakes. She sniffs out the tastiest grasses, vegetation, and fruit and communicates the information to Bo and Mundi with vocalizations that can be heard and/or felt from miles away.
As elephants nap throughout the day, Tarra has mapped the most comfortable sleeping spots for every season. She is easy to track for feeding times because her passage is evident—flattened grasses and rich deposits of dung lead caregivers directly to her location.
She never stays in the same location for long, always on the move. Although she enjoys her independence, Tarra shares a portion of each day grazing side-by-side with Mundi and being especially physically interactive with Bo, playfully caressing one another with their trunks.
Last but not least are Tarra's beloved dog companions, two former strays, Mala and Samie, who love to linger in the shade Tarra provides while she talks to them with her signature chirps, grunts, and barks.
To learn more about Tarra and the Refuge: https://elephantaidinternational.org/elephant-tarra-new/.
