Sad News, Bella The Dog Died

Remember Tarra the elephant and Bella the dog at the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee?  Sadly, it appears, Bella was killed—most likely by coyotes.  Staff pretty quickly realized Tarra must have carried Bella back from where she’d been killed because there was no sign of a struggle where Bella was found and there was blood on Tarra’s trunk.  An amazing friendship.  Don’t you wonder what stories they told each other over the years?

Find out more about Tarra and Bella’s friendship and the important work carried on at the Elephant Sanctuary.

Tribute to Bella

 

Tarra & Bella playing in the snow.

Friday Fun: Tarra & Bella

In Tennessee there’s a very special place called The Elephant Sanctuary. It’s a place that takes in retired or troublesome elephants and elephants not receiving proper care.  They take in sick elephants too—tuberculosis, potentially fatal foot problems, & PTSD.  These elephants are finally allowed to live more normal lives with 2700 acres to roam and no coercive handling from humans.  We’ve happily  supported their work for years.

Check out the sanctuary’s site to learn more about the individual elephants, watch their live ele-cam, and the sanctuary’s philosophy of elephant care, which shares some of the same approaches as non-coercive dog/cat training.

I especially love the story of Tarra & Bella—an elephant & dog who are best friends.  Pretty neat!  (I posted this story last year, but it’s so cool, I wanted to repeat it.)  There’s a children’s book about them too, Tarra & Bella: The Elephant and Dog Who Became Best Friends.