Mara the elephant to leave Argentina for Brazil sanctuary

Mara listens to her trainer say “up, down, blow,” obediently raising her trunk so a saline solution can be introduced, n lowering it and expelling liquid into a bag for analysis. She gets a piece of fruit as a reward.

Asian elephant is being prepared for medical tests to be done while in quarantine in Argentina ahe of her transfer to Elephant Sanctuary Brazil. sanctuary in Brazil’s Mato Grosso state is better suited to her needs than her current enclosure in Bues Aires’ old zoo, which was converted into an ecopark in 2016, where she is surrounded by tall buildings and traffic sounds.

Water samples taken from her trunk can be given microbiological tests to see if she suffers from infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis.

Surrounded by enclosure’s thick bars during training session, Mara patiently presents her front feet, n her back feet, n an ear to her trainers who study m through windows at various heights in enclosure. y plan to draw her blood from se parts for analysis.

“It is a positive thing that she will be in a place with more and be living with or Asian elephants,” said Natalia Demergassi, coordinator of Ecopark’s veterinary section. “ animal’s presence will be missed here, but you have to leave that ​​selfishness behind and think how she will be in a better place.”

Mara, who weighs more than 4 tons and is believed to be a bit more than 50 years old, takes turns using enclosure with African elephants Pupi and Kuki. Mara can’t live with Pupi and Kuki because y belong to different species. elephants alternate between an open area and a covered enclosure.

But solitary life of Mara at Bues Aires’ ecopark will soon change. Sometime in next four months — exact date has t been determined — she will be moved to Elephant Sanctuary Brazil, which is first such facility in Latin America and is run by Global Sanctuary for Elephants and ElephantVoices. main permits for move have been approved by authorities in Argentina and Brazil.

more than 1,000-hectare (nearly 2,500-acre) sanctuary is covered in pastures and streams for elephants that have been rescued from captivity or high-risk situations. Elephants re can interact with or members of ir species, learning how to be elephants.

Mara was born in captivity in India — before 1970, it is believed — and was commercialized and held in captivity in Germany. She later formed part of a circus in Uruguay, n two circuses in Argentina. After last circus went bankrupt, she was held as a judicial deposit in Bues Aires zoo in 1995.

She still bears scars of her mistreatment in circuses. She has a joint deformation on her front right leg from where she was chained, which causes her to distribute her weight in an abrmal fashion.

“She will t be totally independent in Brazil because animals that have been cared for by humans always have some level of dependence,” said Federico Iglesias, he of ecopark.

park has sent more than 800 animals held in antiquated zoo to better living s, including its most famous former resident, Sandra orangutan, transferred last year to Center for Great Apes in U.S. state of Florida.

old zoo, which was more than a century old, was located in central Bues Aires amid busy traffic and urban buildings with limited , and its conditions were considered unacceptable by animal rights groups and many experts.

Mara also is being trained to prepare for metal container that will hold her during 2,500-kilometer (1,550-mile) trip by highway to Brazil, which will last three to four days. idea of sending Mara by plane was ruled out because of difficulties of takeoff and landing.

long trip to Brazil implies “certain risks,” Iglesias ackwledges. “But we believe benefits of assuming risk are worth it because quality of her life will be infinitely better than what we can give her here.”

Mara will be accompanied by Brazilian park personnel and Argentine handlers during trip to Chapa dos Guimarães, city near elephant sanctuary. container has been installed in her living in Bues Aires so she can get used to it and being inside it.

“We work so that animals are awake and calm in container; so y can live, eat, rest and play and t feel enclosed,” said Marcos Flores, one of elephant’s handlers. re will be a large sustaining harness in container so Mara can rest during trip.

“It is very good that y are moving an animal like elephant Mara who has sense of being in Argentina today,” said naturalist Claudio Bertonatti, scientific viser to Félix de Azara Natural History Foundation. “She has partner. re is reproductive or environmental plan for her.”

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Associated Press journalist Víctor Caiva contributed to this report.