The 850 acres that Bo, Tarra, and Mundi call home are stunning, with dense forests alive with vegetation, lush pastures, and ponds. Maintaining this extraordinary habitat takes an enormous amount of work.
Bush hogging is necessary to maintain healthy pastures, control encroaching forest, and keep trails clear for both the elephants and all-terrain vehicles. Because we don't use chemicals, maintaining the miles of fence lines requires weed eaters, considerable people power, and specialized tractor attachments.
Currently, we have three tractors, mowers, bush hogs, spreaders, wagons, and all-terrain vehicles, all essential to caring for the elephants and maintaining their habitat.
We perform basic equipment maintenance in-house. Greasing fittings, sharpening mower blades, checking fluids, changing oil and air filters—we can handle those jobs. But when a machine needs a professional repair, we call in a qualified technician.
Because we are in a rural area, professional equipment repairs can be particularly expensive. There are very few qualified technicians nearby, and when specialized service is required, we must pay not only for the repair itself but also for the technician's travel time. For large equipment that cannot easily be transported to a repair facility, those costs can add up quickly.
This month, we faced two such situations with our tractors: a stripped oil-pan drain hole and a malfunctioning electrical system. I researched whether we could make the repairs ourselves but quickly learned that both problems were beyond our expertise and required professional attention.
When you think about Bo, Tarra, and Mundi living in a place where they have the freedom to roam, explore, forage, and choose how they spend their days, a place that has proven to meet their every need, please know that your support goes far beyond a bushel of produce, a bag of specialized grain, supplements, or veterinary care.
Your support also provides maintenance of the equipment necessary to maintain their 850-acre home. Caring for elephants isn’t just about what we put in their mouths or how we care for their health. It’s also about caring for the place they call home.
Would you help keep the wheels turning? Your donation helps us repair and maintain the equipment that makes elephant freedom possible.
Thank you for your help!
Carol
Every donation is greatly appreciated and helps us take care of the magnificent elephant residents under our care.
