Global Rumblings Podcast

Episode 61: Settling In – Kenya's First Month at Sanctuary
Global Sanctuary for Elephants | Hosted by Nadia Mari
Release Date: September 2, 2025

Episode Overview

In this heartwarming and insightful episode, co-founders Kat and Scott Blais join host Nadia Mari to reflect on Kenya’s first month at Elephant Sanctuary Brazil. Their candid conversation sheds light on how Kenya, an African elephant recently rehomed after decades in captivity, is acclimating to her new environment—exploring, playing, forming tentative social connections (especially with neighbor Pupi), and even shaking up the local tree population. The discussion ranges from the elephants' individual personalities and behaviors to the practicalities of habitat management, all told with humor and deep empathy for their charges.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Weather and Setting the Scene

• The sanctuary is currently in the dry season in Mato Grosso, Brazil, but conditions are greener than usual thanks to an unexpected rain shower.
• The local climate influences both elephant behavior and staff routines, especially regarding fire prevention.
  • Kat: “The wind is still cool. Fortunately, it hasn't turned to the hot drying air that promotes so many fires. So, so far, so good.” [01:42]

2. Kenya’s Tree Adventures and Exploits

• Kenya has transitioned from a cautious “polite wanderer” to a “bold explorer.”
• She’s enthusiastically knocking down trees, sometimes just for fun, not always for food.
  • Kat: “She just had A little silly fit. And she started making her little weird trumpet noises, almost like a foghorn… and she ran over and went to go knock down a tree, a big tree. I'm like, no, no, no, no, no.” [02:30]
• Discussion about how individual elephants vary in their reasons for knocking over trees; for Kenya, it’s part of exploring newfound freedom after 40 years without access to trees.

Other Elephants and Their Tree Tactics

• Maya, Nikita, and Gigi are mentioned as notorious tree toppers as well, with Gigi known for her solo “partying” sessions that involve lots of noise and tree knocking.
  • Scott: “And she just. She'll do it for, like, 20 minutes, 30 minutes. We can hear her up at the house, clear as day.” [04:20]

3. Mud Wallows: Club Mud & Elephant Engineering

• Kenya enjoys Club Mud, the main mud wallow in the African habitat, and like other elephants, starts new unofficial mud wallows throughout the sanctuary.
• The podcast humorously references the “landmines” (mud pits) elephants create, sometimes making vehicular passage tricky, drawing on similar experiences from their Tennessee sanctuary.
  • Scott: “They make all these landmines all over the habitat. Same way in Tennessee, you can't drive anywhere ... all these giant holes that they make so that they can play in them.” [06:46]

4. Kenya and Pupi: Budding Social Dynamics

• Kenya and her neighbor Pupi (another African elephant) are gradually getting acquainted, separated by a fence for now since Pupi is more reserved.
• Both elephants are described as gentle and cautious in their greetings, contrary to the often more forceful displays of African elephants.
  • Kat: “For as big a personality as Kenya is, she's being remarkably delicate with all of it.” [12:04]
• Pupi sometimes engages and is vocal, but physical interaction remains pending. The team is intentionally taking it slow to avoid stress or negative encounters for either elephant.
  • Scott: “We don't want to create a chase scenario ... she's not ready, we don't want her to feel like she has to run away.” [12:24]

5. Sanctuary Life & Elephant Behavior

• Kenya displays a range of expressive, often playful, behaviors:
  • “Foghorn” trumpeting, “pterodactyl” noises, tap dancing, trunk popping, and even patting the ground with her trunk.
  • Kat: “She does so smiling and popping and tap dancing and rumbling and foghorning and pterodactyl noises. So many noises.” [08:06]
• Kenya is described as “childlike”—despite being 44 years old, she’s embracing her environment like a kid set loose in a playground.
• Notably, Kenya has shown maturation since her arrival, with greater emotional balance and no longer taking offense during medical training or touch, which was an issue in her zoo days.

6. Personalities in Contrast: Kenya vs. Pupi

• While both elephants exhibit classic African elephant behaviors (exploring, grazing, mud wallowing), their personalities and adjustment journeys are starkly different.
  • Scott: “They are so different. So different in pretty much almost every way.” [13:53]
• Kenya spent many years alone before rescue, while Pupi had long been half of a pair (“Kooky and Pupi”) and is still adjusting to independence.
• Kenya is emotionally open, expressive, and sometimes reactive, while Pupi is introverted and more reserved. The team hopes, over time, their personalities might balance each other.
  • Scott: “How emotional she is is one of the most beautiful things about her for sure. But ... we thought they might in the long term ... both be able to balance that out in each other.” [15:15]

7. Favorite Spots and Habitat Regeneration

• Neither elephant has definitively claimed a “favorite" spot after only a month; the sanctuary habitats (about 12 acres, divided into three enclosures) are still being explored fully.
• Staff have protected some old-growth trees with fencing, but Kenya is otherwise free to reshape her landscape.
• The habitat was mostly pasture before the sanctuary began, and has rapidly reforested thanks to natural regeneration—staff note that planting saplings provides little advantage compared to how fast the habitat bounces back on its own.
  • Kat: “This habitat will regenerate very, very, very, very, very quickly on its own. The whole area that they were in was full pasture when we arrived.” [21:04]

8. Expansion & Future Plans

• The sanctuary is actively expanding:
  • Fencing for a new yard is underway, and the male transport crate is complete.
  • Fire control measures are being upgraded, with new sprinkler systems planned to defend against seasonal fires.
• The team is working short-staffed but motivated, with new hires joining soon.

9. Feeding Preferences and Fun Facts

• Kenya is picky—she dislikes pineapple and papaya. Pupi, on the other hand, “literally likes everything.”
• Watermelon and popcorn (for training) are favored by both, and guava will be trialed soon.
• Staff recall the intense dislike for papaya among their former Tennessee elephants, with humorous stories about food preferences.
  • Kat: “The look on her face of this. Disgusting. And just couldn’t stop herself from eating it because she was wonderful.” [22:58]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “She does so smiling and popping and tap dancing and rumbling and foghorning and pterodactyl noises. So many noises.” —Kat [08:06]
• “They make all these landmines all over the habitat. Same way in Tennessee, you can’t drive anywhere ... all these giant holes that they make so that they can play in them.” —Scott [06:46]
• "For as big a personality as Kenya is, she's being remarkably delicate with all of it." —Kat [12:04]
• "How emotional she is is one of the most beautiful things about her for sure. But, you know, it is again, there's a balance to everything." —Scott [15:15]
• “This habitat will regenerate very, very, very, very, very quickly on its own.” —Kat [21:04]
• "She is definitely enjoying herself and her new space and her new friend. Even if they're not best friends yet, she doesn't care. It's still great." —Scott [10:33]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Kenya the Tree-Knocker: [02:18–03:58]
• Mud Wallows & Elephant Engineering: [05:07–07:20]
• Kenya & Pupi's Social Progress: [10:54–13:17]
• Personalities & Contrasts: [13:53–16:06]
• Habitat and Expansion Update: [17:48–20:51]
• Feeding Preferences & Fun Facts: [22:00–23:02]

Takeaways

• Sanctuary life is a continuous journey for both elephants and caregivers, requiring attentiveness, flexibility, patience, and a sense of humor.
• Kenya’s growing confidence and expressive behaviors symbolize the kind of healing possible when elephants are given space, autonomy, and respect.
• Each elephant’s journey is unique—personality, past experiences, and social history all shape their adaptation in sanctuary.
• The entire sanctuary ecology (from tree regeneration to fire management) is intimately tied to the elephants’ wellbeing and the staff’s dedicated, innovative efforts.

For regular updates, listeners can follow GSE on their website and social media channels.