Donna's Journey

As you know, since Donna’s lifelong companion Lisa’s passing earlier this year, our mission has been to find new friends for Donna, who, like all female elephants, is very social by nature.
We were fortunate to find an ideal place with three female African elephants Donna’s age - The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. For the past several months, we have been preparing Donna for her journey there.
We are excited to share that Donna and team made it to The Elephant Sanctuary safely! Donna left Oakland Zoo on Monday afternoon and was accompanied by Oakland Zoo vet Dr. Ryan Sadler, Zoological Manager Gina Kinzley, and Head Elephant Keeper Marisa Riordan. The journey took 40 hours, including regular stops to feed and check on Donna (she ate 30 watermelons on the road trip) 🍉
Donna & crew arrived to the AZA-accredited TES on Wednesday morning, safe and sound. Brave Donna started exploring her new home right away, and has already met one of the resident African females, Flora! (She’ll meet Tange and Sukari soon).
Dr. Ryan, Gina and Marisa are staying with Donna for several days as she gets comfortable in her new home.
We will all miss Donna terribly, but we are so happy that she will once again have other companions. And we know The Elephant Sanctuary will give her the best possible care and provide her a loving home.
More about Donna’s journey:
www.oaklandzoo.org/news/oakla...

[@skskees]

Just good to see she had her "support" tire with her. Sweet lady. She deserves this freedom

[@lisaforeman6312]

Yea!!!! Go Donna!! Thank you Oakland Zoo!! Awesome people doing awesome things for animals!! Can't beat that! Bless you all!!

[@alison__16]

I'm so glad she finally has the life and freedom she always should have had.

[@bettyannbest]

Love her security tire. Good girl Donna

[@HaleyTylertoo]

Thank you for thinking of her best interests, she's going to have an amazing life

[@fdgirl3974]

Best wishes for Donna 💖

[@zacharybriddell98]

I’m glad that you guys found the opportunity for Donna to live in the Elephant Sanctuary! She seems so Happy to finally interact with two Female Elephants!

[@zacharybriddell98]

You sure did a good job taking care of Donna!

[@yuchengwang8722]

Wonderful! Good to see you too, Marisa!

[@zacharybriddell98]

Donna must be so Happy 😊 ❤at her new home!

[@dewdrop7648]

Donna has been showing signs of growing more comfortable with each passing day. She has been revealing her vibrant personality to Care Staff, who are committed to moving at Donna's pace, prioritizing relationship-building and trust, and giving her ample time to explore and adapt to her new environment. In her daily routine, Donna has been busy exploring her barn, wallowing in the soft mud, and sharing fence lines with Flora, Tange, and Sukari. Donna, demonstrating the characteristics of a dominant African elephant, frequently exhibits natural behaviors such as ear flaring and holding her trunk high. Donna’s initial introduction to Flora, who is also known for her assertiveness, was a positive one. The two elephants engaged in some friendly sparring, along with plenty of trunk touches. After some time of mutual exploration, they both peacefully walked away. Sukari and Tange have not yet chosen to interact with their new herd mate at the fence. While the group is in the process of acclimating, our Care Staff has observed that Flora, Tange, Sukari, and Donna are increasingly choosing to graze near each other even if they decide not to greet directly. We are eagerly looking forward to witnessing the development of their relationship as Donna continues to grow more comfortable in her new home. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2i3dGqBacqDqNksi=DBNrHA-tjl7HRXxd

[@leonarubinoff8010]

You Go Girl! New friends new everything..except your tire!

[@k80did2]

So excited for Donna! ❤❤❤

[@zacharybriddell98]

Donna is really getting so attached to this tire in her trunk! Does she love to play with Tires?

[@OaklandZooCA]

She does. She brought this one from Oakland.

[@zacharybriddell98]

Donna will be missed ❤!

[@zacharybriddell98]

Does that mean you guys aren’t going to have any elephants at the zoo.

[@OaklandZooCA]

Currently, we are still in the process of planning for our male, Osh ; and exploring all options that will provide him with the social needs of males in their interaction with other elephants.

[@dewdrop7648]

​@@OaklandZooCADonna has been showing signs of growing more comfortable with each passing day. She has been revealing her vibrant personality to Care Staff, who are committed to moving at Donna's pace, prioritizing relationship-building and trust, and giving her ample time to explore and adapt to her new environment. In her daily routine, Donna has been busy exploring her barn, wallowing in the soft mud, and sharing fence lines with Flora, Tange, and Sukari. Donna, demonstrating the characteristics of a dominant African elephant, frequently exhibits natural behaviors such as ear flaring and holding her trunk high. Donna’s initial introduction to Flora, who is also known for her assertiveness, was a positive one. The two elephants engaged in some friendly sparring, along with plenty of trunk touches. After some time of mutual exploration, they both peacefully walked away. Sukari and Tange have not yet chosen to interact with their new herd mate at the fence. While the group is in the process of acclimating, our Care Staff has observed that Flora, Tange, Sukari, and Donna are increasingly choosing to graze near each other even if they decide not to greet directly. We are eagerly looking forward to witnessing the development of their relationship as Donna continues to grow more comfortable in her new home. kzbin.info/www/bejne/b2i3dGqBacqDqNksi=DBNrHA-tjl7HRXxd