Rainy Days at PAWS
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Catherine Doyle, Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)
November 2015

I am reminded of just how thankful I am that PAWS exists for them, providing a natural habitat in which they can choose how and where to spend their time, engaging in behaviors that are not only natural to their species, but important to them and their well-being.

In September 2013, I began a long-term behavioral study involving our African elephants, Mara, Maggie and Lulu. The study now includes Thika and Toka. Each day that I study the elephants I focus on one particular elephant and follow her for five to six hours, observing and recording her activities, including the changes in behavior that come with different seasons.

November has brought cooler weather and some very welcome rain to the ARK 2000 sanctuary. Many of the trees are showing beautiful fall colors. During my last round of observations we had some wonderful, rainy days and temperatures in the low 50s. As soon we get any rain, patches of bright green grass begin to sprout. The elephants know exactly where these patches are, and they use their powerful yet agile trunks to nimbly pick at the small, tender blades.

Mara elephant
African elephant Mara browsing on a hillside the day after a heavy Fall rain.

I was especially interested in watching how the elephants behaved in the rain. The short answer is: They love it! All of the elephants - Thika, Toka, Mara, Maggie and Lulu - were more active than usual as they ventured out into the far reaches of their expansive habitats. They made their way up and down and over the sanctuary's gently rolling hills, foraging on vegetation, trees and deadfall (a tangled pile of dead tree branches). Mara was particularly frisky one day, and had a great time kicking and splashing in a mud hole, coating herself with the wet soil that is a protective for elephants' skin.

While driving out of the sanctuary one rainy afternoon, I spotted Ben the Bear foraging in his area of the Bob Barker Bear Habitat. It's wonderful to see our bears enjoying this natural behavior that so many bears in captivity are often deprived of. Watching Ben got me to wondering how the other animals at ARK 2000 behave in the rain. I wasn't sure that everyone would be as enthusiastic about it as the elephants, so I asked Renae Smith, PAWS' big cat and bear supervisor, about the behaviors she observed on wet days. What I learned is that it's a matter of individual preference and temperature for those animals.

During the warmer months, the bears and the big cats don't seem to mind the rain, and they can be found out in their habitats as usual. If it gets cold (well, cold by California standards) and rains, the bears prefer to stay warm and dry in their cozy dens, though you might find Ben and Jack foraging in their habitats. Black leopard Alexander prefers his nice, dry den to the rain, while lioness Camba doesn't seem to mind getting wet at all.

Alexander black leopard
On cold, rainy days Alexander prefers to remain in his den. On sunny days he loves to roll in the grass.

The tigers are a bit more particular when it comes to rain. Out in their habitat, they will find trees to lie under and stay dry, but when it comes time to sleep they will seek out shelter in a den. If it's raining very hard, they prefer the comfort of their dens.

As for me, I try to stay as dry as I can. It all depends on the activities of the elephants and where they choose to be in their habitat. When they're moving around and busy, so am I, as I track them throughout the day from a distance.

While watching the elephants and other animals, I am reminded of just how thankful I am that PAWS exists for them, providing a natural habitat in which they can choose how and where to spend their time, engaging in behaviors that are not only natural to their species, but important to them and their well-being. All of us at PAWS are grateful to each and every one of you who support our animals and the work we do to ensure their health and welfare.


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