The two Asian elephants from the former Mendoza zoo, converted into an ecopark, continue their journey to a sanctuary in Brazil “in good condition and calm”, and they are expected to cross the border with the neighboring country on Tuesday, the portfolio of Provincial environment.
These are the elephants Pocha and her daughter Guillermina, who began this Saturday to be transferred by land to the sanctuary located in Mato Grosso, Brazil, on a trip in which they will travel 3,600 kilometers.
“The condition of the elephants is really very good, they travel calm and relaxed. They have been able to rest and sleep during the night and the transfer team provides them with the necessary care on a permanent basis. We are facing an immense coordinated logistical work that the world is witnessing, and whose objective is very clear: animal welfare“, reported this Monday the Secretary of Environment and Territorial Planning of Mendoza, Humberto Mingorance.
Meanwhile, the director of the Ecopark on behalf of the Franz Weber Foundation, Leandro Fruitos, who is on a trip together with the team of specialists, explained that Pocha and Guillermina “clearly attract attention” and “There have been many signs of affection along the way and at each service station where we stop. We are very happy”, they detailed in a press release from the Mendoza Government.
As reported, as the boxes that transport the elephants go one next to the other, they can be seen, they can be smelled, they can communicate and every two and a half or three hours they stop and verify their status.
“The condition is very good, they are very calm, in fact they have been able to sleep during the trip. At night the whole human team and they also rest for approximately six hours, so they travel comfortably,” added Fruitos.
It is estimated that this Tuesday they will be crossing the border with Brazil towards their final destination, the elephant sanctuary in the state of Mato Grosso, located in the Central-West region of Brazil, indicated the Mendoza authorities.
For her part, the director of Ecoparque, Mariana Caram, highlighted “the great and invaluable collaboration of the Ecoparque team: the specially designated keepers, maintenance personnel and veterinarians, who at all times assumed the challenges of an undertaking of this magnitude.”
He also highlighted “the crucial support” of the Environment and Territorial Planning Secretariat, the Mendoza Ecopark Consultative Council, the State Prosecutor’s Office, the Provincial Government, authorities and specialists from the Sanctuary of Brazil, and the Franz Weber Foundation “thanks to It is possible that Pocha and Guillermina are on their way today towards a more dignified life, towards their freedom”.
SEB is a non-profit organization whose origin dates back to 2012, from the international alliance between Elephant Voices and Scott Blais, co-founder of The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, USA.
This alliance gave rise to the Global Sanctuary for Elephants, which in 2013 laid the foundations for the SEB Association on Brazilian soil.
