Mara the elephant to leave Argentina for Brazil sanctuary

Mara listens to her trainer say "up, down, blow", obediently raising her trunk so a saline solution can be introduced, then lowering it and expelling the liquid into a bag for analysis.

She gets a piece of fruit as a reward.

The Asian elephant is being prepared for the medical tests to be done while in quarantine in Argentina ahead of her transfer to Elephant Sanctuary Brazil.

The sanctuary in Brazil's Mato Grosso state is better suited to her needs than her current enclosure in Buenos Aires' old zoo, which was converted into an ecopark in 2016, where she is surrounded by tall buildings and traffic sounds.

Water samples taken from her trunk can be given microbiological tests to see if she suffers from infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis.

Surrounded by the enclosure's thick bars during the training session, Mara patiently presents her front feet, then her back feet, then an ear to her trainers who study them through windows at various heights in the enclosure. They plan to draw her blood from these parts for analysis.

"It is a positive thing that she will be in a place with more space and be living with other Asian elephants," said Natalia Demergassi, coordinator of the Ecopark's veterinary section. "The animal's presence will be missed here, but you have to leave that ??selfishness behind and think how she will be in a better place."
The long trip to Brazil implies "certain risks", Iglesias acknowledges. "But we believe the benefits of assuming the risk are worth it because the quality of her life will be infinitely better than what we can give her here."