"The elephants are lying down; are they OK?"

We often receive e-mails from avid EleCam viewer saying, "There are elephants lying down in the pasture. They have been there a long time. Can someone go check on them? Are they ok? I didn't think elephants could lie down for an extended period of time."

How wonderful that so many people are keeping an eye on our girls. What you are seeing is normal elephant behavior. Like their wild cousins, our elephants are taking advantage of the afternoon sun and enjoying a nap. Elephants usually sleep four hours in a twenty-four hour period. They don't sleep the four hours straight through; instead, they sleep for 45 minutes or so then get up, stretch their legs, graze a little and then lie down again on the opposite side. Our girls prefer to sleep during the day which is consistent with wild elephant behavior. Many people comment that they do not see zoo and circus elephants sleeping during the day. Perhaps elephant on exhibit do not feel secure enough to lie down in front of strangers and prefer to wait until the crowds are gone before sleeping. So when you check in on our girls and see them lounging in the pastures, don't worry, they are just getting their beauty sleep!

Carol Buckley, Executive Director of The Elephant Sanctuary