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This piece was done from a photo I took of a couple of elephants that live at a sanctuary called Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS). I have volunteered there for over six years as a docent for both the elephants and the lions. These two elephants are Maggie and Mara. It seems that they are always together. They are BFF’s.
Maggie and Mara were both born in Africa (in the early 80’s) and were orphaned when their mothers were shot in a cull (a systematic killing of adult elephants by the government in order to control population encroaching upon human civilization). Both elephants were placed in zoos, one in San Jose, CA and one in Alaska. After Maggie’s elephant companion passed away in Alaska there was an outcry to bring her to a more appropriate climate where there are more elephants for her to reach out to. Mara was going to end up in a circus. PAWS have 2,300 acres in San Andreas, CA. It's currently home to African and Asian elephants, tigers, bears, African lions and a black leopard.
The elephant habitats at PAWs provide the elephants with acres of varied natural terrain to roam, lakes to bathe in, and state-of-the-art elephant barns equipped with heated stalls and indoor therapeutic pool.
