On Elephant Sanctuary, Unlikely Friends

CBS Evening News: Steve Hartman Looks At What Difference A Couple Of Tons Makes - Or Doesn't - For Two Old Friends

(CBS)  When elephants retire, many head for the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn. They arrive one by one, but they tend to live out their lives two-by-two.

"Every elephant that comes here searches out someone that she then spends most all of her time with," says sanctuary co-founder Carol Buckley.

It's like having a best girlfriend, Buckley says - "Somebody they can relate to, they have something in common with."

Debbie has Ronnie. Misty can't live without Dulary.

Those are pachyderm-pachyderm pairs. But perhaps the closest friends of all are Tarra and Bella.

That would be Tarra the 8,700 pound Asian elephant. And Bella. The dog.

"This is her friend," Buckley says, scratching Bella's tummy. "Her friend just happens to be a dog and not an elephant."

"Bella knows she's not an elephant. Tarra knows she's not a dog," Buckley adds. "But that's not a problem for them."

Bella is one of more than a dozen stray dogs that have found a home at the sanctuary. Most want nothing to do with the elephants and vice versa. But not this odd couple.

"When it's time to eat they both eat together. They drink together. They sleep together. They play together," Buckley says.

Tarra and Bella have been close for years -- but no one really knew how close they were until recently. A few months ago Bella suffered a spinal cord injury. She couldn't move her legs, couldn't even wag her tail. For three weeks the dog lay motionless up in the sanctuary office.

And for three weeks the elephant held vigil: 2,700 acres to roam free, and Tarra just stood in the corner, beside a gate, right outside that sanctuary office.

"She just stood outside the balcony - just stood there and waited," says Buckley. "She was concerned about her friend."

Then one day, sanctuary co-founder Scott Blais carried Bella onto the balcony so she and Tarra could at least see each other.

"Bella's tail started wagging. And we had no choice but bring Bella down to see Tarra," Blais says.

They visited like that every day until Tarra could walk. Today, their love -- and trust -- is stronger than ever. Bella even lets Tarra pet her tummy - with the bottom of her enormous foot.

They harbor no fears, no secrets, no prejudices. Just two living creatures who somehow managed to look past their immense differences.

Take good look at this couple, America. Take a good look world. If they can do it - what's our excuse?

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Click here to learn more about The Elephant Sanctuary.

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[elmnt]

I love Steve Hartman's stories. He's from my home town. But it's like nails on the chalkboard when people say VICE-UH-VERSA. Et tu Steve? Come on, that's a rookie mistake. Ugh.

( great story )

[MatthyewFritch]

This was interesting article. We need to be more aware as a whole of animal rights:)

[murraylove]

made me cry,wonderful story,i have forward this story to all my friends

[prepgrad]

I''ve felt for many years that CBS Sunday Morning is the best show on television, and this story is a good example why. Simply extraordinary; I''ve shared the video with all my friends.

[rsmik]

My heart has been warmed. Really.

[littlesyd1]

i spent some time at the elephant sanctuary in ''99 and it is a wonderful place where they do great work. Tarra''s friend then was a dog named sammy.

[tomanyt]

That is so sweet. How come humans can''t be more like Bella and Tarra???

[jennmarikp]

How adorable! I enjoyed reading this story!! They could teach us something!

[kansas1946]

I can not believe it. Not one nasty comment in the repsonses I have read. Amazing. Maybe that is the secret to our "common ground." Animals. If we can all agree, regardless of our political beliefs, that this is a wonderful story, then maybe there is hope for the depolarization of American. Lovely story.

[enjesamc]

"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be measured by the way its animals are treated" - Mahatma Gandhi
The work of Scott Blais and Carol Buckley gives us all a new appreciation for why we are all here on this earth. One of the very good things happening in the State of TN. Thank you Steve Hartman and CBS for this heart warming story.

[rose19772]

This story is especially important for people who don''t believe that animals have "real" feelings. This brought a tear to my eye and made me smile for something so sweet and pure.

[msay3]

How wonderful it is to go on a website and read all of the posts only to discover that everyone posting is of the same mind....This is a great story, and thanks to the wonderful people at the elephant sanctuary, this story stands to reassure us meager humans that a lesson can be learned by watching, listening, and caring for the animal world.

[sassalin]

Brought tears to my eyes. Very touching story and what a great lesson.....

[grs9769]

GREAT story! Thank you for something so positive with such an important message. We need more stories like this if we ever expect the world to change. We only get more negativity when we always focus on the negative stories.

[grs9769]

GREAT story! Thank you for something so positive with such an important message. We need more stories like this if we ever expect the world to change. We only get more negativity when we always focus on the negative stories.

[KarenSantaFe]

TO CBS NEWS MANAGEMENT: It would be great if you could post the video on YouTube. It is up there already, but very poor resolution and soundtrack. Thanks for this lovely story!

[piercetheval]

...The story of Ganesha and his friend, a little mouse, comes to mind here...touching story!

[d-elaware]

ONE OF THE REASONS TARRA AND BELLA GET ALONG SO WELL IS THAT THEY''RE TREATED SO LOVINGLY AND CAREFULLY BY THE PEOPLE AT THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY. WITHOUT SCOTT BLAIS AND CAROL BUCKLEY FOUNDING THAT REMARKABLE AND PEACEFUL PLACE, ALL KINDS OF ANIMALS WOULD BE IN HARMS WAY DAILY.
SO HOORAY FOR TARRA AND BELLA AND HOORAY FOR ALL THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEIR FRIENDSHIP POSSIBLE!!!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR.

[bigfanx]

Don''t miss the photo essay "PACHYDERM PARADISE".... the link is directly below the video. Beautiful photos ... enjoy!
Many thanks to The Elephant Sanctuary for sharing this wonderful story with all of us... and to Mr. Hartman for the presentation. :-)

[claudine38]

This is the most wonderful story I have seen in a long time. I needed that with all the conflicts going on in the world which find me devastated. Thank you for the beautiful story of Tara and Bella. It reminds me that indeed animals are incredible and often better than humans and yet we so often mistreat and exploit them; for ex. elephants in circuses, chimpanzees in lab experiments and factory farm animals in nightmarish conditions.