Tarra and Bella The Elephant and Dog Who Became Best Friends By; Carol Buckley This is a powerful story of two very different animals, a dog, and an elephant who formed an unlikely bond. Tarra and Bella were best friends because they stuck together. Group1: Meet Tarra, the elephant, and Bella, the dog who won her heart. These inseparable friends live freely together side by side at the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. Group 2: Whatever attracted an elephant and a dog to each other remains a mystery, but one thing is for sure-tarra and Bella are truly forever friends. Group 3: How they met, and how an injury threatened to end their friendship, is a touching true-life story that shows us just how intelligent and loving these animals are. Group 4: Tarra was an entertainer. She performed in the circus as the world s only roller-skating elephant. She was in the movie Annie and appeared on television shows like Little House on the Prairie. 1
Group 5: After twenty years of entertaining, Tarra deserved a different life. She needed lots of elephant friends and room to roam. Group 6: In the spring of 1995, Tarra became the first resident of the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. The Sanctuary was a special place, with lots of room to roam, and live freely in nature. When new elephants would arrive at the Sanctuary, Tarra would be there to greet the new elephants. She would show them the barns, creeks, and forest trails. She even showed them how to pick wild blueberries. Group 1: Every elephant that arrived would soon find a special friend. Winkie and Sissiy, Dulary and Misty quickly became best friends. But Tarra never found a friend. Group2: One morning, Tarra woke up to find a dog named Bella sleeping next to her. Tarra got up and began to walk, Bella rose calmly, and quickly followed. Group3: Tarra was so excited to have a new friend she reached her trunk toward Bella, and chirped. This was a very unusual sight. Most elephants don t trust stray dogs. Group 4: 2
Bella was feisty and seemed to need a friend to watch over, and Tarra was happy to let her. Group 5: This marked the beginning of an amazing relationship. Tarra and Bella began to do everything together. They would swim in the pond, and run around and play together. Group 6: Tarra s meals were delivered to her in the woods by a caregiver, Bella s meals were, too. On hot summer days the water wagon would drive miles in search of the thirsty elephants, Bella barked to have a bowl filled for her. They understood each other s language. Bella would jump around and bark, and Tarra would gently brush her trunk across Bella s side to make sure her best friend was OK. Tarra would chatter and trumpet in response. Group 1: Tarra wouldn t go any where without Bella. If the other elephants wanted to be friends with Tarra, they would have to be friends with Bella, too! Group 2: One day when the caregivers went to feed Tarra, Bella was nowhere in sight. Everyone was worried. For a long time, Tarra remained in the same spot. The caregivers thought Bella must be close by. 3
Group 3: After a big search around the area, they finally found Bella lying in a shallow ditch. She was hurt and couldn t walk, but Tarra never left her side while they waited for help. Group 4: As they drove away with Bella, Tarra did not try to stop them. She stood perfectly still and watched her friend disappear. Group 5: Bella was rushed to the animal hospital, where she had a spinal cord injury. No one knew if she would ever walk again. They tried to nurse Bella back to health, as she watched through a large window as the elephants played outside. Group 6: Meanwhile, for two whole days, Tarra remained standing at the exact spot where Bella had been found, waiting for Bella to return. When Bella didn t come back, Tarra left in search of her friend. Tarra walked straight to the elephant barn where Bella was recovering, even though she didn t know she was there. Group 1 & 2: Bella saw Tarra and began to whine. She even began barking excitedly. Tarra started chattering back from outside. 4
Group 3 & 4: It was clear, the two needed to see each other. Bella was carried downstairs. Tarra gently petted Bella with the tip of her trunk. Group 5 & 6: Tarra returned to the barn every day to visit with Bella. Bella was allowed to roam outside and Tarra during the day, and at dusk she was brought back to the barn. Groups 1 & 2 & 3: Tarra was the best medicine for Bella to recover. Today, Bella and Tarra can be found walking side by side, or napping under a tree in the woods. Groups 4 & 5 & 6: Tarra and Bella are back together, sharing their meals, their freedom and their big love. They are truly best friends forever! 5
Tarra & Bella inseparable sanctuary attracted entertainer resident relationship chattering Information courtesy Jordan School District, Utah