The third Bob Barker Bull Barn is complete and we are preparing for the arrival of bull elephant, Prince, who will be the third bull to occupy ARK 2000's Bull Mountain and the spacious bull elephant habitat. The barns were funded by incredibly generous donations from Bob Barker and his DJ&T Foundation, and another great friend to PAWS, Patty Shenker.

Another very generous donation from an anonymous donor was used to augment donations from hundreds of Bucks For Bulls supporters who contributed dollars for fencing to complete the thousands of feet of fencing necessary to give the three bulls space to roam.

With initial construction complete, our skilled elephant staff, led by elephant supervisor Brian Busta, and our elephant consultant, Margaret Whittaker from Active Environments, began a game of "musical elephants" to prepare for the arrival of Prince.

Last week, Brian and Margaret, assisted by Ed Stewart and Pat Derby, moved Nicholas to the new bull barn which adjoins his habitat. Nicholas, who loves any new adventure, was thrilled with his new digs and adapted immediately.

Pat, Ed and Margaret watched with great amusement as Nicholas rolled in his new dirt stall and fell asleep!

Dirt, for all elephants, is the best enrichment, and no elephant should live without fresh supplies of this miracle ingredient for maximum elephant fun. The night keepers reported that the party continued throughout the night, as Nicholas moved from the barn to his habitat and back to the dirt stall where he finally laid down for a few hours rest.

The next step involved moving Sabu to Nicholas' former barn. Since Sabu is much more timid and hesitant about new situations, everyone expected to spend a few days slowly coaxing him into the new territory. To the delight and amazement of all involved, Sabu followed Pat, Ed and Margaret and a trail of bananas, past his pool and into Nicholas' barn with little hesitation.

Once inside the barn, Sabu explored every inch of space, smelling and testing the unmistakable odor of another male. We wondered if Sabu recognized family in his half brother, Nicholas.

Like Nicholas, Sabu thoroughly enjoyed the transition to a new barn, covering Margaret, Pat and Ed with the enticing substance as he dug his massive tusks into the magic elixir and showered his great hulk with clouds of wonderful DIRT!

Prince will arrive soon to join Nicholas and Sabu on top of Bull Mountain and will occupy the barn where Sabu has been living.

Thank you Bob Barker and the DJ&T Foundation, Patty Shenker and all of our Bucks For Bulls donors. If you would like to know more about our "Bucks For Bulls" campaign, click here .

Musical Elephants I: Moving Sabu to a New Barn

Musical Elephants II: Moving Nicholas to a New Barn

NICHOLAS: New Barn. Fresh Dirt.