The matriarch, Lila, warmed to her almost immediately. By day three, Lila was already approaching Maria for treats and leaning in during health checks. Other keepers noticed. “She trusts you,” her supervisor said one afternoon.
“That’s not something you can train into an elephant. They either choose you or they don’t.” Maria hid her smile, but the compliment stayed with her the rest of the day. She’d always believed she understood elephants, their intelligence, their emotional depth, their sense of family. Now she felt it, every day, as the herd moved comfortably around her.