"Look Mommy!" cried the little boy who was leaning on his mommy's leg.
"The elephant is walking this way!" he said with excitement as Bunny the elephant ambled over to where the crowd of people stood watching.
Bunny had not seen this many people here at the zoo for years!

"Why are they here?" she wondered to herself.
Curiosity got the best of her, so she decided to find out.

.

Bunny does not know it, but the crowd is here to say goodbye to her. She has been given her freedom! Soon she will be taken to her new home, an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee.
Bunny the Elephant loves kids and since she has been at this zoo for over 40 years she has met and entertained thousands and thousands of them.
It takes her a little longer to walk over to the crowds from her play area than it did all those years ago because of foot problems she has had. Her caretaker has to give her a pedicure every week to help her feet stay healthy.
"Bunny, we will miss you!" the crowd yells.
Bunny decides to swing her trunk to and fro, as she has done so many times before, because it always makes the little children laugh.

There is something else here at the zoo that has Bunny very curious. It is the presence in her pen area of a huge truck. The back is open and she decides to check it out. The crowd gets quiet now as she walks over to the truck. She sees that it is roomy and there are lots of things inside, she decides to get closer, so she steps inside. She takes five steps in, smells and touches the inside, and then steps five steps back out.
"I will have to check this out more later, I have children to visit with now." she decides.
What Bunny does not know is that this truck will be taking her to her new home. The zoo keepers are hoping that Bunny will get used to the truck so much that she will not be scared when she is taken to Tennessee in it. As soon as she is ready and not scared to be inside then it will be time for her to go.

Two weeks later....
"Let's get you all ready now, Bunny, you are going to your new home today."
xBunny could feel the excitement in the air! She was brushed and cleaned off. She was given plenty of her favorite food, fruit and alfalfa...and she walked carefully into the specially made truck that will take her to her new home in Tennessee.
Of course, she did not know that she would be going anywhere. She just thought the truck was a fun place to explore. When she walked in this time, the door behind her was carefully closed and locked. Soon the truck began to move.
Bunny was not worried though, because she was happy to be eating the delicious food before her. The trip took about five hours. By the time the truck rolled into the Elephant Sanctuary, Bunny was ready to be out of the truck. It had not  been a bad trip, but she was ready to stretch her legs again.
"Bunny, here you are, at your new home!" said the stranger who opened the door. Bunny backed out and then turned around...she made sure to take her favorite toy, a big rubber ball, out with her.
What a strange place this was! She was very curious now but also a little bit worried. She did not want to lose her ball here, that was for sure...so she made sure to carry it into the big building the stranger led her to.

What happens next?
**Read about Bunny's adventures at the Elephant Sanctuary and add the next chapter to this story...

To be continued.. CLICK HERE TO READ SECOND CHAPTER.
---written by Mrs. Goble's third grade students at Cannelton Elementary, Cannelton, Indiana.

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(The is the special story of Bunny, the Asian elephant. It is special because it is a true story ...she lived at Mesker Park Zoo for nearly 45 years. This past September, in Evansville Indiana, Mesker Park Zoo's board voted to allow Bunny to go to the elephant refuge. Many people were happy for her and many people were sad to see her go. This is the beginning of a whole new life for Bunny...and the students at Cannelton Elementary School in Cannelton, Indiana have been watching the events with much interest, along with their pen pals from Hebron Elementary school in Evansville. They love Bunny and hope she enjoys her new home (which is exactly what has happened! You can read all about Bunny's real life adventures...go to www.elephants.com - the Elephant Sanctuary's website - to read all about Bunny's story...how she reacted to her new home...the friends she has made (there are four other Asian Elephants at the sanctuary) and how she is adapting to her new envirionment.

. Photo by Carol Buckley, co-founder of The Elephant Sanctuary

This story is just beginning...we invite you to visit the Elephant sanctuary website and continue this story with the new chapters of Bunny's adventures....
What was her trip to Tennessee like? How did she react to her new found friends?
Did she have any difficulties?
The adventures you write can be fact or fictional...but please keep Bunny's real life personality in view...she is a very friendly and fun loving elephant, and very willing to make new friends.

(Mrs. Goble, Cannelton Elementary third grade teacher.)