Bella the Dog and Tara the Elephant

For those of you who don’t know the story it bares repeating.  It is a story of friendship, commitment, love, and loss. Anyone who has ever doubted an animal’s ability to feel and express emotion need to look no further than this odd couple in Tennessee.

Tarra is a female elephant from Myanmar (Burma). A member of the endangered Asian elephant family, Tarra was one of the last elephants to be imported to the U.S. legally.

Tarra retired to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee after 21 years in show business. There she was to live out the remaining decades of her life exploring the expansive refuge.

Then one day Bella showed up and the two became constant companions. They ate together, slept together, played and explored the grounds of the sanctuary often going for swims and basking in the sun.

Their inspiring, “odd couple” story was featured on CBS News and in “Bark” magazine when Bella suffered a spinal injury and Tarra waited patiently outside the sanctuary office while she recuperated.

Sadly Bella was attacked by coyotes this past October and passed away. Today, Tarra continues to heal and grieve with the help of her elephant and human friends bur their story will always be remembered.

For more information about the Elephant Sanctuary, please visit http://www.elephants.com