UPDATES 11-30-06 for questions related to the EMA postings

TRUMPETING

I am devoting this edition of TRUMPETING to TES as I feel it is needed especially at this time.

I have recently received a copy of TES’ TRUNKLINES, spring edition 2006.  Just to mention that several years before TES was formed TRUNKLINES was our once a year newsletter.  So we changed our newsletter to ELEGRAM.  Seems to me that when Ms. Buckley first started and wanted advice in building her first barn she contacted me and I sent her plans to help.  I don’t know if she used any of my advice as I hear she and her followers have been down grading me ever since.  I also notice that they continuously use the expression “girls” which I have used for years and was predominantly used in the book “At Large”.  There are several other things that I have used in the past that has been copied by TES but I won’t go into that now.  Don’t they have anything original?

TES advertises that they are the first and the only facility that lets elephants roam free.  I guess that also was copied from us.  We incorporated in 1986 and received our first elephant in 1992 and she had 100 acres of free roam in woodlands, graze lands and ponds.  She never used more than 15 acres to roam.  We learned much by giving her and the other elephants that became her friends here that much land to roam in.  There were some things that were not good so we learned and solved those problems.  To this day we have had no problems with our elephants roaming free in a lot less space. We also will accept any elephant including bulls with total safe facilities for both, our people and animals.

THE HAWTHORN ELEPHANT RESCUE

I have read this part of their newsletter and I must admit it is one of the best hearts and flowers I have read in a long time.  Your writers are truly excellent the problem is that they don’t know anything about elephants. 

I’m afraid I have to disagree with you.  You didn’t rescue the Hawthorn elephants.  They had to be relocated due to problems Hawthorn had with U.S.D.A.  These elephants were in a safe and healthy environment over many years of tried and true practices with PROFESSIONAL elephant trainers and handlers.  When a deal was made with the Hawthorn people and U.S.D.A.- A.P.H.I.S. to have these elephants relocated I understand that there were a great many facilities that applied to receive these animals, the ARC of Fordland, MO included.  After an inspection of these facilities only four were acceptable to U.S.D.A.- A.P.H.I.S.  Three of the accepted facilities were animal activist facilities. Ours was not one of them.  Two of the accepted facilities dropped out leaving only two, TES and The ARK in OK.  Is there something wrong in Denmark?  I cannot speak for any of the other facilities but our facility for elephants is as safe as can be found for both personal and animals.

The ARK a division of Carson and Barnes Circus received, I believe one female African.  The ARK is a breeding facility and any of the females that were of breeding age should have gone there.  They are trying to propagate the species so that the species won’t become extinct.  I had never been notified by U.S.D.A.-.A.P.H.I.S., as of this day why our facility in Fordland, MO was not acceptable.  I had to go to my congressman to get a reason and the three reasons that he was notified of were the most ridiculous reasons.

TES also publicizes that they let the elephants be elephants.  We also used that for a short period of time long before TES used it, when we realized that we are the caretakers of these magnificent animals and we could not let them run loose without any form of control.  To me this animal is the most unique on earth.  That is if you really get to know them individually and know about them.  Not what you read out of a book what they should be.  There are no two exactly the same.

EXPERIENCE

I am very much interested in what actual experience that either Ms. Buckley or Mr. Blais have in handling or training elephants.

According to Ms. Buckley she has 30 years of working with elephants.  From what I have seen in her bio she had X amount of years in college.  Somewhere along the line she purchased a baby elephant. She then had to hire a PROFESSIONAL trainer to train her elephant.  I’m sure that the idea that the elephant should roller skate was her idea as from what I see she wants to stand out and there were no roller skating elephants at that time in the circus.  According to her she had to bring her elephant back to the professional trainer several times to show her how to handle the elephant as she was having problems.  So we now know that she doesn’t know how to train or properly handle the animal by her admission.

I understand that she worked in several zoos and entertainment facilities in the U.S. and Canada.  But it seems she didn’t stay very long at any of these facilities.  She finally found out that if you can’t properly train or handle elephants the next step is to leave them alone to do whatever they want.  Her theory that they will establish a normal exotic herd just doesn’t seem to work in captivity especially when these animals had been trained by humans and look to them for their guidance and leadership. There is a difference in wild and domestic elephants.  Several will bond but that is a long way from a natural social structure in a herd.

THE   TRAGEDY   AT   TES

This tragedy is something that can happen to anyone of us.  Just the fact that we work with an animal as big, massive, quick and intelligent as elephants are you should never take the attitude that it can’t happen to me.  This I know from my own experience.  It seems to me that both elephant and big cat trainers and handlers after having experience with some individual elephants get the attitude that they are indestructible and become complacent.  NOT SO!  My event was with a bull in full-blown musth even though he basically had an exceptional good nature when not in musth.

TES’ publicity states, “let them be elephants” and they have on numerous occasions stated that they do not interfere with their social structure.  They also have stated that they do not control their elephants or use any type of discipline.  This in time will lead to problems that are uncontrollable, as they have just experienced.  They are then at the mercy of the individual elephant as to how it feels and what it wants to do knowing that there are no consequences.  When we tried this theory of “let them be elephants” we also found that other elephants would copy the violation that they observed.

We discussed this at length to either “let them be elephants” or “handle elephants”.  We decided to use the latter as if we “let them be elephants”, what happens when for some particular reason we have to work in close proximity it is entirely up to the elephant as to the outcome.  In this situation a restraint has to be used and at no time should a person be around the animal without it being in the restraint.

EXAMPLE:  The elephants are out in the field playing and an unforeseen situation arises and it needs veterinary care.  Let’s say not a serious injury but enough that it has to have treatment so that infection doesn’t set in.  What if the elephant doesn’t want to come in when called?  Do you go out there in the midst of one or more elephants and medicate it?  Without discipline or some form of control, I think not.  This is not an isolated situation.

From what I understand Joanna Burk had been working with this one particular elephant for several years and the elephant showed no signs of aggression, or so TES’ publicity states.  This elephant came to the TES facility with a reputation, a bad one.  This type of behavior from an elephant that is dangerous it is safe to assume it will be all it’s life.  It has displayed problems in the past and faced no restrictions or discipline so now everything and everyone is fair game in the mind of the elephant. During her stay at TES she enjoyed the same situation that she could do what she wanted and regardless of her behavior there are no consequences.

From everything I have seen or heard about TES is they are the only ones that are doing the right thing for elephants and their attitude is,” we know it all”.  This is the furthest thing from the truth. WE HUMANS have just scratched the surface of what we should know about these animals.  We have so much more to learn and I feel it will take several generations of keeping these animals in captivity to learn.  But TES feels that they can do no wrong so they have to come up with a reason that is not their fault and they have so far for all situations, good or bad.  In this particular event this elephant suffers from PTS, (Post Traumatic Stress), for the way she was treated in her former facility.  Sorry I can’t buy it.  I could say many things I have learned from 43 years of hands on experience with elephants but I don’t know so I will let it lay dormant.

But to be fair let’s assume that this particular elephant, and I’m sure according to TES there are others that she knows suffer from PTS.  When does anyone know when any of them will strike out?

I would like to know why there was no investigation of this unnecessary death.  Where were U.S.D.A., PETA and the TN Authorities?  I know that when our fence was cut and our elephant was forced out of her area I had everyone down my back.  Do we have different sets of rules depending on who we are? 

When I use the terms control or discipline that does not mean brutality.  There are many ways to instill both without causing injury or physiological damage.