Sad news. I was just doing some soil sampling at this facility when I was in TN for Nationals. They were very careful about my safety and followed rigid procedures . They would not let my assistant in the enclosure and I was required to be closely attended by a trainer at all times. I was not allowed to get anywhere near the elephants.
I met Carol Buckley, who is a founder, and she was passionate about the elephants. It is an amazing facility. I hope this death doesn’t close it down. I am sure everyone there is very upset.
That’s a very sad story, and I share your hope this tragedy doesn’t endager the facility. I’m also in your debt for sending the link to the facility overview. I had no idea such a place existed, and my son Miles is going to be very interested to browse the site, and perhaps one day visit if we ever get around to that family cross-country road trip I’ve been trying to organize for x years now.
There is a similar place a little closer, in the Sierra Nevada foothills about an hour away from me (Calaveras? San Andreas? Somewhere around there). I can’t find the name of the place, but it was in the news in Detroit a lot a couple of years back when they retired two of their elephants to the place.
Many other elephants will miss out on her care because of this one. Sounds like the elephant should have been put to sleep before it ever came to TN. Sorry to hear this news.
It’s always sad when someone gets killed. But the article is a bit strange…
According to the article they were keeping the elephant : “in a secure, controlled environment”.
It suggests the injustice is that they even keep INNOCENT elephants in secure detention facilities. The article continues that the elephant’s first violent acts in life occurred in protest of this injustice, and others occurred during escape attempts.
Then they even add that the elephant broke no laws!!! But they put her in the segregation wing of the animal prison–a barn.
“It’s undecided. We’ve never had an incident like this,” Markham said. “Our people will be discussing that. Nobody was breaking any laws, so it’s undecided right now.”
The elephant was being held in a barn at the facility Friday evening, according to the sheriff.
What to do with the elephant presents an interesting dilemma. When I was escorted around the compound by Carol Buckley, she seemed vigilant that she was dealing with animals that could be unpredictable. The animals there have emotional and physical wounds. My perception is that it is a bit of a green-acres asylum for these animals. If these animals were healthy and cuddly they’d still be tied to their post by the circus wagon or in the zoos.
The website for the Elephant Sanctuary is somewhat euphamistic about the elephants, although the grounds were every bit as pastoral as the website described. Mind you, this is not an inexensive facility to run and the website is a front for soliciting donations. I believe the article got much of the information from the Elephant sanctuary website, which I linked to in the first sentence of the original post.
IMNSHO, I think the people who culled the elephant’s herd and the later abusive trainers need to be euthanized. The poor trainer who gave her life will certainly have earned a place in Elephant heaven and she might rather prefer that than beyond St. Peter’s gates!
I don’t know the state of Winky, if she’s suffering a lot or not, but I can’t think of a safer place for her and people as long as she’s not suffering given the situation. My guess is when the dust settles if she isn’t killed as a result of this incident, she’ll be roaming around the pastures again, but may need tranquilizers for future veterenary calls.
