I know it makes a wonderful spectacle, but I never feel happy about Whipsnade's elephant handling regime and the walks through the park. Apart from the risk of accidents, it is very time-consuming. I can't help thinking that the man-hours spent doing shows and walking animals round the park might be enough to get Black Rhino back on site.
I can’t say I’ve ever seen a zoo do this before. I’ve heard of it, but I’ve never seen it done before. No US zoo puts visitors in such close proximity to elephants. It uses to be common in America, but is no longer practiced. I’m not surprised that it is still done in other countries. Sadly, when walking an adult elephant, bull hooks are always involved. Most zoos have stopped doing this. I have yet to hear of a zoo in the US doing this during modern times. I know elephant walking is still practiced in Canada. I don’t see any problem with keeping an elephant in a northern zoo. I just don’t like their handling practices.
I remember elephant walks at Whipsnade when I was a kid (seem to think I had a ride on one), and I believe they still do it on occassion now, but I've not seen it. They do tend to let take them onto the hill-side for a wander every now and again, but not while the zoo is open.
