Not much I wouldn't think when you see the size of the Tuakau supermarket!!
Franklin Zoo (Closed) Elephant Kills Woman at Franklin Zoo
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Not much I wouldn't think when you see the size of the Tuakau supermarket!!
I think you're quite right Steve. $1.5m could provide for further care and staff. It seems a very sad and extreme resort that if they can't obtain the funds the poor elephant will be euthanased. There has to be some other alternatives? Maybe not but she is the only African elephant we have in New Zealand. Just me being perhaps unrealistic but she deserves to live and should be allowed to live.
Well nobody up to yet seems to put forward any good reason why Jumbo shouldnt stay in NZ for the rest of her years.
I think a visit to see her would be on the agenda of every visiting tourist to NZ. [and a contribution $$$$ from the visitors would help!]
Its just nobody knows about her!
C`mon NZ Government and Tourist depts, why dont you let the rest of the World know you have a beautiful Elephant that most of the population of NZ want to keep?
over to you................................................
I think a visit to see her would be on the agenda of every visiting tourist to NZ. [and a contribution $$$$ from the visitors would help!]
Its just nobody knows about her!
C`mon NZ Government and Tourist depts, why dont you let the rest of the World know you have a beautiful Elephant that most of the population of NZ want to keep?
over to you................................................
I'm just saying that NZ on Air would not invest $100k in something that was not going to happen.
NZ On Air | News | Press Releases
Also, note the date the funding was confirmed - 21 March 2012.
That's not what the expert from Auckland Zoo said.
there are some experts on circus-trained elephants on this thread who would disagree
only because she has selective deafness
indeed we do
with ears that big the selectiveness is more defined
there are little nuances in behaviour that can take natural ability or years of experience to detect
like what Mr Ratcliffe has?................................
Quite a bit of the materials and much of the labour was donated, a local earthmoving company donated the use of diggers and trucks for free.
A lot of people including myself made small donations of things like fencing materials, building materials and labour.
A local company even donated a light truck which is used to pick up food for the animals.
If she goes the enclosure isn't going to be of much use for anything else.
The elephant seems happy to be right where she is, so why risk the trauma of moving her and trying to integrate her in a different place with creatures she has never seen before.
Just a huge pity the original idea of never going in with her was ignored for some reason.
the first thing i learnt with handling animals was to always expect the worst scenario
and to never drop your guard or put your self in a vulnerable situation
first lesson was a mahout of 12yrs experience turning a tap off the elephant was drinking from
she nudged him away from the tap, unluckily it was against a concrete wall
3 cracked ribs and a broken collar bone was the result
familiarity and time can lead to a letting of ones guard down
and to never drop your guard or put your self in a vulnerable situation
first lesson was a mahout of 12yrs experience turning a tap off the elephant was drinking from
she nudged him away from the tap, unluckily it was against a concrete wall
3 cracked ribs and a broken collar bone was the result
familiarity and time can lead to a letting of ones guard down
zooboy28
Well-Known Member
Update on Mila's Future
This all seems very alarmist and I cannot understand why no-one is considering the option of her living out her days at Franklin Zoo. As has been said before this seems like quite a good option, both for Mila and Franklin Zoo itself. And there is no mention of the elephant sanctuary in America, which is always mentioned in a rather vague way, making any financial conmtributions towards her move.
Franklin Zoo Elephant Faces death If Funding Falls... | Stuff.co.nz
There is detailed information on the zoo's future post-Helen in their May newsletter, here: Newsletter ? HOW YOU CAN HELP
From that newsletter, the costs making up the $1.45 million needed are as follows:
The costs for caring for Mila in the next year are significantly higher than suggested above (~$80,000), and I really can't believe it would cost that much to care for her, and 'prepare her for the move', I don't know what costs would be involved there, except for a crate presumably.
I would imagine that re-opening the zoo would be a good way to raise some funds, especially if the receptionists are volunteers (which I think they are), which would mean it shouldn't cost much to actually be open. Is there any real need for the zoo to be shut now?
This all seems very alarmist and I cannot understand why no-one is considering the option of her living out her days at Franklin Zoo. As has been said before this seems like quite a good option, both for Mila and Franklin Zoo itself. And there is no mention of the elephant sanctuary in America, which is always mentioned in a rather vague way, making any financial conmtributions towards her move.
Franklin Zoo Elephant Faces death If Funding Falls... | Stuff.co.nz
There is detailed information on the zoo's future post-Helen in their May newsletter, here: Newsletter ? HOW YOU CAN HELP
From that newsletter, the costs making up the $1.45 million needed are as follows:
The costs for caring for Mila in the next year are significantly higher than suggested above (~$80,000), and I really can't believe it would cost that much to care for her, and 'prepare her for the move', I don't know what costs would be involved there, except for a crate presumably.
I would imagine that re-opening the zoo would be a good way to raise some funds, especially if the receptionists are volunteers (which I think they are), which would mean it shouldn't cost much to actually be open. Is there any real need for the zoo to be shut now?
"Alarmist" is a very good word to use I think. What are they going to do in a week's time when they don't have $1.45 million? Shoot her in the head?
I find it really interesting too how a quite large portion of the money ($300,000) "needed" to save the life of the elephant has nothing at all to do with the elephant (namely, "Caring for all the other animals at Franklin Zoo & Wildlife Sanctuary for the next 12 months").
I don't really understand the rationale behind the zoo being closed either (presumably -- reading between the lines here -- until the elephant is off the premises). There's not a killer elephant rampaging round the property; she's confined inside a custom-built elephant enclosure! There is literally no danger to anybody so long as they don't do something stupid like, I don't know, go in the enclosure with her!!
I find it really interesting too how a quite large portion of the money ($300,000) "needed" to save the life of the elephant has nothing at all to do with the elephant (namely, "Caring for all the other animals at Franklin Zoo & Wildlife Sanctuary for the next 12 months").
I don't really understand the rationale behind the zoo being closed either (presumably -- reading between the lines here -- until the elephant is off the premises). There's not a killer elephant rampaging round the property; she's confined inside a custom-built elephant enclosure! There is literally no danger to anybody so long as they don't do something stupid like, I don't know, go in the enclosure with her!!
and one further thing: why is Franklin being expected to pay the costs of the quarantine in America?! Surely that, at the very least, should be the responsibility of the sanctuary there?
zooboy28
Well-Known Member
If they didn't want the public to see Mila, it wouldn't be impossible to make her exhibit off-display, it is at the edge of the zoo, so some tall brushwood fencing or simialr could screen it out of view, although it would probably make some other enclosures off-display as well.
Can any of you Kiwis please find out who actually owns this elephant, and what the MAF direction truly is??
Thanks.
Thanks.
this has all got very confusing has it not? As far as I can make out the SPCA still owns her, unless that organisation gave her to Franklin??? From all the media reports lately they make it sound like Franklin does???
And also, when we weren't looking, MaF became the Ministry of Primary Industries (I can never remember the name of that unless I double-check, and so always end up putting the Ministry of Impulse Buying...). I was trying to find out what the truth is behind the elephant's deadline (pun intended) but couldn't find anything.
Anyway, harking back to the earlier comments about the cost and length of time it would take to crate-train Jumbo and the cost of the crate itself, etc etc, from media releases and news items it seems the training was already well underway before Helen's death, and presumably they already had the crate ready, as in this article from SAFE (yes, I know, its SAFE but still):
SAFE : Free Jumbo Campaign
and:
Helen Schofield, New Zealand Zookeeper, Killed By Mila The Elephant (UPDATED)
Well who can decide whats best for her?
1.she goes
2. she stays
My humble opinion based purely on economics is, She should go.
Looks like you lot in New Zealand have neither the money or the inclination to raise the money to keep her in FZ.
Since I dont know enough about elephants, especially Jumbo/ Mila, then I dont feel I am qualified to say "I think she should stay!"
So, since it was the plan of Helen Schofield to send her to US and the plans where in the latter stages,. Where was the $$$$ coming from to send her?
I find this very confusing
1.she goes
2. she stays
My humble opinion based purely on economics is, She should go.
Looks like you lot in New Zealand have neither the money or the inclination to raise the money to keep her in FZ.
Since I dont know enough about elephants, especially Jumbo/ Mila, then I dont feel I am qualified to say "I think she should stay!"
So, since it was the plan of Helen Schofield to send her to US and the plans where in the latter stages,. Where was the $$$$ coming from to send her?
I find this very confusing
It is confusing because the whole issue is built on untruths and deceit.
The figures quoted by the Trust [there's an oxymoron for you] are pure fantasy.
As Monty puts it so accurately - this is a dash for cash.
The rest of the reports are riddled with BS.
The elephant was never ready to ship. There was not even a crate to "crate train" her. I know that for a fact as I was there recently. Jumbo had not been at FZ for "four years". And, as Cadders has pointed out, Helen had no real intention to ship her out - rightly or wrongly she was Helen's raison d'etre.
For PAWS to require FZ to pay for a crate that would remain with PAWS, the quarantine health checks, the freight and all the associated costs and then end up with an elephant that they would use to squeeze more money out of their donors should alert thinking people to just what this "charity" is really all about.
The whole tragedy of Helen's death has now well and truly reached farcical proportions.
However, there may be some hope. It is possible that TV3 will make a positive statement sometime soon.
In the meantime, I would be grateful if any of you can establish just exactly what this MAF or MPI deadline is truly all about.
The figures quoted by the Trust [there's an oxymoron for you] are pure fantasy.
As Monty puts it so accurately - this is a dash for cash.
The rest of the reports are riddled with BS.
The elephant was never ready to ship. There was not even a crate to "crate train" her. I know that for a fact as I was there recently. Jumbo had not been at FZ for "four years". And, as Cadders has pointed out, Helen had no real intention to ship her out - rightly or wrongly she was Helen's raison d'etre.
For PAWS to require FZ to pay for a crate that would remain with PAWS, the quarantine health checks, the freight and all the associated costs and then end up with an elephant that they would use to squeeze more money out of their donors should alert thinking people to just what this "charity" is really all about.
The whole tragedy of Helen's death has now well and truly reached farcical proportions.
However, there may be some hope. It is possible that TV3 will make a positive statement sometime soon.
In the meantime, I would be grateful if any of you can establish just exactly what this MAF or MPI deadline is truly all about.
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