I found it disrespectful due to the timing of comments and the speculation when it was unknown as to the outcome for the injured. Not that hard to understand,but obviously.
You guys need to do your research. Elephants have been managed for thousands of years and due to a range of reasons have killed their handlers. The same can be said of horses and cattle,show me the statistics. It has become sensationalised by the media and insurance companies. In the west we seem to have a knee jerk reaction and not look at the individual situation under a microscope. I also find it hard to grasp that elements of society are so focused on imprisoning elephants when we have managed them otherwise for so long. Not everyone knows how to fly planes,but if they learn they can achieve this even though there is an expectation of danger. Pilots aren't grounded due to accident. Somehow the AR groups have tarred all elephant handlers with the same brush and therefore they are all abusing their charges with no regard. People abuse people and those held accountable are charged by law,simple. We should isolate those who do wrong and not malign all that offer their elephants an alternative to being confined. PC has its place and should be part of an elephant programs' tool box but not the only tool. We should invest in training and people,heard that before somewhere.The other huge issue in Australia is that nearly a whole generation of people have not known elephants to be managed in free contact in zoo's.Taronga,through the 80's,90's and early 00's managed elephants in PC. Western Plains has managed in FC since 1977,with a smaller visitation. Melbourne has managed in FC all through this time with 1 FC elephant until the 00's. Adelaide lost their FC elephant in the early 90's. Perth has had FC since the 60's and prior but remained with one FC elephant until the 90's,when 3 FC calves arrived and have been FC since except for the PC bull. Queensland has only had the 3 FC elephants at Australia zoo since the 00's. With the huge media exposure of the 'Thai 8', the public have suddenly been exposed to the world of elephant,that has been ticking along for thousands of years as said before. The US has had a FC/PC battle ground going on for a generation and now we have only just joined. I think we need to learn more before we absorb another countries opinion and assume that it is right and just, for animals and handler alike. It is the industry's vocation to educate and this can be achieved by training(people and elephants) and by allowing the elephants to do the rest. I only wish that if as much effort were put into shutting down elephant handling as there were to improve it then maybe the elephants would achieve a positive result.
You guys need to do your research. Elephants have been managed for thousands of years and due to a range of reasons have killed their handlers. The same can be said of horses and cattle,show me the statistics. It has become sensationalised by the media and insurance companies. In the west we seem to have a knee jerk reaction and not look at the individual situation under a microscope. I also find it hard to grasp that elements of society are so focused on imprisoning elephants when we have managed them otherwise for so long. Not everyone knows how to fly planes,but if they learn they can achieve this even though there is an expectation of danger. Pilots aren't grounded due to accident. Somehow the AR groups have tarred all elephant handlers with the same brush and therefore they are all abusing their charges with no regard. People abuse people and those held accountable are charged by law,simple. We should isolate those who do wrong and not malign all that offer their elephants an alternative to being confined. PC has its place and should be part of an elephant programs' tool box but not the only tool. We should invest in training and people,heard that before somewhere.The other huge issue in Australia is that nearly a whole generation of people have not known elephants to be managed in free contact in zoo's.Taronga,through the 80's,90's and early 00's managed elephants in PC. Western Plains has managed in FC since 1977,with a smaller visitation. Melbourne has managed in FC all through this time with 1 FC elephant until the 00's. Adelaide lost their FC elephant in the early 90's. Perth has had FC since the 60's and prior but remained with one FC elephant until the 90's,when 3 FC calves arrived and have been FC since except for the PC bull. Queensland has only had the 3 FC elephants at Australia zoo since the 00's. With the huge media exposure of the 'Thai 8', the public have suddenly been exposed to the world of elephant,that has been ticking along for thousands of years as said before. The US has had a FC/PC battle ground going on for a generation and now we have only just joined. I think we need to learn more before we absorb another countries opinion and assume that it is right and just, for animals and handler alike. It is the industry's vocation to educate and this can be achieved by training(people and elephants) and by allowing the elephants to do the rest. I only wish that if as much effort were put into shutting down elephant handling as there were to improve it then maybe the elephants would achieve a positive result.
