Elephant´s management: protected contact or not?

Elephant´s management: protected contact or not?
24-08-2008

This may have been discussed before, but I am new to the forum, so......

What are your opinions on the two alternative methods: protected contact or free contact (is that what it´s called? English is not my first language...)?

Having read some very troublesome testimonies regarding the use of free contact - basically examples of animals abuse - I tend to favour protected contact. By that, I don´t mean that all management with free contact must involve abuse, only that I have read enough about some sad examples.

What are your thoughts?

24-08-2008

Don`t believe every thing you read as there will always be good and bad examples of any system you care to use,with Elephants i know a few Keepers in this country that work with Elephants in the U.K using both methods they each swear by the system they use,personaly as long as the Elephant is well looked after i see no problem with either method if used correctly by the staff and zoo.

24-08-2008

Okay can someone explain the differances in these two methods with examples, would help

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24-08-2008

Protected Contact is usually used with bulls, as they are dangerous and they are usually enriched through gates and such, Free contact is that the elephant cas easily be approached by a keeper without and protection usually with trained cows or Juviniles. Though this can depend on the size of the herd as well. No contact means that there is no hands on enrichment involved.

25-08-2008

As I understand it, in the US, the AZA now requires protected contact at all accredited facilities. Too many keepers have died or been injured being in with elephants. A former colleague of mine had his head crushed a few years back

25-08-2008

So you are a zoo professional, Zooplantman? That´s great, just the kind of person I would especially appreciate input from on this matter!

I - as a zoo visitor, animal lover etc - have had the sort of "romantical" thought that if I had been a zoo keeper working with elephants, I would have wanted that personal contact with them - be able to go into their enclosure and work with them there. But just as you describe, this is a very dangerous practise: many elephant keepers have been killed or wounded over the years.

But lately I have also begun to question the idea of free contact from another perspective. Free contact means that the keeper assumes the roll of the matriarch of the heard. The keeper dominates the elephants and must to a certain extent - as I understand it - be feared by the elephants. This is problematic to me from several perspectives. For instance, the keeper does not stay with the elepahants 24/7. So in a free contact situation the elephant herd is left without the leader most of the time. Must be confusing for an animal with such a structured social order in the wild. also, "the matriarch" varies from time to time, depending on which keeper is at work.

Ah.....well. I have, here, only sketched some of the questions I have on this matter. I wish English had been my first language so that I could have expressed myself better! But you probaby understand my points, Zooplantman? Would appreciate further input from you!

25-08-2008

It is not correct that AZA zoos must use protected contact. There are still many US zoos that use free contact, for example Pittsburgh. One elephant in Pittsburgh, Moja, killed a keeper in 2002 and yet they are handling her in direct contact. Pictures of that have been in the press.

25-08-2008

Dan,

Keepers, AFAIK, want to have close contact with elephants. Nobody is forced for this job. Being hit by elephant is just a risk you accept if you want to be with elephants.

Protected contact is favoured by direction. Reason is to avoid accidents among staff and especially, start keeping more bulls (which are usually untractable).

Protected contact still involves close contact and directing of elephants by keeper. This is done through the gate, only.

25-08-2008

Forgot to add - Dan, I share your concerns about direct contact; I worry about keeper safety, and if it does any good for an elephant when the humans take the role of the dominant and enforce it with their bullhooks when challenged. I have seen it in a number of zoos how the keepers prodded an elephant very rough at a sensitive area (in the mouth, behind the ears ect) with the metal side of the ankus necause the elephant was not responding immediately to a command. If they do that in front of the visitors, one starts to wonder what they do behind the scenes.

I have been assured by serveral keepers who use protected contact since serveral years that they can do everything that is necessary to ensure medical care in pc, so why take the risk of direct contact? Especially in australian zoos, it seems to be very popular to take the elephants out of the enclosures for a walk as enrichment and exercise and use that as a reason why direct contact should be necessary, but in my opinion the walks are only necessary because the enclosures are too small (new Taronga elephant enclosure: just 2.000 m²!).

25-08-2008

Some great points there, Yassa! I have thought that one of the reasons to favour free contact would be the possibility to take the elephants for walks around the zoo. But your testimonies on the use of the ankus sort of .....well, you know......

I would very much appreciate more input on this question!

25-08-2008

I agree here in Melbourne they usually only walk them in one paddock, elephants at Taronga and Melbourne have been trianed to let keepers on their back, I wonder how the new calves will be enriched by when the time comes, probably like the rest of the family I assume, ?

25-08-2008

I would be interested in any proof that elephants are calmer or happier just because of protected contact.

Elephants normally push, hit and stab each other with force many times bigger than human. Keeper using ankus at every displeasure simply does what dominant elephant does (with a lot of bluff, he cannot answer elephant one to one). Elephant managed with direct contact usually bond well with their keepers. In Asia, ankus is used much more and elephants are, if anything, more bonded. Managing elephants by withdrawing food may not be better way at all.

25-08-2008

Actually, the AZA requires that all zoos have facilites for protected contact, not specifically use the mangement style. And not all elephants (and keepers) are ment for full contact management. It takes a special breed of keeper with a great respect for the animals to use a full contact management style. There are pros and cons for both styles, I have witnessed good examples of both.

25-08-2008

On my epic zoo trip this summer I saw zoo keepers inside and touching elephants in plain sight of visitors at the Pittsburgh Zoo, National Zoo in Washington DC and Knoxville Zoo. There were other zoos with keepers present that might or might not use protected contact, but at those 3 zoos the keepers (complete with some type of ankus) were directly inside with the pachyderms.

25-08-2008

I see, that the national zoo is still happy to make contact with Kandula.