This Elephant was an asshole!

69charger

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060722/ap_on_re_us/elephant_attack

I knew this Elephant when it was at the Vilas Zoo in Madison. It would go nuts if you clapped your hands. I remember a drunk guy kept clapping his hands and moving to various parts of the enclosure and the Elephant was charging the moat and throwing dirt at everyone. It tried throwing a tire across but it was too big. The other Elephants were cool, this one was a prick.

rightondude

If they euthanize it, that's fucked. I say release the damn thing back into the wild... that's probably why it's pissed. Probably wants to get laid, or it has a bad tooth, or it's ill, etc...

Also it's probably a lot smarter than we realize. Hell if they can train them as well as they do it's definitely has some mind of it's own... they do mourn their dead afterall, and talk a lot to each other in the inaudible range

LeilaMoonTurtle

completely agree!

rightondude wrote:

If they euthanize it, that's fucked. I say release the damn thing back into the wild... that's probably why it's pissed. Probably wants to get laid, or it has a bad tooth, or it's ill, etc...

Also it's probably a lot smarter than we realize. Hell if they can train them as well as they do it's definitely has some mind of it's own... they mourn their dead afterall

sourdough

You can't just release an animal that has been in captivity for 30 years. Its a bit more complicated than that.

cornnifer

69charger wrote:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060722/ap_on_re_us/elephant_attack

I knew this Elephant when it was at the Vilas Zoo in Madison. It would go nuts if you clapped your hands. I remember a drunk guy kept clapping his hands and moving to various parts of the enclosure and the Elephant was charging the moat and throwing dirt at everyone. It tried throwing a tire across but it was too big. The other Elephants were cool, this one was a prick.

An animal such as an elephant, held captive in a very confined space, so that we might gawk and throw popcorn while some drunk bastard claps his hands in an obvious attempt to taunt and torment her/him, and, the elephant is an asshole?

rebornFixer

sourdough wrote:

You can't just release an animal that has been in captivity for 30 years. Its a bit more complicated than that.

That is exactly the problem ... Such an animal probably would not make it in the wild. Of course, not making it in the wild and euthanasia wind up at the very same place, so ...

rightondude

sourdough wrote:

You can't just release an animal that has been in captivity for 30 years. Its a bit more complicated than that.

No kidding, but you know what I mean...(I hope)

With radio tracking for a few months, yes, in a controlled reserve in Africa yes they can.

Also they are herbavores....they don't hunt. Do they somehow forget how to chew food outside of the zoo?

sourdough

I would choose the Euthanasia option if I had to choose. Firstly, its going to be much more traumatic to the elephant emotionally, physically and mentally to be sedated, shoved in a tiny cage, airlifted to Myanmar on a 12 hour flight. This doesn't even address who wants to pick up the bill. Once it is released (if it is alive) then you have to think about the reprocussions it will have on the environment and on teh native people who now have a pissed off elephant who is no longer scared of humans. Lastly, elephants are social animals, so its cruel to abandon him as well without socializing him with others. Release is such a bad idea.

rebornFixer

sourdough wrote:

I would choose the Euthanasia option if I had to choose. Firstly, its going to be much more traumatic to the elephant emotionally, physically and mentally to be sedated, shoved in a tiny cage, airlifted to Myanmar on a 12 hour flight. This doesn't even address who wants to pick up the bill. Once it is released (if it is alive) then you have to think about the reprocussions it will have on the environment and on teh native people who now have a pissed off elephant who is no longer scared of humans. Lastly, elephants are social animals, so its cruel to abandon him as well without socializing him with others. Release is such a bad idea.

Good points ...

rightondude

reborncareerist wrote:

That is exactly the problem ... Such an animal probably would not make it in the wild. Of course, not making it in the wild and euthanasia wind up at the very same place, so ...

wrong...wrong... What the fuck (animal) is going to attack an elephant?

you're kidding right?

baraka

cornnifer wrote:

An animal such as an elephant, held captive in a very confined space, so that we might gawk and throw popcorn while some drunk bastard claps his hands in an obvious attempt to taunt and torment her/him, and, the elephant is an asshole?

Yeah, no doubt! A lot of these poor elephants have been abused in the past, it's no suprise that it's aggressive. This is not a new thing with elephants. Eventually a lot of them 'snap' and turn violent, even against those trying to help and take care of it. Wild animals are just that, wild. I guess when someone's pet tiger freaks out and mauls him, it is an asshole too. I remember reading about some guy's 'pet' python wraping around his neck and choking him to death in front of on-lookers. Asshole snake.

sourdough

rightondude wrote:

wrong...wrong... What the fuck (animal) is going to attack an elephant?

you're kidding right?

Actually most elephants and other large mature animals die from starvation or disease. I'm assuming that this elephant is very old. 30 years in captivity, how old was it when captured? This is very old for a large mammal to cope in the wild. Furthermore, it doesn't know the terrain and jungles in Myanmar are not easy to navigate I'm assuming.

And you cannot release it into Africa. It is a different subspecies and you would be introducing genes not native to the continent.

rebornFixer

rightondude wrote:

wrong...wrong... What the fuck (animal) is going to attack an elephant?

you're kidding right?

Elephants have few natural predators, I agree. Not what I meant ... Stress associated with an unfamiliar environment is probably the biggest problem.

rightondude

sourdough wrote:

I would choose the Euthanasia option if I had to choose. Firstly, its going to be much more traumatic to the elephant emotionally, physically and mentally to be sedated, shoved in a tiny cage, airlifted to Myanmar on a 12 hour flight. This doesn't even address who wants to pick up the bill. Once it is released (if it is alive) then you have to think about the reprocussions it will have on the environment and on teh native people who now have a pissed off elephant who is no longer scared of humans. Lastly, elephants are social animals, so its cruel to abandon him as well without socializing him with others. Release is such a bad idea.

That's a weak opinion dude. elephants are smarter than you think man. I got that right away, just from beholding the creature. They actually get bored in zoo's.

"Nandipa (16 year old female) was released in September 2003 and is surprising us all with how quickly she is adapting."

read this:
http://www.abucamp.com/resrch.html

released elephants success stories:
http://www.abucamp.com/elep2.html

rightondude

reborncareerist wrote:

Elephants have few natural predators, I agree. Not what I meant ... Stress associated with an unfamiliar environment is probably the biggest problem.

Yeah, age could pose a problem, however it's middle aged, and I give these beasts huge credit to adapt. They've been doing it for hundres of millions of years. The survival instinct is strong.

I think the thing is actually going stir crazy and speaking out. I think he knows what he is doing and voicing miscontent for his circumstance(s).

rightondude

sourdough wrote:

Actually most elephants and other large mature animals die from starvation or disease. I'm assuming that this elephant is very old. 30 years in captivity, how old was it when captured? This is very old for a large mammal to cope in the wild. Furthermore, it doesn't know the terrain and jungles in Myanmar are not easy to navigate I'm assuming.

And you cannot release it into Africa. It is a different subspecies and you would be introducing genes not native to the continent.

What I'm saying is that it can be done and is being done...

Elephants live almost along as humans 60-70 years. The last of our worries is this thing breeds sucessfully. Also it could be have it's tube's tied if necessary. However that definitely isn't a problem

These things are going extinct if you haven't noticed.

NMyTree

69charger wrote:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060722/ap_on_re_us/elephant_attack

I knew this Elephant when it was at the Vilas Zoo in Madison. It would go nuts if you clapped your hands. I remember a drunk guy kept clapping his hands and moving to various parts of the enclosure and the Elephant was charging the moat and throwing dirt at everyone. It tried throwing a tire across but it was too big. The other Elephants were cool, this one was a prick.

Is she a Muslim elephant?

Hard to believe an intelligent animal like an elephant wouldn't appreciate being captured, hauled around the globe, imprisoned, poked and jabbed with sticks, electricuted and expected to entertain some human beings.

Damn, Ungrateful Muslim Elephant!!!

hippiemom

cornnifer wrote:

An animal such as an elephant, held captive in a very confined space, so that we might gawk and throw popcorn while some drunk bastard claps his hands in an obvious attempt to taunt and torment her/him, and, the elephant is an asshole?

Exactly!!!

sourdough wrote:

I would choose the Euthanasia option if I had to choose. Firstly, its going to be much more traumatic to the elephant emotionally, physically and mentally to be sedated, shoved in a tiny cage, airlifted to Myanmar on a 12 hour flight. This doesn't even address who wants to pick up the bill. Once it is released (if it is alive) then you have to think about the reprocussions it will have on the environment and on teh native people who now have a pissed off elephant who is no longer scared of humans. Lastly, elephants are social animals, so its cruel to abandon him as well without socializing him with others. Release is such a bad idea.

Sadly, I agree with this. Even if there is a program in Burma to reintroduce elephants into the wild, an angry elephant with no fear of humans, and accustomed to looking to humans for food, is a recipe for disaster. The poor thing is probably insane from years of abuse and confinement in a non-stimulating environment.

Such a sad story ... I feel terrible about the handler who died. The Elephant Sanctuary is one of my favorite charities and one of the all-time great animal welfare organizations, it's horrible that this tragedy happened there of all places, taking the life of someone who was so devoted to these animals.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

......................

Milhouse VanHouten

The title led me to believe that this thread was about Republicans.

hippiemom

Milhouse VanHouten wrote:

The title led me to believe that this thread was about Republicans.

Haha!!! That's what I thought too

SPEEDY MCCREADY

hippiemom wrote:

Haha!!! That's what I thought too

fucking liberals.........

hiya hippie!!!!!!!!!!

Milhouse VanHouten

hippiemom wrote:

Haha!!! That's what I thought too

...and upon reading it, I find out it's about an actual elephant. Damn.

Now I want to watch Operation: Dumbo Drop, starring Ray Liotta and Danny Glover.

SPEEDY MCCREADY

Milhouse VanHouten wrote:

...and upon reading it, I find out it's about an actual elephant. Damn.

Now I want to watch Operation: Dumbo Drop, starring Ray Liotta and Danny Glover.

operation dumbo drop???

isnt that when the dems announce Hillary as their candidate????

kenny olav

It took 20 posts for this thread to (sorta) justify its existance on A Moving Train.

AllNiteThing

Why do people feel the need to play 'god'? Does this thing not deserve life, as the rest of us? And a decent one at that - away from confinement and ridicule.

Seeing the relative poor state of the elephant population in this world, everything and I mean EVERYTHING should be done to release this animal into the wild, over euthanasia. What makes you people think you know how this animal would want to die? You say euthanasia is so much more humane. Bullshit. At least give it a chance to live some sliver of its existence in the habitat it has been evolved to adapt to. Just because it's lived in a concrete box for decades doesn't mean we can decide it can't live anywhere else. Sure, previous animals released may have died from such and such a cause, but like I said, who are WE to play 'god'???? Don't get me started on 'they are not native' to such and such a region. First, pretty soon they won't be native ANYWHERE, and second, then just release it where it is native. Stop the excuses.

After all we've done to exploit its existence, I say give it a chance.

Bu2

And I thought this thread was written by a chick who used to be a Republican.

Hmp.

I guess I'm the only one?

rightondude

AllNiteThing wrote:

Why do people feel the need to play 'god'? Does this thing not deserve life, as the rest of us? And a decent one at that - away from confinement and ridicule.

Seeing the relative poor state of the elephant population in this world, everything and I mean EVERYTHING should be done to release this animal into the wild, over euthanasia. What makes you people think you know how this animal would want to die? You say euthanasia is so much more humane. Bullshit. At least give it a chance to live some sliver of its existence in the habitat it has been evolved to adapt to.

After all we've done to exploit its existence, I say give it a chance.

It has, and is, being done, and it's working, and I posted links to the examples of...

I just can't stand the mentality of hmm it's broken...oh well kill it then. Serve it death promptly. Fucking retarded thought process that is.

Then I wonder why we're tits deep in a bloody, senseless war right now...

:rolleyes:

decides2dream

take away ones 'purpose' in living...and one will slowly go mad. so is the same with animals in captivity. what a shame.

decides2dream

Kenny Olav wrote:

It took 20 posts for this thread to (sorta) justify its existance on A Moving Train.

huh?


A Moving Train Politics, current events - reasoned debate and discussion - we can all learn something new.


beyond politics, i think this thread subject fits ALL of the other, above listed criteria for this forum...unless i am missing something?

Skitch Patterson

For a much happier Elephant Story, do a search for Wanda and Winky...


the jist of it is, the CEO of the Detroit Zoo thought the enclosure was too small, so at great expense (and at the risk of losing their zoological socity accreditadation) they found an elephant sanctuary and had it transported across the country.

here's a brief story about it...

http://detroit.about.com/b/a/130385.htm