Former circus elephants just arrived at a new sanctuary. They are swimming and grazing on fruit buff

[douglas9]

For about two decades, elephants that performed with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus were sent to a reserve in central Florida when they became too old to balance on two legs and parade around arenas doing tricks and dancing for large crowds.

Animal rights’ groups have long called the breeding farm and retirement refuge problematic. It is owned by the parent group of the now-closed circus, and there have been reports of elephants being chained in concrete enclosures and some having foot and leg problems.

But in recent weeks, the former circus elephants have begun moving to a 135-acre sanctuary, one that is not affiliated with the circus that for years was accused of mistreating and abusing the gentle giants.



https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2021/05/13/circus-elephant-ringling-sanctuary/

[Rhiannon12866]

1. K&R! Awwwww...

[mopinko]

2. i'm happy for these elephants, but

and i'm prolly gonna get some shit here, i'm not sure that elephants, like horses and dogs, dont like having jobs.
you cant make an animal that big do shit if it rly doesnt want to. i mean, people have, but a lot of them ended up flattened.

those that do it right, tho. i believe they have a great bond, and that it is mutual.

i talk to animals. i train animals. i keep animals. i think it is the best thing about being human.

[Glorfindel]

3. I think you're right. You never see a domesticated rhinoceros.

Or hippo, for that matter.

[mopinko]

6. well i think some people can form a bond w most any animal.

but human elephant bonds are awfully common. hippos and rhinos not so much.

[exboyfil]

8. Then you had the African guy who had a pet hippo

along with a lot of other animals.

It didn't go well for him.

?itok=CRyZq3LC

https://www.pri.org/stories/2011-11-14/south-african-man-killed-his-pet-hippo-humphrey-video

[Karadeniz]

4. I think it's more about their lifestyle. In good zoos, they're trained by staff so that humans can

Interact with them for examinations. Those animals love "performing" since they get treats and compliments. But they otherwise live in a herd and more and more live in a spacious environment. However, the circus elephants were often abused while trained and their environment wasn't close to natural.

Hey!!! Have I got the pleasure-reading books for you!!! The first one is Zamba, the performing lion raised on love instead of fear. You'll LOVE Zamba, I promise... wish I hadn't already read it! Next, the books by Lawrence Anthony... what a life!!! I started out with The Elephant Whisperer... google in what the elephants did after he died. I still can't believe it, but can't find evidence it's a hoax. Ever wondered what happens to zoo animals after a war? Anthony was asked to go to Bagdad to save what was left of its zoo. The author/trainer of Zamba also wrote about an elephant named Medoc.

Sorry we won't be hearing from you for a while... you'll be glued to these books! They're on Kindle.

[mopinko]

5. the herd thing matters a lot.

we got rid of the elephants at lincoln park zoo a while back because they only had a few and the space was too small.

they took wonderful care of them, but knew they couldnt do enough.

and as someone who always trains their dogs, i have seen the evolution of methods from the military based methods to positive reinforcements. i also keep birds, and have for many years. i have no doubt that a lot of wild animal trainers have the kind of bonds w their charges that i do w mine.

[Submariner]

7. Watching the tears running out of Elephants eyes

as inconsiderate circus organizers made the elephants walk on piping hot asphalt city streets, supposedly assuming for little kids like me to enjoy, turned me off to this animal cruelty early on.

What I watched that day was made worse when the circus parade stopped for a few minutes, forcing the Elephants to hop scotch around their little piece of pavement, trying to get their feet off the hot pavement and even hotter steel trolley tracks embedded in that pavement.

Imagine stepping on a hot sand beach burning your feet and in great pain being made to keep walking or get a bull-hook jab.