Edison also electrocuted one on Coney Island in 1903 and filmed it. Google "Topsy the Elephant"
Posted on 01/16/2011 4:07:18 AM PST by markomalley
An inquiry is underway after an 8,000lb elephant at a Tennessee zoo backed a trainer into a wall and crushed her to death yesterday.
Knoxville Zoo said today that it had temporarily closed its elephant exhibit, while the rest of the zoo remained open.
But a zoo spokesman insisted the death of 33-year-old Stephanie James was nothing more than a terrible and tragic accident.
Tina Rolen, assistant director of marketing at the zoo, said: 'It's a difficult day but our staff is very professional and they are carrying on with their duties today.'
She said the review of yesterday's tragedy was continuing.
Ms James was fatally injured while performing routine chores involving Edie, a 26-year-old, 8,000lb elephant which is eight-and-a-half feet tall at the shoulder.
Edie is one of three African elephants at the zoo.
Ms Rolen said: 'At this point in time we don't believe it to be a malicious act or an aggressive act on Edie's part, but the review is ongoing to determine what happened in the barn.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Edison also electrocuted one on Coney Island in 1903 and filmed it. Google "Topsy the Elephant"
hahahaha
Not many people have been thumped me with an elephant trunk! Is that in your resume? It should be.
YEARS ago I worked in Missouri and talked with a farmer who told me he had a mule that would wait until you got in the stall with him and then crowd you flat up against the wall. Some of these critters know EXACTLY what they are doing.
They need to interrogate the hell out of that elephant to find out why it did what it did.
That elephant can lose 50 pounds just by doing that...too bad people cannot lose that much weight just by doing that..
Yes. To the best of my recollection, it was for trampling a trainer to death, and the elephant was hoisted up on a gallows and hanged - with some sort of lifting device used in those days in sensible work. I have thought it was a pitiful, ignorant and misguided action that I’m ashamed happened in my state (Tennessee). It was in a parade and went wild when it saw, and probably smelled, watermelons piled in a stall. It was obviously not done maliciously; the elephant had probably been worked hard in the hours before the parade - helping ereck circus tents. It was probably dehydrated and thirsty. It was pitiful. I’m not a PETA person, but that hurt me. It has been many years since that happened, before I was born. - We have an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee now where elephants that have been mistreated and worked nearly to death are taken to live free on a big tract of land in Hohenwald, Tennessee for the rest of their lives.
OSHA will demand that elephants be equipped with back-up beepers.
BEEP
BEEP
BEEP
What’s that sound? The Patriot’s backing out of the playoffs.
This is a reminder that elephants and other such creatures may be tamed, but they’re still wild animals of incredible strength. They’re entertainment, but they shouldn’t be trifled with. It’s terrible that this happened.
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