Toronto Zoo keepers speak out about trip to PAWS
Amy Dempsey
Toronto Star
Elephant handlers from the Toronto zoo speak about their journey to California and losing the animals that they cared for for so long.
It was a long and tiring ride from the Toronto Zoo to the PAWS sanctuary based in San Andreas. The youngest of the elephants was showing signs of stress and was not wanting to come out of the crate she was getting transported in. The keepers had to caux her out of the crate and in to the elephant barn. Keepers Rebecca Clark and Brendan Linnell called to the elephant "Alllright. Alllright." Clark called to Thika in a soothing tone. She repeated this over and over . For four years the keepers had been working with the elephants and could interpret what they were thinking by every movement and rumble.
This was Thika's first time out of the zoo in her 33 year life and overwhelmed by all the noises and sounds. She needed to familiarized her self with something. The keepers asked for water and juice crystals for the elephants because that is what they like to drink and familiarize them selves. After the elephant was out of the crate after a 4,100 km trip. The keepers jobs were done.
The keepers were worried how the elephants would coupe at the PAWS center after the them and the people at PAWS had been fighting for the past two years. City councillors voted to send the animals to California without telling the keepers. This lead to many keepers not being allowed to enter the sanctuary or come on the trip.
I don't like how people could decide on taking away animals that people had spent a majority of their zoo keeper career with the animals and take them away. The animals have grown used to the keepers being with them and being at the zoo. They just decided to ship them off to a place they have never been and with people they have never met which i think isn't humane to both the elephants or keepers.
The keepers were worried how the elephants would coupe at the PAWS center after the them and the people at PAWS had been fighting for the past two years. City councillors voted to send the animals to California without telling the keepers. This lead to many keepers not being allowed to enter the sanctuary or come on the trip.
I don't like how people could decide on taking away animals that people had spent a majority of their zoo keeper career with the animals and take them away. The animals have grown used to the keepers being with them and being at the zoo. They just decided to ship them off to a place they have never been and with people they have never met which i think isn't humane to both the elephants or keepers.
