Jeff Corwin Takes Love Bite From Elephant

[Shadrach]

Here's the link with video. Scroll down about mid page.

CNN.com - Anderson Cooper 360° Blog

[Xeikeness]

Oh my god! The mahoot stabbed the elephant right in face! AFTER it let Jeff go!

[Sleepy_FF]

Originally Posted by Shadrach

Here's the link with video. Scroll down about mid page.
CNN.com - Anderson Cooper 360° Blog

holy crap.... ouch!

[natas]

Originally Posted by Xeikeness

Oh my god! The mahoot stabbed the elephant right in face! AFTER it let Jeff go!

I wouldn't go as far as saying he stabbed the elephant. Elephants have thick skin and to even break it requires very very sharp objects. Jeff goes on to say that it was just a nibble and if the elephant wanted to do more damage it would of happened.

Close call either way. Hopefully Jeff learned a lesson and hopefully jeff will be fine

[Xeikeness]

I understand that, but I work with elephants at teh zoo here. The mahoot, if you watch closely, hit the elephant with the sharp end of the aspur, then the elephant jerked her head away, and the mahoot got dragged along with her head, the aspur was IN her face.

I don't care if they have thick skin or not, my real point was this:

The elephant grabbed Jeff, and swung him. Should punishment have been given, it should have been at THAT moment. She swung Jeff back, and dropped him, then pulled her head up and away. THEN the mahoot delivered punishment.

The elephant was successfully punished for letting Jeff go. What is she going to do the next time she grabs someone, having associated letting them go with being punished?

And moreover, any punishment should not have required shoving someone into the flesh of her face. Period. I've been training animals since I was 8, and never once have I ever needed to be physical, even when the animal was aggressive, and larger than me(As in the case of -many- horses I've worked with).

I know that elephants are much different than any animal I've trained before, but the same principals stand. That mahoot, in my own personal humble opinion, was way out of line with that shot. After Jeff was let go, there was no need to take any further action.

[natas]

Originally Posted by Xeikeness

I understand that, but I work with elephants at teh zoo here. The mahoot, if you watch closely, hit the elephant with the sharp end of the aspur, then the elephant jerked her head away, and the mahoot got dragged along with her head, the aspur was IN her face.

I don't care if they have thick skin or not, my real point was this:

The elephant grabbed Jeff, and swung him. Should punishment have been given, it should have been at THAT moment. She swung Jeff back, and dropped him, then pulled her head up and away. THEN the mahoot delivered punishment.

The elephant was successfully punished for letting Jeff go. What is she going to do the next time she grabs someone, having associated letting them go with being punished?

And moreover, any punishment should not have required shoving someone into the flesh of her face. Period. I've been training animals since I was 8, and never once have I ever needed to be physical, even when the animal was aggressive, and larger than me(As in the case of -many- horses I've worked with).

I know that elephants are much different than any animal I've trained before, but the same principals stand. That mahoot, in my own personal humble opinion, was way out of line with that shot. After Jeff was let go, there was no need to take any further action.

Very good point, and I didn't even notice that. I am actually a firm believer in punisher directly when something happens rather than later. I do it with my dogs. If I come home and find the trash scattered around I do not punish them because they don't understand it...but if I catch them in the act I react asap.