Elephant curator Jim Naelitz (left), his brother Todd Naelitz and keeper Stephanie James allow Avery Burgess, daughter of News Sentinel photographer Amy Smotherman Burgess, to pet Edie, an African elephant at the Knoxville Zoo. James died from injuries incurred when one of the female elephants pushed her into a stall Friday evening.
KNOXVILLE ZOO WORKER DIES AFTER ELEPHANT PUSHES HER INTO STALL
Stephanie Jamesloved animals - whether it was the horses she used to take care of as a child, her dog she rescued from being euthanized or the elephants that she cared for daily at the Knoxville Zoo.
"That was her life," her father, Ron James, said by telephone Friday evening. "It was just her goal in life to take care of animals and be around them."
On Friday, Stephanie James, 33, died after one of the elephants she was working with pushed her into a stall. James, who had worked at the zoo for two years, died as a result of internal injuries after being rushed to the University of Tennessee Medical Center.
James' injuries were not as a result of a malicious attack by Edie, one of the two female elephants at the zoo, but resulted instead from working "in close proximity to such a large animal," said Tina Rolen, the zoo's spokeswoman.
Edie is 26 and weighs between 8,000 and 8,500 pounds. She stands 8.5 feet at the shoulder. Edie has lived at the Knoxville Zoo since the park bought her in 2002 for $40,000 from a private Christian camp in Texas.
Zoo officials said they are in the process of conducting a full investigation of the incident. In a statement released Friday, zoo Executive Director Jim Vlna, expressed his sympathy to James' family.
"Everyone at Knoxville Zoo is shocked and saddened at the loss of Stephanie," he said. "Our prayers are with her parents, Ron and Kris James, and the rest of her family."
Condolences also came Friday night from city and county officials.
"This is a terrible tragedy," said Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett. "Stephanie will be missed by those who knew her and by the children whose imaginations were sparked by her work."
Ron James said his daughter would call often with stories of her work with the zoo's three African elephants - two females, Jana and Edie, and one male, Tonka.
"She liked to do things with the elephants, dress them up in costumes for Halloween or make Easter baskets for them," he said. "She was always talking about ideas for trying to entertain the elephants to make sure life was … easier for them to stay in the zoo."
His daughter, he said, was aware of the risk of working with the large animals.
"She would always tell us that she had to be careful around them," Ron James said. "I know she was doing everything possible to be careful. It's just a tragedy."
Ron James said his daughter previously worked for Sea World before deciding she wanted to work with elephants. Stephanie James graduated with an animal science degree from Purdue University.
Her love of animals spilled over into her personal life, too. Her father said she would often take her own dogs to visit sick children at the hospital or to schools for reading programs.
"She just wanted to share animals with other people. She was a loving, vivacious, devoted daughter with lots of friends," Ron James said. "People will miss not knowing her. She was terrific, and we'll love her forever. It's still not real."
Courtesy of Josip Marcan
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2 comments:
The John Wilkes booth comment is completely uncalled for. I personally have been in the exhibit with both Jana and Edie the female elephants at this zoo as a guest, not a worker, and would still continue to do so if allowed. These are kind, gentle elephants and this was truly a tragic accident where Ms. James was standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. These keepers work in close proximity with the elephants and the large metal bars that make up their interior enclosures and separate the male and female elephants in the outdoor exhibit. Shame on you for such an insensitive comment.
Anonymous,
Due respect, working with elephants, not as a guest, over half of my 55 years, and surviving a number of "things", rescuing people from a number of "things", as well as witnessing death on one occasion, my condolences do go out to Ms. James's family, thus the heading "Sad News." The comment was directed at the Spokeswomen's alibi, as this is directed at your alibi, "wrong place at the wrong time," suggests that if Lincoln would have canceled his trip to the theater, all would have been well, making John Wilkes Booth innocent and the theater guilty.
It goes with out saying that Edie is a kind, gentle elephant. That is a given that I would have assumed. Every animal "incident" since the early 80's has involved a good, kind, loving, wouldn't hurt a fly animal from elephants, to tigers, to chimps, to Orca's. They are different today, then pre-1980 when they were historically, rogue, dangerous, killer, difficult, unmanageable.
Elephant Expert Carol Buckley and TES would strongly suggest PTS Syndrome. Any thoughts on that, because it actually is more valid then holding large metal bars accountable.
Wade
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