Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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A Blog designed for discussion of topics related to, but not limited to, Circus, Zoos, Animal Training, and Animal Welfare/Husbandry. Sometimes opening up the dialog is the best starting point of all. And if for nothing else when people who agree and don't agree, get together and start discussing it, it will open up a lot of peoples minds. Debate and discussion even amongst themselves opens a window where there wasn't one before.
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Wade G Burck
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5 comments:
Hi Wade,
Do you have a date for this picture? It has to be quite a while ago.
The area where this picture was taken is just inside the section of the zoo called "Wild Asia".
The "Wild Asia" complex contains an indoor exhibit, "Jungle World", and the "Bengali Express", a monorail that takes you through recreations of different spots in Asia so you can view the animals in a naturalistic environment.
I don't believe that they have given elephant rides at the Bronx Zoo in some time. The last time that I was at the zoo, in this area they were giving camel rides.
You can only view the zoo's Asian elephants from the the Bengali Express (the monorail, although there might still be one at the Elephant House.
In response to the controversy of elephants in zoos, the Bronx Zoo has chosen to, "manage to extinction". They will not move their elephants to a sanctuary, nor will they acquire anymore elephants after these elephants pass on.
Going back a number of years ago, the Bronx Zoo actually had a very nice elephant show, and elephant rides, in an area just in front of the Elephant House in center of the zoo.
The elephant show was quite good, and informative. The elephants preformed a number of behaviors consistent with the lives in the wild and with working in Asia's logging industry.
I believe the gentleman that conducted the show and presented the elephants was named Larry Joyner.
I think no elephants at the Bronx Zoo would be sad. Elephants are one of "abc" animals that everyone visiting zoos comes and wants to see.
Stay well,
Henry
Henry,
You are correct, Larry Joyner was the person who did the elephant rides at the Bronx for a number of years. I first met Larry in 1975 on the Miller Johnson/Vargas show. He was in charge of the menagerie and occasionally assisted Wally Ross with the elephants.
It is a unanimous conclusion Henry, that zoo's are no longer justified in "exhibiting one of everything" in an effort to show mankind the many wonders of the animal kingdom. The new world of mass media and travel provides a source for most of it today. It is accepted that the zoo's role is not to protect and reproduce as a stop gap against extinction, and the dream(reality or impossibility) of reintroduction. Most all city zoo's surrounded by humanity, don't have the luxury of expansion or building of larger, more adequate exhibits. They then have to decided not only what is humane to exhibit, in their effort a reproduction, but also what is more financially feasible. Do you spend 18-20 million dollars constructing an adequate elephant facility? Or in the bigger picture do you let that species fade out, or send them to an adequate facility and use the 18-20 million improving other species facilities of which you already have a good start. Shows, logging or otherwise will only be justifiable as "education" if the audience leaves wanting to learn more. If not they just stay in the first grade and read the same book over and aver again. Then they are not learning(educating) but instead entertaining themselves, which maybe, is what a show or logging demonstration really is, a highly entertaining, basic education?
Wade
Was Larry at the zoo before or after Rex ? Rex had a contract for rides and training the zoo's animals for the 1976 season. He left the zoo and headed for a California-based circus ( no need for further explanation there :) ) In the meantime, either he or Catskill owned an Asian female 'Debbie' from the Jacksonville Zoo. She was used for rides at the zoo that season and subsequently purchased by the Bronx. Rex called her Big Tush; the zoo renamed her Tuss.
My cousin is getting married in July and they wil honeymoon in Thailand. She wanted this exotic trip so that she could ride an elephant. I told her that as children her mother and I rode an elephant at the Bronx zoo! I am reading this blog to confirm my memory. I am 56 and I still remember that trip to the Bronx zoo and the elephant! I haven't been to Thailand yet though.
Interesting. I was talking about riding an elephant only two days ago! I rode both the elephant and the camel at The Bronx Zoo. Funny, a kid from The Bronx has experienced this, and people who have traveled to most of the world have not.
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