Water For Elephant’s Star Tai

Atlantic City Central--ACWEEKLY.com

The biggest star in the new circus drama Water For Elephants is not Twilight’s Robert Pattinson, or his Oscar-winning co-stars Reese Witherspoon or Christoph Waltz. The biggest star and the one getting the best reviews is Tai the elephant who stars as Rosie in the movie.

Tai really gets to show off her acting skills including her “romance” with Pattinson. I’m not the only critic who feels that relationship is more interesting than the official romance between Pattinson and Witherspoon in the movie.

Tai was hired from the animal actors organization Have Trunk Will Travel (you can’t make this stuff up), owner by head trainer Gary Johnson and his wife Kari. They would never let their star be hurt and she was pampered on the set with the elephant’s version of her own private RV, much bigger than the RVs for the actors of course. And of course the Humane Society is there every day to make sure no animals are harmed. Check out this neat behind the scenes video.

RSS 2.0 Live feed if you care to follow comments to the above American Humane Society clip

jainem Says:
April 26th, 2011 at 7:21 pm

Rosie shows how badly treated circus animals were in the 30’s. Sadly here we are 80 years later and Rosie/Tia and fellow circus elephant performers still live an abusive and inhumane life to entertain the public. If you haven’t seen the photos and videos released in 2009 showing how the circus industry trains it’s baby and adult elephants, you haven’t looked on the Internet and YouTube. The trainers are using real bullhooks, real ropes and a real electric prod to hit, shock, jab their baby elephants, these training sessions continue for months or year. You soon realize that people like August still exist in our modern day circuses. Circus elephant abuse is still alive and going strong in the 21st century.
If you think animals should be treated humanely the circus is the last place you should go. Otherwise you will miss Rosie’s message.

Rebecca Says:
April 27th, 2011 at 1:40 pm

Jainem-
Gee, so I guess you just make statements that are blatantly false routinely? I personally know the owners of Have Trunk Will Travel. I personally know their trainers and their elephants. I have been lucky enough to have been to their ranch several times over the years of our friendship. And I’m here to tell you, you do not know what you are talking about. How dare you say such malicious things about them? Rosie and Tai and the rest of their family, are cared for with love and respect. Gary and Kari have done more for the conservation of elephants than you possibly could spouting your lies about them. They have NEVER used “real bullhooks, real ropes and a real electric prod to hit, shock, jab their baby elephants, these training sessions continue for months or year.” What they have used is love and trust. Their elephants are pampered. If I were an elephant, I’d want to live with Kari and Gary at Have Trunk Will Travel. Please people, do your homework. Don’t believe everything that the people like Jainem spout. They have their own agendas, and it isn’t for the sake of the animals they claim to love so much.

Mary Lee Says:
April 27th, 2011 at 4:39 pm

It is interesting that ‘janeim’ purports to know more than the American Humane Society! I agree totally with Rebecca’s comments and strongly advise people to do their fact checking! Too many people let themselves be ruled by rumor and innuendo and appeals to an emotional reaction, rather than listening to the multitudes who know how much those at Have Trunk Will Travel love and honor their elephants.

For jainem--I posted this for you for two reasons. Things like this are legitimate, everyday, around the world concerns, and I have posted it in the hopes it will give you number one, something to do, and number two, and most importantly something valid in which to "shower you concern." Cut the AHA a check, a big one. Do it now, don't wait. They need and will be thankful for your help. Stop telling people who know so much more about elephant's then you do, what to do with the elephants. Don't repeat or mimic something you have heard. That's what psittacines, some myna birds, and the occasional crow do. They repeat things they have been programed to say, without having a clue as to the meaning. Enduring quality in a parrot, ignorance in a human being.

Rebecca and Mary Lee--I posted the picture at the top of this thread and the link below for you. I am sure you both know who that is in the picture, but I don't think you know what that is in his right hand? That's a "real bullhook." I only point that out to you because Rebecca said "They have NEVER used real bullhooks," and Mary Lee, you "strongly" agreed with her. Folks like jainem arn't worth any more of an effort then ignoring. They are mimicking parrot's, just repeating what they are told and taught, they have no basis of knowledge or proof of what they are saying. Next time you hear a parrot say "I love you," ask him what love mean's. He will look at you blankly, and then again say, "I love you." That's because he doesn't know what love means, he doesn't have a clue. He only knows who to mimic what he has been taught say. He doesn't know what it means. That's a jainem and an animal activist. But you, Rebecca and Mary Ann for all you obvious good intentions, don't seem to know any more about what you speak then jainem. You good intentioned ladies(I hope you don't mind) often do more damage to my profession then the jainem's of the world. Of course he has a "real bullhook". He has to have one, and he will have to use it when necessary, because he is an elephant trainer. Possibly one of the best in the United States. A policeman has a "real gun." He has to have one, and he will have to use it when necessary, because he is a policeman. You will note I didn't say Gary uses his "real bullhook" because he want's to, and neither does the policeman use his "real gun" because he want's to. They only use their tools when necessary, not because they are bad people, but because they are good people and they have no option. That's why Gary is a great elephant trainer, and a policeman is a great law enforcer. Note where Gary's hook is, in the picture above. At his side, in the hand furthest away from the elephant in a neutral, non threatening position. Like a policeman's holstered revolver. Yes, I said non threatening, gasp, shutter, because when it goes in the other hand, he is not asking Tai for her opinion or what she thinks of what he has instructed her to do. Like a policeman unsnapping his holster, it's now about business. Fairly and humanly(you will note in the AHA clip that is what the AHA is expecting. They are not expecting an elephant trainer to "I just carry a bullhook, but I never use it" any more then we assume a policeman just carries a gun, and then are aghast when he actually has to use it. Do you know how bad a great trainer like Gary looks when out of necessity he has to use his ''real bullhook" to enforce a command, applying no more pressure then the spur on the heel of a rider, after people have said he doesn't have one? Those false, good intentioned statements cause more harm then a dozen animal activists spouting their bad intentioned statements. Ten seconds into the AHA clip you will note a women with 3 horses with two whips in her hands, use one of those whips. That's right she hit the horse with the whip. That's what a whip is for. To make the girls arm's longer. She couldn't reach up and touch the gray horse with her hand as she is too short, and besides she would have been pawed in the mouth with it's front feet. So she used a whip, not a carrot stick, not a pointer, but a whip. It was not used to beat the horse, it was used "fairly and humanly". But we have been indoctrinated to believe whips are bad if they are used with lions or tigers and elephants? Go figure. Actually if the women held the whip at the butt instead of choked up on the handle it would be more effective with less effort and motion, but if she is part of the Reynolds crew, she is more then qualified.
At 1:43 you will also not a women in chino's and white shirt, being coached I assume by Kari. Do you know what that is in her hand? That also is a "real bullhook." No animal will bow as this elephant is doing with just the motion of the hand as Kari is demonstrating. That motion is only the end result of hours of practice, initially being touched with a "real bull hook" or a buggy whip if it is a horse. Did you see the word "touch", not to infer or have some moron suggest beating. You will note that the "real bull hook" is in her right hand, the hand farthest away from the elephant in the non threatening position mentioned earlier. Opposite hand from Gary above, because she is on the right side of the elephant and Gary is on the left or dominant side.
At 1:51 you will hear AHA Officer Tonya Obeso(boy she is a pretty lady. I hope I get her to inspect me someday. We could talk the inspection report over at dinner.) say that the elephant "isn't reacting to the swing of the stick, she is reacting to the verbal cue and the training that she is being asked to perform." That's not completely true, and if you back the tape up to 1:47 you will see the girl shift her "real bullhook" and "move" her shoulders and waist towards the elephant as she gives the command.
At 2:12 you will see a giraffe wearing a halter and a rope. That is so he can be controlled, it's not decorative. Because a giraffe given his nature can be controlled with with a halter and rope, a "real bullhook" isn't necessary for him, and in the wrong hands a lot of damage can be done to a giraffe with a halter and rope. But because an elephant can't be controlled with a halter and lead rope, you need a "real bullhook." It's actually quite simple, isn't it? As you continue on, you will note zebra, camel, and llama's also wearing a halter and a rope. The can be controlled without a "real bullhook" also. At 2:30 you will note a yak. In addition to a halter and rope he is wearing a jaw chain. Not a jaw tether, because I understand it is becoming politically incorrect to refer to the things on an elephants leg if necessary as it "chain" and instead we are to call it a tether, but it is an actual chain. There I said it, gasp, shutter. It works on the same principle as a "real elephant hook". It applies uncomfortable pressure under his chin/jaw if he spooks and tries to run backwards or freezes and refuse's to move. As "he" makes it more uncomfortable for himself, in real short order he learns/accepts that if he steps forward the pressure is released, and only goes back on, if he goes backward. If it is placed over the nose it is called a nose chain(forget tether), working on the same principle in a opposite direction. If he spooks and tries to run away, it applies uncomfortable pressure to the bride of his nose, and in short order he learns/accepts that if he quits running the uncomfortable pressure goes away. For many stallion's it is a standard piece of equipment know simply as a "shank," because you may have to "snatch it" to make him keep his mind off of that mare standing in the next pasture.

So what gives? We have looked at whips, halters, ropes, and jaw chains. I suspect there were even some spurs to be found, yet we feel we have to alibi, deny, pretend it doesn't exist, or convince ourselves we don't see this monster called a "real bullhook." I think simply the people objecting to it have no more of an idea of what it is, and how it is used, then the people who are claiming it doesn't exist, or if it does it is just carried. I think if you all got together and let the great ones do what they do best, and stopped the bad one's from doing the bad they do, you would be doing myself and my industry a personal favor, and there would be no more beef's or unfounded innuendo's. Gary Johnson's a great one. Leave him alone jainem. Rebecca and Mary Lee, your help was appreciated, but please don't help any more. Thank you.



Tai the elephant is scene stealer in 'Water for Elephants ...