Harley Davidson's Newest Competition--The Herriott Davidson. Iron Horse Meets Sawdust Horse!!!

This should be a real boom and thrill for Ian Craik. Now he can built saddles as well as saddle bags for motorcycles.

Elephant Center shifts north to Fellsmere from St. Lucie County

September 7, 2011

FELLSMERE, FL — Plans for a National Elephant Center on the Treasure Coast are back, although the location has changed.

The group looking to house elephants now plans to locate in Fellsmere instead of western St. Lucie County.

After squabbles with St. Lucie County commissioners over restrictions, the organization is expected to apply for permits on Thursday on 225 acres in northern Fellsmere, currently an unused private citrus grove surrounded by farmland near the Brevard County line. The project's first phase is expected to cost the elephant organizationabout $2.5 million.

"I think this is going to be a terrific thing for the community, as well as the elephants," said Rick Barongi, the chairman of The National Elephant Center and director of the Houston Zoo. The National Elephant Center is a collaborative effort with the support of 73 zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

Barongi said he hopes to begin construction later this year with a goal of opening sometime in 2012. The center could eventually house dozens of elephants, but likely will be home to fewer than 10 during the first few years. Unlike with the land in St. Lucie County, the Fellsmere project would not affect wetlands and already is zoned to allow the elephants. So staff can approve the project without a city council vote.

The center will not be open to the public, but local school groups may be able to visit on specific occasions as part of an educational program. The center could have a mix of retired elephants and elephants transitioning from zoo to zoo.

The decision for Fellsmere comes 18 months after the National Elephant Center received approval from St. Lucie County commissioners for a $4 million, 326-acre area along the Okeechobee County border.

No county money was planned for the project. But when the arrangement was brought back to the center's board, members weren't happy with restrictions their representatives agreed to at the January 2010 meeting, and decided to look elsewhere.

Barongi said the center is appreciative of the work St. Lucie County did, but decided to go elsewhere.

Some of those restrictions included limiting the number of elephants on the site, oversight for the center, and eliminating bull hooks from use at the site. Bull hooks resemble fireplace pokers and are used to train and direct the animals.

Animal rights activists had lobbied that the bull hook be forbidden and called it barbaric while some representatives from the National Elephant Center said the tool is humane and necessary in some situations.

Barongi said all of the concerns have been addressed for the Fellsmere site. The center is initially expected to support four jobs, but the biggest initial impact will be for construction.

"The community has embraced us," Barongi said. "We're very confident and excited about it."

The first phase is for 25 acres and includes a large barn with attached paddocks, a keeper work center and four interconnected pastures ranging from 4 to 5 acres each. Each pasture has ponds, mud wallows, dust bathing areas and shade, among other features.

Barongi said the center has had several meetings with city staff and elected officials and answered all of their questions.

"We think it's a win-win for everybody," Barongi said.

Mayor Susan Adams said that by having the elephant center, Fellsmere can preserve the land as agricultural. The center is expected to have little impact on the acreage.

"I think it's great," Adams said. "We're very excited to have something of this caliber coming to Fellsmere."

Baby elephant born at Disney's Animal Kingdom

August 26, 2011

LAKE BUENA VISTA --

The elephant herd at Disney’s Animal Kingdom got just a little larger with the birth of a baby calf. Weighing 311 pounds, the male African elephant was welcomed into the group by his mother Vasha, 10 herd members and a team of animal care professionals assisting with the birth.

The 25-year-old mother delivered the herd’s sixth offspring after gaining more than 800 pounds during a 22-month gestation. This latest addition, which has yet to be named, is the second calf for Vasha, who gave birth to a female calf, Kianga, in 2004.

With support from the animal care team, the newborn, whose first tentative steps are becoming stronger and more confident, is now successfully nursing from his mother. Vasha has been getting to know the calf, gently touching the young animal with her trunk and keeping a watchful eye on him.

“The natural bonding between mother and calf is fascinating,” said Jackie Ogden, Ph.D., vice president of Disney’s Animal, Science and Environment Programs. “The team is encouraged by the early interaction between mother and calf and will continue to monitor them closely for the next several weeks.”

The next critical milestone is for the calf to continue the bonding process with his mother who will teach him important lessons and protect him as he gradually acclimates to the rest of the savannah herd over the next several weeks. With 12 elephants, Disney’s Animal Kingdom has one of the largest African elephant herds in North America, including four males and eight females.

Vasha became pregnant through artificial insemination in October 2009 and received extensive pre-natal care throughout pregnancy. Since early August, animal care teams have provided round-the-clock monitoring, regular ultrasounds and daily hormone monitoring to more accurately predict the beginning of labor. In the past few years, Disney’s animal care teams have been able to narrow the birth window to within four days, which enables them to better prepare for the delivery. With this birth, the team had been on heightened baby-alert since Monday.

This is the sixth elephant born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Others include:

• Tufani, a male, born in 2003;

• Kianga, a female, born in 2004;

• Nadirah a female, born in 2005;

• Tsavo, a male, born in 2008; and

• Luna, a female born 2010.

Disney has been at the forefront of efforts to better understand and care for endangered elephants. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is part of a breeding program coordinated by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) that is focused on sustaining the elephant population in North America. AZA’s Elephant Species Survival Plan has called for a five-fold increase in African elephant reproduction efforts - using both natural and artificial breeding methods - in order to create a self-sustaining elephant population among North American zoos and wildlife centers

Glendale’s elephant-themed Rose Parade float plan draws criticism

Several Glendale City Council members said they want to change the way future Rose Parade floats are picked and designed because they're not happy with the circus elephant-themed project being built for the 2012 parade.

The Glendale Rose Float Assn., the longtime organizer of the city's float design and construction, has come under greater scrutiny this year for its inability to adequately raise money to supplement building costs. And its most recent design picks have failed to garner much public enthusiasm, the Glendale News-Press reported.

After several local businesses, including Americana at Brand developer Rick Caruso, stepped in to save the float's funding, the City Council expressed frustration that it was stuck with the elephant design, which was drafted for the parade's "Just Imagine" theme.

Phoenix Decorating Consulting Inc., the Pasadena firm tasked with building and designing the circus elephant style float, has already started construction on the project.

Council members said they've been receiving emails from across the country complaining about the circus elephant design, as the animals often are mistreated. This is the third time Glendale has had an elephant as part of its float, said Councilman Dave Weaver, a longtime float construction volunteer.

Glendale Rose Float Assn. President Garry Ackerman defended the float design Tuesday.

"It's not a real elephant," he said. "People worried about animal rights should know that."

He also told the council that his group still wanted a role in future float design selection and fundraising.

Ackerman handed over a $3,125 check on behalf of the group to help pay for construction. But some council members said they felt the last-minute gesture was too little, too late.

In a report, city officials suggested the council replace the group with another nonprofit organization. Since the Glendale Rose Float Assn. is not incorporated, it can't give a tax deduction to donors, which may be affecting fundraising, according to the officials.

Courtesy of John Goodall

"The Circus and Circus Animal Training in particular has a real, real serious public relations image that is sorely in need of being addressed."

What Michael was to Basketball, and Mohammed was to Boxing, Clinton Anderson is to Clinics.

I have posted some of these clips in the past, but they are worthy of another look. If you spend money on instructional tapes, any thing that Clinton has produced is the best money can buy. I have a hard time accepting that he is Australian. He is just to good.







What makes Clinton Anderson so good, is that not only is he one of the best of the "clinic"genre, but he also excels in the professional arena as well(clip below), competing with equally skilled trainers. He breeds some fine reining horse's and his stock is becoming well known and sought after.

Cincinnatis Amateur Circus

Engraving published in Harper's Weekly February 1895. Does anyone know any more about the "Cincinnati Amateur Circus?"

The Educated Mules

THE EDUCATED MULES AT THE ALHAMBRA PALACE. Engraving from the London Illustrated News 1858

The interesting thing about engravings is that what they illustrate is open to interpretation. Did the educated mules appear on the same bill as Black Eagle below, or at a different show? The seats appear to be full for the Educated Mules, and empty for Black Eagle below. Or did the engraver use his "artistic freedom" to fill up the seat's for the educated mules? Possibly Black Eagle was giving a "command" performance for British Royalty and not actually a show which is why there were only a few in the seats? Dick Flint, if you are out there can you offer any insight?

Black Eagle

The American Horse "Black Eagle" at the Alhambra Palace. Engraving from Illustrated London News 1858

Circus Horses - Welcome to the Kentucky Horse Park | Lexington, KY

The circus is an exciting American tradition in which the horse has played a prominent role. In the early days, the circus parade announced the coming show. All the horses and rolling stock paraded through the village streets to advertise the animals and performers on the bill.

The Excitement of the Show and the Hard Work of the Circus Both Depended on the Horse
The world of the circus has created excitement for millions. Like everyday life, the world of the circus is both romantic and arduous for man and horse alike. In the early 1900s, the Barnum and Bailey Circus used 750 horses in draft and performance. Ringling Brothers had 650 horses at the turn of the century.
The circus was moved almost exclusively by horses, first from town to town, and later, to and from railroad yards. The dappled gray Percheron was one of the trademarks of the Ringling Brothers Circus. By 1938, the circus was mechanized and the beautiful baggage stock teams had virtually disappeared.

The Show Stealers Have always Been the Performing Horses
The variety of equine acts ranges from sensational feats of acrobatics to clever stunts and the execution of the elegant “airs” from classical equitation. There are no specific performing breeds, since ability alone determines the particular horse used. Most of the horses are stallions and geldings since they tend to be more athletic than mares.
Great amounts of time are spent in training horses to perform moves that are intricate and physically demanding. The owner of an English circus very simply summed up the requirements necessary to train a performing horse: “Patience, understanding, and carrots.”

The American Circus
The American circus grew out of 18th century riding schools. Trick horses and riders and equestrian dramas were the first circus acts. The horse continued to be a main event in all the later circuses.

The great horse, Black Eagle, appeared with the American circus, Howes and Cushing, at the Alhambra in London, 1858. Black Eagle was billed as “The Horse of Beauty.” He could waltz, polka, and stand erect on his hind legs.

Vintage Horse Whispering

From Harper's Weekly May 1886