Two Asian elephants in need of better veterinary care have been removed from a Texas facility by the federal government and brought to the San Diego Zoo. Jewel and Tina, both thought to be in their 40s, arrived at the zoo Saturday after being removed from Leggett, Texas, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which regulates zoos and other animal facilities.
The Leggett facility's owner agreed to the removal as part of a deal in which the government dropped its demand for fines.
The zoo's Prebys Elephant Care Center is designed to minister to aging elephants. Jewel and Tina will not be on public exhibit for several months, zoo officials said.
Officials hope the two will eventually integrate into the herd of seven elephants at the zoo's Harry and Grace Steele Elephant Odyssey, opened this spring.
Southeast Texas man agrees to give up 2 elephants, pay fine
The Associated Pres
Aug 21, 2009
LEGGETT — A Southeast Texas man accused of mistreating his elephants has agreed to give up two and pay a federal fine.
But Willie Davenport of Leggett gets to keep one elephant, named Boo, that has lived with his family since the 1960s.
Davenport, 24, who comes from a family involved in circuses, has denied mistreating the elephants. But on Thursday, Davenport gave up 40-year-old Jewel and 39-year-old Tina, both Asian elephants, to end his fight with regulators.
Davenport also agreed to pay a $3,000 fine. In exchange, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service dropped complaints against him for failing to have proper purchasing permits for Jewel and Tina. Davenport said he bought the animals for $150,000 from a retiring elephant trainer in Florida in 2006.
Both elephants were deemed to be dangerously underweight, and U.S. Agriculture Department inspectors had filed documents to seize Jewel because of chronic weight loss and allegations of inadequate care.
Agriculture Department spokesman Dave Sacks said Jewel and Tina would be taken to a zoo.
"Are zoo's now going to be the recipient of confiscated elephants? Or only zoo's with off site elephant facilites?"
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9 comments:
Or zoos looking to fill newly renovated exhibits for for less. My concern for this is when they take the elephants from an exhibitor, and give them to an exhibitor, should there not be an price paid for the elephants. Like when them Gov. kills animals (Cows, chickens, swine) for a health issue they have to pay market value for the animals they put to death or take for testing. I am in no way defending the guy who lost the elephants it would just seem that a zoo with a recently renovated elephant exhibit may have just "lucked" out of having to buy some elephants from another zoo
Casey,
That is exactly the way I was looking at it. In the plea on circuspace, Carol Buckley a sanctuary got blasted, Paws a sanctuary picked up the elephants, and delivered them to a zoo. I didn't realize they were going to a zoo, but something all of a sudden doesn't seem right.
Wade
Do you know who the "retired"
trainer who sold them was as
the name is not mentioned
Chic,
Yes I do. A number of elephants from that show have been in the news over the years.
Wade
Thanks Wade I think I've got it
Was it the Cole brothers?
Greg
Is that the same Tina that used to belong to the Hannefords?
Jerry McFarland
Jerry,
No, different Tina. This Tina was originally at the Gold Nugget in Reno. Then passed through a few circuses before ending up where she is now.
It appears that Miss Buckley could not save the elephant taken from Lance, so obviously Lance should be off the hook in that he did indeed care for the elephant, however that is past news and not noticeable. In the Davenport case as well. It remains to be seen how these elephants adapt physically in this enviroment and should be documented. I find it hard to believe that tghe USDA does not do a public oversight at Buckleys as the do with other liscensed animal people and facilities. Kind of smelly. In the Davenport case the name "Gopher" seems to be in the background. How about that. I guess Gopher sold Boo to Will.
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