Don't mess with baby elephant if Momma is around.:)
Protective elephant injures trainer at zoo
Official says mother responded to calf's call; man is wounded in leg and undergoes surgery
By Paul Bird
[email protected]
July 20, 2003
An Indianapolis Zoo trainer is recovering from surgery after being injured by a head thrust from a female African elephant.
Zoo officials said the elephant, Ivory, was reacting to a call from her 2,000-pound calf.
Officials said Ivory backed off on command after the attack that injured the trainer's lower left leg.
"She was suffering from separation anxiety during training," said Judy Gagen, a zoo spokeswoman. "The calf was only a few feet away."
Ivory gave birth to Ajani on Aug. 4, 2000.
"Since he was three weeks old, she has been overprotective," Gagen said.
The incident occurred about 3 p.m. Friday. Ajani was placed into a holding area within sight of his mother. As he was being taught to perform a task, he called out when he failed to receive his food treat.
The mother then responded.
"He took a jab, perhaps from a tusk," Gagen said of the trainer.
"At first, we thought it was going to be a lot worse. Things look a lot better today after surgery," he said Saturday.
Gagen declined to identify the trainer or where he was taken for treatment.
"That's the family's request, and we certainly are going to honor it," she said.
She said the man had 14 years' experience training elephants.
"She became frustrated during the training and took it out on him," Gagen said. "It was a quick, sudden reaction. There was no warning or indication that this was a pattern of behavior."
Several trainers responded, Gagen said. "They were here within minutes."
Ivory is in her early 20s.
The zoo's elephant program had a setback June 2 when Amali, a 3-year-old, died.
Amali, the first African elephant conceived through artificial insemination, underwent surgery for an intestinal blockage May 21. Her large intestine had become impacted with hay, sand, gravel and fecal material.
Call Star reporter Paul Bird at 1-317-865-4909.
