Plenty of trunk room

Gtwalling watched the circus elephants getting some exercise outside the Garden on Thursday.

Copyright gtwalling.

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Submitted by adamg on Fri, 10/16/2009 - 8:33am.

Heartbreaking and sad

Those poor creatures. That is no kind of life for a wild animal.

anon (not verified) | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 9:16am

You're right

They could be starving to death or just being gunned down at record pace and left to rot after only their tusks are taken.

Most of them were probably born in captivity and don't even know what "the wild" is anyways.

Kaz | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 10:28am

Good point

A lot of people would love their lives - animals in captivity typically live longer and are far healthier than their wild counterparts. Not saying one is better - only different.

BTW Kaz - your Pachydermous is showing.

Stevil | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 10:39am

There is a big difference between Elephants who are kept by the circus as performers and other Elephants born into captivity. Arguably yes, an Elephant born into captivity at a place like Busch Gardens will have a pretty good life. They are able to roam freely in massive enclosures designed to closely replicate where they would be found in nature, they get medical care when they are ill, and they also don't have to worry about poachers. The life of an Elephant owned by the circus is much much different than this. They are not able to roam freely. When not performing they are confined to very cramped enclosures. They are also exposed to the stress of being hauled all over the country. On top of all this, they are subjected to extremely harsh "training techniques" where handlers utilize Bull Hooks. Please take a look at this website (NOT PETA)
http://www.wildlifeadvocacy.org/current/circus/ind...
to truly comprehend what these animals go through...
The ASPCA also has some really good information about circuses that do not use animals and further information about Ringling Brothers "training tactics"
http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/circus-c...

SO please do not write off these animals as having a great existence...because yes some Elephants in captivity have great lives - Circus Elephants are not among them though.

anon (not verified) | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 12:02pm

Agreed

Circus elephants have it worse than Busch Garden elephants. However, even Reservation elephants in Kenya this year are dying due to starvation right now, something the circus elephants aren't suffering through. Also, the poacher rate is higher now than ever before...again, something the circus elephants aren't dealing with.

So, I'd still opine that Circus Elephant > Wild Elephant, even if Busch Gardens Elephant > Circus Elephant.

Kaz | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 2:40pm

Some Information

SO please do not write off these animals as having a great existence...because yes some Elephants in captivity have great lives - Circus Elephants are not among them though.

anon (not verified) | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 12:04pm

Tuesday?

Wasn't this on Tuesday night? Does it happen more than once?

anon (not verified) | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 10:28am

You're right - just happened once

My fault, sorry. Fixed.

adamg | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 10:34am

time of day

On Tuesday, it was dark out (7pm) when they walked down Mass Ave toward the Garden. Either it took them all night or they walked twice? Now I'm confused.

anon (not verified) | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 12:43pm

The photo metadata says it was Thursday morning

http://www.flickr.com/photos/75084133@N00/40166889...

Ron Newman | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 1:22pm

Definitive answer: Yes, Thursday

Sometimes it helps to actually read e-mail from people who send you things. In this case, the photographer writes:

These were shot yesterday at the Garden. It brightens your a day a bit to see Elephants on Nashua street. Also, I had heard (via many a duck boat captain) that the ramp behind the Garden is on a precise angle because if it is too steep, the elephants won't walk down it.

adamg | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 1:29pm

Elephant Ramp

I recall hearing a similar story, possibly during an official Big Dig tour. The ramp was something that the New Garden builders and the Big Dig folks had to take into account.

Ron Newman | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 1:54pm

45 degrees

They won't walk up anything more than a 45 degree angle. They also hate going indoors, which is why they wear blinders and are walked up to a good clip before attempting to enter the building.

It's a pretty gruesome life for animals on the road with carnies, despite the publicity lessons passed down from old Phineas himself.

anon (not verified) | Fri, 10/16/2009 - 3:56pm

Don't like going indoors?

Don't elephants in most zoos live indoors a good chunk of the time?

Stevil | Sat, 10/17/2009 - 4:39am

Did you read or just

Did you read or just immediately reach for your keyboard. Elephants don't like GOING indoors. They don't like the act of GOING from outside to inside. It has to do with depth perception and how they perceive they'll fit through doorways.

anon (not verified) | Sat, 10/17/2009 - 12:20pm

I read

But if a zoo elephant is outdoors and then goes indoors for the night to eat/sleep - isn't he doing exactly what a carnie elephant does - only more often?

I don't buy this - a lot of animals get trained to do things they don't like. I can see an elephant not liking this at first - but my guess is they get used to it. I agree with Kaz - sounds like it's better to be a zoo elephant - but a carnie elephant probably still lives a lot better than an elephant in the wild.

If you are going to post in an obnoxious tone - please register and post under that name so we know to avoid your posts in the future.

Stevil | Sat, 10/17/2009 - 5:06pm