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I have been in the animal field long enough to know that the basic birth of a mammal occurs like this: Mother goes into labor, baby is born, Mother cleans baby, and baby nurses. Obviously there are some cases, in which, for various reasons, this routine can deviate, but for the most part, this is what happens and this natural process is what has kept species surviving for this long. I have also been in the animal advocacy field long enough to know that it is a violation of the Endangered Animal Welfare Act to force an endangered animal to do what they would not normally do in the wild. And this is what leads me to write about this video, taken of the birth of an elephant, “Riccardo”, to his Mother, “Shirley”, at the Center for Elephant Conservation, maintained and run by Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Ringling has long maintained that this center is to study and preserve the endangered Asian Elephant; the same elephant that they use in their performances. The same center that was coincidentally founded after it was made illegal to import wild-caught elephants (among other species) into America for use in entertainment. If this center is *truly* for the conservation and preservation of this endangered species; here are my questions as pertains to this video, which by all accounts, depicts a typical birth at the Ringling Bros Center for Elephant Conservation. 1. Why is Shirley shackled by three legs during her birthing process? Surely this is not what occurs naturally in the wild. 2. Why is Riccardo immediately removed from his Mother, surrounded by 6 Ringling employees, where they were immediately performing tests on him, including sticking him with needles; before he had the chance to nurse, or even be touched, by his Mother? 3. Why was Shirley repeatedly stuck in the skin, under her chin, with a bullhook (a “guide” as Ringling likes to call it) when she was becoming visibly distressed and trying to move towards her baby? 4. Why was the baby then made to walk out of the birthing area - thus having absolutely no contact with his Mother at all? A few things to note about elephants when pondering these questions: 1. Their gestation period is 2 years; a long time to live with something inside of you, only to have it be taken away the minute it comes out, put through distressing procedures right in front of your eyes, and then whisked away from you. And that is not intended to anthropomorphize. Basic maternal instinct would find that objectionable. 2. A baby elephant in the wild will nurse for 3 to 4 years. They are dependent on their Mothers milk for, not only antibodies, but calcium for their soon-to-be huge bones. A baby that is separated from its Mother too early has a higher chance of getting bone disease (couple that, in a Ringling elephant, with the several days at a time that they are cramped and chained in a boxcar; does not make for a good outlook of their bone-health). 3. The bobbing and swaying that you see Shirley doing in the video is a typical behavior seen in captive elephants when they become distressed. 4. In the wild, it is common that the birth of a baby elephant be attended by “elephant doulas”. Meaning, one or two other female elephants are in attendance of the birth, helping the Mother attend to the baby. Therefore, in the wild, the natural experience for the baby is to be surrounded by the care of several female elephants. Take a look at Riccardo’s birth. I welcome your comments.
The more and more I read, watch, and hear about Ringling Brothers a “higher quality” circus in my mind, I can only imagine how other lower budget, roadside circuses treat their animals. I guess giving the grim behind the scense (litterally) information really puts a damper on how i precieved circuses and other animal based shows.
Thank you for your wonderful insight and background in the animal care industry, which basically gives you so much more merit when commenting on the treatment of these animals (as opposed to other animal acitivist who blast their way and word into the minds of people through protests and media saturation - PETA?)
Anyway, I hope you continue to give us this insight…
Why does a baby elephant, when seperated from it’s mother, incur a higher risk of bone disease? Is it because the elephant does not nurse the young of other females? Thus, the baby is abandoned by the herd?
Elephant calphs nurse from their Mothers for the first 3 - 4 years of their lives. During this time, they get a tremendous amount of calcium from their Mother’s milk, on which their growing bones build. Taking that away from the calf, by separating it from its Mother, causes them to lose out on that calcium-rich breast milk, as well as the natural maternal antibodies that are found in breast milk.
Wild animals were never meant to perform for the entertainment of humans. This is especially cruel to elephants that have very strong family bonds and need the wide open spaces that nature provided to lead a normal life. To learn more view: http://andrews-elephants.com