Thursday, September 28, 2006

Baraboo, Wis. early 1965 (Photo by Bob Parkinson)


Being congratulated after having just been awarded the job of presenting the famous Besalou Elephants with Polack Bros. Circus.

Posted by Buckles at 9/28/2006 07:57:00 AM

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

This photo was taken by Bob when Barbara, Buckles and Smokey came to visit us during some time off playing winter dates. They spent a few days with us. It was about 25 below. Mary Ruth recruited all of us to lay some inlaid linoleum in our kitchen. You can imagine what a comedy that was.
Now in regard to my next comment and I may be a committe of one on this subject but would enjoy some comments. I am amazed at the off the wall antics of this Aussie Steve Irwin and the PR he received and even more amazed that it continues even after his death. He was a hellava showman and sure put Tahar and Katanga to shame. I would assume that if he were performing in this country the animal rights people would be up in arms. I am also amazed at the antics and public acclaim to the Horse Whisperer and now the Dog Whisperer. The day after the horse guy performs his voo doo majic I am sure the horse reverts back to its wild state. It takes weeks toget these horses gentled down and easily handled. With the dog guy I am sure that when he finishes his majic that the dog knowing that he has the owners number will return to his spoiled ways as well. Iwill give the dog guy the edge simply because he does encourage discipline. Now historians now say P.T.Barnum never said it, but somebody sure as hell did, maybe a politician, lawyer or used car salesman,There is a sucker born every minute.

28 September, 2006 10:24
Anonymous said...

Meaning no disrespect to Mr. Irwin, but I only saw him with Jay Leno. The script was always exotic animals making fools of celebs, and perhaps his greatest gift as a clown was always leaving his audience wanting to see more animals.

Which historian claims, "I know, I was there, 24/7, Barnum's whole life, and he never said it." Maybe a reporter gets lucky for ten seconds; more likely they miss sixty years.

Lotliza

28 September, 2006 15:32
Anonymous said...

Morning John, It never ceases to amaze me how guliable most people are. A clint swore by a trainer [and I use that term as a joke] who uses one of those prong collars. Of course a dog is going to walk by your side to keep from being hurt!! Take that collar off and the dog becomes untrained. Nothing ever works but time and paicticants.I blew that spelling.

28 September, 2006 15:33
Anonymous said...

To animalstogo. thanks for your comments and certainly gives food for thought. i regret that I do not know who you are or what animals you train. but in your comments you say you do the same stuff as Irwin. I certainly do not have any idea what skills are necessary to train a snake or alligator and frankly I have never seen a trained one,so you leave me in the dark. I am always amazed at these trainers of aquatic type acts and I think Wally Ross made the transition from our type of animal to that very successfully and was the only on of us to do that unless you venture in that field as well. Are you a domestic or wild animal trainer? Are you self taught? What are your credentials. Now as to your comments about the horse whisperer. I am always amazed that people like he and yourself it seems can re-invent the wheel. What he tries to do we as circus trainers have been doing for some two hundred years very humanely and successfuly to the point of in a short period of time can teach a group of 6, 8 or twelve. I must take issue that in one hour he can get the horse on track for gentling and handling. I would like to see the continuation of his work with one particular horse after a month. But maybe you do have answers and I have very carefully digested your comments. A final thought, it is said that Irwin, according to the Aussie media was a conservationalist, buy maybe because of the translation of Aussie English and American English it may have gotten confused and could have been conversationalist and he certainly was just that. I note that their private zoo has grown considerably since his great PR exposure and Hackenberger would sure enjoy that kind of windfall. Be careful Mike. I don't think that hands on or interacting with wild animals and the general public is the direction we want to go. We hear enough about people who don't know better getting tore up and that is never the publicity that any of us need. thanks again.

28 September, 2006 16:18
GaryHill said...

I always got alittle upset with the way Irwin was always taking the extreme unneccesary risks just for his program! My nephew watched his shows every day he could and one day while we had a family picnic , he was by the waters edge and trying to catch a Cotten Mouth Water Moccasin with his bare hands! He said after I killed the snake, that he was doing it like Irwin did! The kid is only in the second grade, 8yrs old! Also I was watching , Clinton Anderson's show once and he had someone I didn't catch his name but he was Circus and he had his horse on a tub and Clinton was so amazed he could do that? Just last night I was watching some show on the Discovery channel and some guy they called the Elephant Whisper was on it? The show was about the rogue males killing people and other animals.

28 September, 2006 17:53
Anonymous said...

Here is a an example of John's comments on "re-inventing" the wheel. A couple of months ago I typed in a search for liberty acts and was floored that there are "horse trainers" out there promoting liberty training as something brand new and revolutionary as if they came up with it! Add this to all the "new and enlightened forms of elephant training" and we have the makings of a future of superstar trainers with animals that don't know anything!!

28 September, 2006 22:13
Anonymous said...

My spin on the Horse Whisperer and Steve Irwin:

I went to see the Horse Whisperer a few years ago with great skepticism. I left impressed with his business operation and ability to get a horse to perform a behavior or do a trick. He may be a very good trainer when he follows up on his beginning work. Yes, the horse did let someone ride him or get into a trailer -- one time in one place. Now comes the hard part -- can he train the horse to do that trick anytime, anywhere? He probably can but that's not his act. Experienced trainers can often put an act together quickly and, with their knowledge, present it working through the challenges new animals present. Eventually we hope to get a reliable act that will work smoothly anywhere, anytime. Mr. Roberts just presents step one in the training process.

Steve Irwin seemed to be a unique man and the real deal. As mentioned, he did put his money where is mouth was, purchasing land for animal habitat. I also heard from herpetologist friends that Irwin was truly quite knowlegable about reptiles. His enthusiasim and style of communicating made him quite a character that people enjoyed watching. Hopefully they began to share his interest in conservation. A friend presents animals on national TV shows. She said if you take an animal on a show and it just sits while you talk about you won't be asked to be back. If there's a bit of "controlled chaos" they'll love it and ask for your return. (Sounds like a fighting cat act.) Personally, a little Steve was enough for me. Did he get the average guy to care about reptiles and conservation? At least he got them to think about it -- good for him.

PS: Wally Ross was an amazing trainer. He was one of the first dolphin trainers with the Navy's marine mammal program -- plus all his movie and circus work. I'll remember him as a very nice man with an unbelieveable resume.

29 September, 2006 07:37
Anonymous said...

Many years ago a lady named Woodhouse had a TV show about trainging dogs in England. She used a choke chain. It was very impressive. To me a choke chain has always been misused in the wrong hands. You can cause injury to a pet useing this collar. Most people do not know how to use them.. I refused to train with it years ago. Now the humane socity is telling people it is cruel. They used to stand by the door and sell these collars to my students along with a 6 foot leather leash, which the puppys quickly chewed up. I handed out neckerchiefs and a piece of cotton clothesline, inside the door. This outfit and I did not stay together for long. I finally told them I was an animal trainer, not a fund raiser. Which is what they really wanted. The woman registering people for these classes got mad because I threw a couple out of class for hitting their pet. She had to refund their money. That was the end of that.

29 September, 2006 11:32
Anonymous said...

The way I understand it "Animals Encounter" is nothing like what performing animal training we do is. They take small animals to schools, etc and let children see and touch. Kind of like the old "SHOW and TELL". That Monty Roberts sure was a con man from the sites I have read.

29 September, 2006 13:10
Anonymous said...

"Jailhouse croc" is a program to teach Aussie prison inmates to be crocodile handlers (job skills for when they return to society, if they return) whispers today's BBC news online.
Lotliza

29 September, 2006 13:41
Anonymous said...

I do enjoy your comments and respect what you do. Any person who cares for any animal is OK in my book. Hell, my little neices and nefues took ME to SHOW and TELL and I thought it was a great honor. Also your spelling is great too. I can't even work my spell check. My pets think I am the greatest and thats what counts to me. "Unless someone comes along with a biscuit"

30 September, 2006 11:26
Anonymous said...

Gary the guy they called the elephant whisperer is a zoo elephant man named Willie Tison. I worked with Willie at the KC Zoo the summer I ran the elephant ride there. He seemed like a compedent hand around the elephants, but is not now or ever will be near the class of a Buckles, Smokey, Rex or many others with elephant expeirence. It does not take a scientist or a Doctor of something animal related to figure out that wildlife and human conflicts are on the rise because there are just to many people and the animals are being forced from their land by people. At some point they are not going to be pushed anymore.

30 September, 2006 13:34
Anonymous said...

Irwin had an impact on TV animal shows, no question. But nothing can erase the image of his getting carried away and irresponsibly showing off by tempting a mature croc with meat in one hand, while holding his infant son in the other. As Don Corleone said about threats against his son, Michael, "This I do not forgive."

02 October, 2006 00:52
GaryHill said...

Thanks Darryl, I saw a rerun and remembered his name. I completely agree with the population problem crowding habitat.

02 October, 2006 08:32

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