Wednesday, March 12, 2008

"Laila" and Frieda Sembach-Krone (From Mike Naughton)


krone african, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Posted by Buckles at 3/12/2008 05:41:00 AM

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Buckles or anybody,
I have seen a number of elephants, always African in Europe led or held with leashes. Have you ever tried the method? When I ask why, or does it work over there, I am given shoulder shrugs.
Wade Burck

12 March, 2008 08:27
Buckles said...

I imagine in this case "Laila" had a tendency to, as they say in Texas, "Adios!"

12 March, 2008 08:41
Anonymous said...

A couple of years ago Joe Frisco Sr. showed and told me how effective he thought the leash on their African elephants was. I guess it has its merits and if I were training Africans I would sure try it. Any port in a storm.

12 March, 2008 09:53
Anonymous said...

Buckles and Johnny,
Is that without the aid of 3 1/2in. sloped riding heels to get a better hold in the dirt!!!! I'm sorry, I just don't see it. Just because you have a lead on a horse, doesn't mean he won't take you to the next county, if he so chooses. Come on. A 75 lb. dog will drag you across the street.
Why just African's? Are they that different? They will run in the blink of an eye, and "stop" in the blink of an eye? Maybe it is like a placibo deal. "Here hold this, she ain't going anywhere." Sure hope we hear from practicioners, who have put the "theory" to the test. I've used the hook in the shoulder method, occasionally with "some" success and would be real interested in this "port in the storm method."
Wade Burck

12 March, 2008 10:35
24-HOUR-MAN said...

In my Jan., 2008 archives there is a video clip,(KRONE #1) of Lila being unloaded from the train by Banda Vidane.

I don't have elephant smarts so I'm not going to remark on the leashes, I know I have a video clip of Lila being led, as Wade said, it seems to be a common practice, I know Sonny Fratello,(sp?) used them, among others.

In the years we were there I never remember Lila ever taking off, one habit I did notice, on the walk from the train, she would wander out of line to grab a nearby tree branch, & no one made any effort to stop her.

12 March, 2008 13:04
Anonymous said...

24 hr.man,
That wander away deal to get leaves, is I'm assuming here, "genetically hard-wired" in an African. I was around a wonderful African named Joy who did the same thing. Hell, did you ever see Boss's Congo? She used to leave right after spec. on closing day and head to the train. She'd sleep and wait for the rest of the herd to arrive later that night. On move in day, she's stop at the bakery for bread, and arrive at the lot just in time to carry Gunther in spec. Sometimes she almost blew spec. because she was out in the prop barn helping George Shellenberger build clown props. That's what I have learned about Africans, Billy. The great ones are "unforgettable" and the bad ones you "can't forget". LOL
Wade Burck

12 March, 2008 15:21
Anonymous said...

hell i saw Congo once helping the candy butchers spin candy then she manage to get back into the tent to wait on gunther belive that one and ill sell you a tropical farm here in Nebraska CleanRaul

13 March, 2008 16:01
Anonymous said...

How much are you asking for the tropical farm in Nebraska? I am heavily into large real estate and already own the Brooklyn bridge. This might be a way to expand my holdings.

13 March, 2008 18:39
Anonymous said...

On the animal walks that I did with GGW Congo did not tail up and walked at the end of the herd yaking her own sweet time and then catching up when she got too far away, or Gunther would yell, Congo Congo and then she would flap her ears and join up. The ring stock was behind her and she had it figured out how far she could roam. In the tent she was stabled sideways at the end of the picket line and would aggravate the hell out of the ones beside her. My Toby caught all that aggravation in those early years. In the acts if she decided not to set up she didn;t, or to stretch down completly, but Gunther had her pretty well figured out and she was a huge success for him for many years. The other Africans that came later did not live up to their expectations. She, like Tommy, were one in a million. Gunther told me that she was one out of four that he worked with in Europe that came thru.

14 March, 2008 10:14

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)