Saturday, April 05, 2008

From Joey Ratliff #3


audubonmary+sunbeam, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.


The next two pictures are of another old trouper.
Former Besalou elephant Mary. She was Mac MacDonald
trained for the Polack show and retired due to a bum
leg. The little elephant with Mary in the second
picture is Miss Sunbeam, named for her sponsor the
Sunbeam Bakery. I have a telegram from JRN to then zoo
Director George Douglas explaining the details of this
little elephant. She only lived three years ('61-'64)
at which time the bakery bought the zoo another one
and named her Sunbeam II. The man in the photo with
Mary and Sunbeam is Five-gaited Saddlehorse trainer,
sealion keeper, elephant handler John Northcutt.

Posted by Buckles at 4/05/2008 06:36:00 AM

11 comments:

Wade G. Burck said...

Joey,
FYI Mr. Northcutt was a very noted 5-gated trainer in his day, right up there with the Teeters. Jim A should find it of interest that he parlayed those gated horse skills into the field of sealions and elephants.
The field of horse training has been well documented for 100's of years. Unlike other forms of "animal training", with the exception of Falconry. If you read one good book by one of the old masters, of these two art forms, you would be able to train anything from a rat to a dolphin, to a tiger, to an elephant to a national champion cutting horse. The principals are exactly the same, and only the methods differ. It's the elusive thing called understanding/feel.
Your friend,
Wade Burck

05 April, 2008 09:35
Anonymous said...

i agree with you Mr. Burck . one book i have was written in 1892 where the author state where he was able to train giraffes and all kinds of excotic with the same basic method as training a capyberra .he states using dukies and being able to read them and the animal in return be able to know what you are asking or want from them . CleanRaul

05 April, 2008 11:01
Anonymous said...

Wade, I know of Mr. Northcutt's rep quite well. The head carnivore person out here showed Northcutt trained saddlehorses in five-gait classes when she was a girl. So we discuss the game all the time. In fact, for Christmas I gave her a copy Arthur Konyot's book. Thought she'd enjoy it since most Konyot horses were Saddlebreds.
I agree about those books from the old masters and the relationship between all species training. I think I remember Buckles saying that Mac MacDonald got advice from a horse trainer when he trained his first group. As I mentioned to you before I have gotten alot out of a oxen book by Drew Conroy and the Circensic Dressage guy has been raving about the dog whisperer. All that to say we can all learn from or appreciate each other if we get over whatever prejudices we have, and I see this problem all to often.

05 April, 2008 11:50
Wade G. Burck said...

Joey,
That's just swell. You give a copy of Konyots book to a girl. Find another copy, because there is another Christmas coming, and you have my address. LOL
Your friend,
Wade Burck

05 April, 2008 11:59
Wade G. Burck said...

Clean Raul,
Do you have that venison ready yet? LOL
Wade Burck

05 April, 2008 12:00
Anonymous said...

I wanted to mention the barn in the background. It was built in 1936 as a part of WPA. It is still the elephant barn, the exhibit has canged around it.

05 April, 2008 12:06
Anonymous said...

Wade yes i have venison aswell as 4 lbs of elk and some geese in the freezer . ps and some reindeer jerky i just receive from a friend in Alaska . welcome to stop by anytime .

05 April, 2008 16:17
Wade G. Burck said...

Joey,
One of the nice, progressive things about the zoo you are affiliated with is the practice of retaining some of the old historic, beautiful buildings/architecture, and adding modern improvements. That along with husbandry/handling skills is what has taken the modern zoo away from the roadside zoo stigma. Lincoln Park, Milwaukee, Bronx, etc, are a couple that have improved using the same philosophy going away from the sometimes outdated Bernhard Grizmik green tile/lap look or the Bern bear pit/menagerie look which was popular long ago. Progressive and cutting edge in it's day, out dated thirty years later. Such is the world of animals, and our quest to provide them with a proper environment.
Regards,
Wade Burck

05 April, 2008 16:21
Anonymous said...

Wade, you should have bid on my copy - I listed it at the same time as the print you got from me. It was in perfect condition with cover. I paid over 100 bucks for it. Only fetched 50 on Ebay.

H.M.

05 April, 2008 16:26
Anonymous said...

Joey,
Nice to see the old barn again. If those walls could talk.
Hope to see you soon, still have a job open.
Jason

05 April, 2008 17:51
Anonymous said...

Jason Barr!! One of the best there is. Good to hear from you on the blog. I'll call you later, Cyndi is making me go out for my birthday.

05 April, 2008 19:48

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