From Henry Schroer

helen-schofield-729-420x0, a photo by bucklesw1 on Flickr. Hi Buckles Two days ago a Vet that opened a zoo for abandoned exotic animals got killed by the African Elephant Jumbo that used to belong to a small show here, owned by Tony Redcliff. All he had was a pony act, 3 lions, juggling, a single trapeze and the Elephant. The Elephant was a bit on the nutty side but so was the owner. He used to be a groom on Bullens Circus in Australia in the fifty's but had no Idea about disciplining him. He aske me ones what he can do about it that the Elephant pushes him ones in a while and I said push back. The pony's didn't do anything but run around and came to the middle for a snack and the Lions only went up to the props ones following a trace of pieces of meat. So as you can see no Idea about animal training. I was always surprised that the Elephant didn't do any damage before that but he always kept him chained up in the truck. When Harry Weber brought the Elephant from him when the show went belly he hired Redcliff as the handler. When the where in winter quarters for a while the poor animal bang arranged the side of the truck day and night because he would have liked to spend some time outside I assume. There was a outside enclosure with electric fence but he only let him out for about two hours a day because he had to sit next to the pen and watch. If someone would walk past the enclosure the elephant would come up charging and scared the shit out of people.So it was to no surprise that the animal was not all ok in the head. Neither is he. After Harry Weber spend $250 000 on a new truck, I think I send you some picture of it one time, with hydraulic outside platform where the Elephant could walk in and out of the truck without been supervised and a biiiiig outside enclosure with fence and electric wire he still kept him in the truck and only let him out ones in a while. Of course the animal rights people used to come and protest just like the do in any other country he used to get his bull horn out and told them to get the f..... of the lot. So Harry had enough after a little more then a year and wanted to get red of the animal. I told him from beginning not to get the animal and not to get involved with this guy but he had this Idea that the elephant would be a big public magnet and did it anyway. He always thought that I would help him if he had any problems but I told him from beginning that I wasn't going to get involved in any of that. And I didn’t. Thru the SPCA we found this zoo and the owner was a very knowledgeable and well respected Vet that worked for the bigger zoos here in NZ. She moved mountain's in order to get a enclosure build and the elephant ended up with a 1 acre all enclosed with post, steel cable enforcement and triple electric fence. We left the truck there for a year until she had enough money to build a barn but the elephant never went back inside, not even if it rain. There was some trees in the enclosure for her to get protection, a pool and a sandpit. Heaven for a animal that has been mistreated for so many year. Harry and I took the elephant over there and I told her never to go in the enclosure with the elephant because it could be danger's for her. That was three years ago. I went to see them a few times but have not been back there for quite some time. Looks like she gotten more confided and did stared interacting with the animal, nobody knows exactly what happen but it looks like to me that the animal did got aggressive and attacked her, very tragic. And Redcliff got on TV and all he had to say that it was all her fault because she had no experience and did not consult him about handling her etc..... No sorry or feel bad. He wanted to go to the enclosure but the police didn’t let him go in. I guess the going to end up killing the poor thing even do he can be handled from the outside with no direct contact necessary. The want to try go get him to the US to one of the Elephant sanctuary's. Sorry this email is so long but I felt I had give you my point of view why this could have happen. The link on the bottom you just have to hold down Ctrl and then click on the link. Cheers Henry Killer elephant could be put down By the way I am back on Chemo again, the gave me two more years to live but I told them to FUCK.....OFF!