I took this photo approximetly a week before you, Barbara, Rex and I went out to where the Great American Elephants were camped out with Dan Pyle and I was the back-up to the back-up, to get the back leg chain back on Janet. Dan was in town and Janet slipped her chains and decided to beat up the tractor with the hired help inside! It would have been the first week of December of 1985, in three weeks of touring Florida, I photographed and took notes on 144 Elephants, including the Jonestown Elephants! I think Dan quit the show right after this and headed back to the reserve? |
Wednesday, November 03, 2010
Great American #2
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4 comments:
I had almost forgotten this incident.
"Janet" was loose and had taken charge of the place where the elephants were camped out down in the Myakka area.
Allen Hill called and asked if I could run out there and round her up.
My wife decided to accompany me in the event I should get chased up a tree.
When we finally located the place we found that Rex had also been called and had arrived just ahead of us.
Sure enough "Janet" was in the process of remodeling one of Allen's tractors with unhappy people trapped inside.
After a brief skermish law and order was restored.
Janet must have been as ignorant as a bag of hammers. A half smart elephant would have noted you, Rex, Army, and Chico coming into the saloon, and dropped her Colt and raised her hand's immediately. That is an impossible band of hombre's to slap leather against, damn.
Wade
Way back in about 72 I put a six act together with Hoxie, Janet and others. All little babies, so to speak. Anyway I had Janet for my lead elephant and she was great. Probably the best "lead" elephant I was e3ver around. The training in Hoxie qtrs. by the miami airport area was not long, only a few weeks and went very well. I believe at that time I was on "top of my game" in knowig what I had to do and knowing what the elephants would do. I had alot of experience up to that time. Now I know she became a tough elephant as Jimmy Reynolds would say "A double tough SOB". It was a progressive thing with some bad handlers to be sure, but anyway no doubtabout it she was bad. When I think of that training time and right after she was a fraidy cat anfd when I lined up and went over to her she would chirp and piss. One Fall tour we did the first elephant rides on Hoxie Bros. and I used Janet as firstchoice and she was excellent. I was around and watched her over the years and was amazed at how her personality changed over time. Just an observation. I believe all three Frisco Bros. got their "feet wet" around Janet. Johnny
John Milton,
As you and I have discussed our "philosophies" and thoughts in the past on the absurdity of being good trainer because you could train an animal fast and quick, Janet is not much of an endorsement for training an animal fast and quick. I still believe, and have had it proven often, that the effects of fast initial training will be realized many years later, in a negative manner.
Wade Burck
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