Zoo Story (31 page)

107
    
“My brother’s going to die”:
The excerpt of the 911 call is taken from a transcript published in the
San Francisco Chronicle
on January 16, 2008.

109
    
alerting him to the bad news:
Justin Scheck and Ben Worthen, “When Animals Go AWOL, Zoos Try to Tame Bad PR,”
Wall Street Journal,
January 5, 2008.

109
    
dismissed zoos as wretched prisons:
“Zoos: Pitiful Prisons,” article on PETA Web site, accessed July 10, 2009, at http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=67.

110
    
first time a zoo escape had resulted:
Scheck and Worthen, “When Animals Go AWOL,”
Wall Street Journal
, January 5, 2008.

110
    
“ ‘I am the lion now!’ ”:
Lawrence Wright,
The Looming Tower
, p. 231.

111
    
tried to approach Knut:
“Lonely Man Jumps Into Cage With Polar Bear Knut,” Associated Press, December 22, 2008.

111
    
teacher despairing over her inability:
“Woman Is Mauled by Polar Bear after Jumping into Berlin Zoo Enclosure,” Associated Press article published in the
Los Angeles Times
, April 15, 2009.

111
    
into a pit with a pride of ten lions:
“Lioness Kills Man Who Jumped into Zoo Pit,” Reuters, January 25, 2002.

111
    
a keeper discovered her body:
This description is based on several
Washington Post
articles, including Avis Thomas-Lester’s “Autopsy Says Lion Attack Killed Woman; Police Try to Establish Identity of Woman Found in Lion’s Den,” March 6, 1995; Phil McCombs’ “In the Lair of the Urban Lion,” March 7, 1995; and Toni Locy’s “Lion Victim Spent Final Day at Court; Clerk Says Woman Wanted to File Suit for Custody of a Daughter,” March 10, 1995. In addition, Kay Redfield Jamison provides a haunting summary and analysis of the case in “The Lion Enclosure,” a chapter of her book
Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide
, pp. 154–159.

112
    
zoo’s most serious Code One:
This brief history of animal escapes at Lowry Park is based on author interviews with Dan Costell, Rachel Nelson, Lee Ann Rottman, and Heather Mackin. The author observed the guinea fowl on the loose and heard the “code one, chicken” call.

112
    
Lex called to Rudy:
Salisbury’s success in safely retrieving the orangutan was reported in the
St. Petersburg Times
on June 28, 1991. In addition, Salisbury shared some details of the incident in an e-mail exchange with the author.

112
    
orangutans are known as escape artists:
Eugene Linden,
The Octopus and the Orangutan
, p. 96.

113
    
a set of Code One recommendations:
The author saw this advice on a bulletin board in the herps building and wrote it down.

114
    
“The night before she died”:
This account of Char-Lee Torre’s last weeks and her death is based on the author’s interviews with Torre’s family and with Lex Salisbury; on the Tampa police report on the attack, #93-050287; and on several
St. Petersburg Times
articles, including Marty Rosen’s “Elephant Kills Young Trainer at Tampa Zoo,” July 31, 1993, and Rosen’s “Elephant Had Challenged Her Trainer Before,” August 7, 1993.

115
    
Asian elephants typically show more patience:
M. Gore, M. Hutchins, and J. Ray, “A Review of Injuries Caused by Elephants in Captivity: An Examination of Predominant Factors,”
International Zoo Yearbook
, 2006, p. 60.

115
    
New trainers . . . particularly vulnerable:
Same study as above; also Amy Sutherland,
Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched
, p. 270.

115
    
Tillie had spent three decades in captivity:
Details on the elephant’s history are available in
The North American Regional Studbook—Asian Elephant
, p. 51.

116
    
a particularly ugly scandal:
This account of the elephant controversy at San Diego is based on a series of articles by Jane Fritsch published in the
Los Angeles Times
between May and December of 1988.

116
    
Protected contact . . . showed another way:
The section chronicling the development of protected contact is based on numerous sources, including Gary Priest’s “Zoo Story,” published on the Web site of
Inc.
in October 1994; an article by Priest and others titled “Managing Elephants Using Protected Contact,”
Soundings
, First Quarter 1998, pp. 21–24; and a collection of pieces written by Tim Desmond, Gaile Laule, and Margaret Whittaker, three consultants who worked on the new protocol with Priest. One article, “Protected-Contact Elephant Training,” was presented by the consultants at the 1991 AZA conference. The other articles are available online at http://www.activeenvironments.org.

116
    
caring for an elephant’s feet:
Gary Priest, “Zoo Story,” and Ian Redmond,
Elephant
, p. 16.

117
    
rearing up like Godzilla:
Tim Desmond and Gail Laule, “Protected-Contact Elephant Training,” pp. 4–5.

117
    
they vandalized his car:
Amy Sutherland,
Kicked, Bitten, and Scratched
, p. 271.

118
    
“one of the very best zoological parks of its size”:
Jennifer Orsi, “Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo: From Bad to Best,”
St. Petersburg Times
, March 3, 1994.

118
    
risk was minimal and manageable:
E-mail exchange between author and Salisbury.

118
    
Tillie’s warnings began almost immediately:
Larry Dougherty, “Zoo Cleared in Elephant Handler’s Death,”
St. Petersburg Times
, April 3, 1997.

119
    
“Don’t hurt the elephant”:
Lex Salisbury recounted this detail in an interview with the author.

120
    
Mourn not for us:
Torre’s family showed the paper and its handwritten verse to the author. The lines are from “The Star,” a
Twilight Zone
episode based on a short story by Arthur C. Clarke.

120
    
photos of Char-Lee Torre still hung:
Observed by author during his reporting.

8  BERLIN BOYS

121
    
Msholo weave his trunk:
Scene described to author during interview with Brian French.

121
    
Elephants are skilled tool-users:
A detailed list of their abilities, and an account of them blocking the cull roads, is available in “Tool Use by Wild and Captive Elephants,” an article by Suzanne Chevalier-Skolnikoff and Jo Liska, published in
Animal Behaviour
, Volume 46, p. 210.

122
    
their abstract works have been auctioned:
Hillary Mayell, “Painting Elephants Get Online Gallery,”
National Geographic News,
June 26, 2002. To view or buy examples of elephant artwork, go to http://www.novica.com/search/searchresults.cfm?searchtype=quick&txt=1®ionid=1&keyword=elephants&keywordsubmit=. The paintings are accompanied by articles about the artwork and discuss the differences between paintings where a handler guides the elephant’s brushstrokes and where the animal has been allowed to move the brush across the page however she likes.

122
    
large rocks on electric fences:
Joyce Poole,
Elephants
, p. 36.

122
    
Burma hoisted a log:
“Elephant Escapes after Dropping Log on Electric Fence,”
New Zealand Herald,
January 23, 2004; also Peter Calder, “One Morning Out Walking an Elephant Crosses My Path,”
New Zealand Herald
, January 24, 2004.

122
    
testing every aspect of their new lives:
Author interviews with Brian French and Steve Lefave.

123
    
crash on the cot in the hall:
Author interviews with Brian French.

123
    
didn’t act like circus elephants:
This account of the elephants’ behaviors and personalities is based on the author’s interviews with Brian French and Steve Lefave.

124
    
anatomy of an elephant’s face:
Interpretation of elephant expressions provided by Murray E. Fowler and R. Eric Miller,
Zoo and Wild Animal Medicine
, p. 44.

126
    
ominously named Elephant Restraint Device:
Author witnessed the keepers using the ERD to draw blood and exfoliate the elephants’ skin.

127
    
rehearsed, so she wouldn’t be startled:
Author interviews with Brian French.

128
    
English, German, French, and Hindi:
Ibid.

128
    
“She was my elephant.”:
Ibid.

128
    
the sacred and the scientific:
The artificial insemination scene is reconstructed from the author’s interviews with Brian French and Steve Lefave, and a phone interview and e-mail exchange with Dr. Thomas Hildebrandt, as well as numerous papers and articles explaining elephant AI, including “Successful Artificial Insemination of an Asian Elephant at the National Zoological Park,” published in
Zoo Biology,
volume 23, pp. 45–63.

129
    
a technique originally developed to allow paraplegic men:
Vicki Croke,
The Modern Ark
, p. 167.

129
    
just another day in a remarkable career:
Gretchen Vogel, “A Fertile Mind on Wildlife Conservation’s Front Lines,”
Science
, November 9, 2001, pp. 1271–1272.

129
    
“He’ll ultrasound just about anything”:
Ibid.

130
    
mechanics of elephant reproduction:
Author interview with Thomas Hildebrandt, also “Aspects of the Reproductive Biology and Breeding Management of Asian and African Elephants,” an article written by Hildebrandt, Göritz, and others for
International Zoo Yearbook
, 2006.

131
    
“It’s for the best for Ellie”:
Author’s phone interview with Hildebrandt.

9  MATING

132
    
In the darkness beyond the edge of the sky:
The opening section describing the satellite tracking the manatee is based on author interviews with Monica Ross and on information from NOAA and from CLS America, the company that tracks the manatees using NOAA’s satellites.

133
    
attempting to capture him one last time.:
The author accompanied Monica Ross, Virginia Edmonds, David Murphy, and other manatee researchers as they searched for Stormy on the St. Johns River.

135
    
newborn male, still connected by the umbilical:
Author interviews with Kevin McKay and Lee Ann Rottman.

136
    
trying to mark the entire zoo:
Author interviews with McKay, Rottman, and Andrea Schuch.

136
    
first meeting did not go well:
Author interviews with Carie Peterson and Pam Noel.

136
    
joined forces to clean the moat:
Author witnessed this scene after climbing into the lemur moat with the keepers.

138
    
They had to make it fun:
This section describing the lives of the keepers is based on the author’s interviews with many members of Lowry Park’s staff.

138
    
bustled through their morning workload:
The author was following Carie Peterson on her rounds that day.

139
    
“He wants her so bad”:
The author witnessed the tiger mating ritual while sitting beside Peterson under the boardwalk.

10  THE HUMAN EXHIBIT

143
    
Another sexual request from Herman:
Details of the chimp’s sexual habits and of the keeper reactions were based on author interviews with Andrea Schuch, Angela Belcher, and Lee Ann Rottman.

143
    
“It makes me crazy”:
The author witnessed this exchange between the female keepers.

144
    
Rukiya was easily the most intelligent:
This description of the female chimp’s behavior and personality is based on the author’s interviews with Lee Ann Rottman.

145
    
deception and counter-deception:
Anne E. Russon, “Exploiting the Expertise of Others,” a chapter in
Machiavellian Intelligence II
, edited by Andrew Whiten and Richard W. Byrne, pp. 193–194.

146
    
the chimp would listen:
Author interview with Lee Ann Rottman.

146
    
who was really in charge:
The author witnessed this moment between Herman and Lex Salisbury.

146
    
he could identify every bird and every gecko:
This scene is based on a tour Salisbury gave to the author.

147
    
how to woo mayors and governors.:
This section describing Salisbury’s history and management style is based on the author’s observations of the CEO during years of reporting, plus several of the author’s interviews with Salisbury, as well as with many people who worked for him over the years.