# African Elephant kills keeper in Pittsburgh **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 17, 2007, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/african-elephant-kills-keeper-in-pittsburgh/419439 "2007-09-17T00:48:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/african-elephant-kills-keeper-in-pittsburgh/419439/1 "2007-09-17T00:48:37Z")
She is the first African born in captivity to give birth in captivity. Hope for an endangered species. [Link](http://www.post-gazette.com/localnews/20021119zoo1119p1.asp) Our zoo takes the Asian Indians on a walk before the zoo opens in the mornings. I presume Mr. Gatti let his guard down in a mundane moment. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/african-elephant-kills-keeper-in-pittsburgh/419439/2 "2007-09-17T00:52:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Joseph Dominick, Allegheny County chief deputy coroner, said an autopsy will be performed today. Because it’s not clear what he died of? 🙂 Incidentally, what exactly is the protocol when an endangered animal kills someone? I know often times, an animal that kills is put down…but there didn’t seem to be any sign of that in the article. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/african-elephant-kills-keeper-in-pittsburgh/419439/3 "2007-09-17T00:52:55Z")
I thought you were talking about a current event. That happened nearly 5 years ago. What brought it back to your mind? ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/african-elephant-kills-keeper-in-pittsburgh/419439/4 "2007-09-17T01:01:56Z")
[QUOTE=Ice Wolf] I thought you were talking about a current event. That happened nearly 5 years ago. What brought it back to your mind? [/QUOTE] Being featured by those rascals at [Elephant News](http://www.elephant-news.com/?) November would explain why he’s wearing a coat. Zoggie: An Asian killed handler [Joanna Burke](http://www.elephant-news.com/index.php?id=1122) in July, 2006 (if my date is correct this time 🙂 ) and was spared. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/african-elephant-kills-keeper-in-pittsburgh/419439/5 "2007-09-17T01:06:52Z")
According to [this](http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05184/532356.stm), the verdict was > [@](#): > > Despite all the caring and training, one of the elephants killed a keeper Nov. 18, 2002. An investigation by local zoo officials and experts from around the country said the death of Mike Gatti was an accident in unusual circumstances that is unlikely to happen again. But, around the same time (back in '02), [another accident was revealed.](http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/team4/1795247/detail.html) > [@](#): > > Two zoo employees told Team 4 that the same elephant that killed 46-year old Mike Gatti also injured a handler in February, during an elephant walk much like the one that went haywire on Monday. > > Employees said that Moja attacked a baby elephant named Cowie. Then, the baby’s mother, Nan, attacked Moja and pushed her on top of elephant keeper Rayn Gottus. > > Gottus’ leg was seriously injured, and he suffered a collapsed lung. The injuries left him unable to work for three months. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/african-elephant-kills-keeper-in-pittsburgh/419439/6 "2007-09-17T01:11:56Z")
Moja, the elephant concerned, is still alive, well, and [pregnant](http://zoo.pgh.pa.us/zoo.asp?ContentID=339). A new baby elephant is expected next year. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/african-elephant-kills-keeper-in-pittsburgh/419439/7 "2007-09-17T01:46:12Z")
Thanks, Ice Wolf. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2007, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/african-elephant-kills-keeper-in-pittsburgh/419439/8 "2007-09-17T05:10:25Z")
Jeez, the '02 incident sounds more like “trainer in the wrong damned spot” than anything else.