# Elephant kills keeper at Tennessee sanctuary **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 23, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elephant-kills-keeper-at-tennessee-sanctuary/365654 "2006-07-23T00:46:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **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:** [July 23, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elephant-kills-keeper-at-tennessee-sanctuary/365654/1 "2006-07-23T00:46:45Z")
[Winkie](http://www.elephants.com/winkie/winkiestart.htm) an elephant at the Hohenwald Tennessee Sanctuary [killed](http://www.hendersonvillestarnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060721/NEWS01/60721019/0/NEWS1302) a keeper and injured a person who came to the keeper’s aid. The public cannot visit and PETA really likes these folks. They don’t train like [Riddle’s Sanctuary](http://www.elephantsanctuary.org/default2.asp) here in Arkansas. I didn’t think they even inteacted with their elephants. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elephant-kills-keeper-at-tennessee-sanctuary/365654/2 "2006-07-23T09:26:25Z")
I’ve seen a couple of short video clips of elephants killing people, one where someone was just stomped, and the other who was picked up and smashed into the ground like a soft fruit. Its the sheer power that is frightening, its an order of magnitude greater than any other land animal. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elephant-kills-keeper-at-tennessee-sanctuary/365654/3 "2006-07-23T13:16:11Z")
Wow. The elephant from our local zoo here in Evansville, Bunny, is at that sanctuary now. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elephant-kills-keeper-at-tennessee-sanctuary/365654/4 "2006-07-23T14:06:40Z")
The linked article said she was either stepped on or kicked, apparantly dying “on the spot.” It also said the creature had a history as a dangerous animal, with numerous attacks on file. I was under the impression (no, no cite at all, that’s why I phrased it as “under the impression”) that dangerous animals were routinely put down. What happened here? A 30 year history of attacks? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elephant-kills-keeper-at-tennessee-sanctuary/365654/5 "2006-07-23T14:17:57Z")
> **[The Tennessean|Sumner](https://www.tennessean.com/counties/sumner/)** > > sumner The Elephant may not be put down. This is a poor decision, IMHO. If the beast runs amok, & breaks out of the Sanctuary, the community would demand that the place close forever. The animal needs to be put down. ---
**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:** [July 23, 2006, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elephant-kills-keeper-at-tennessee-sanctuary/365654/6 "2006-07-23T14:27:45Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > What happened here? A 30 year history of attacks? That’s one of the reasons they are here, so that elephants like Winkie don’t need to be euthanized. Winkie did fine for five or six years. I prefer the way Riddles’ handles elephants, with training, but they probably know better than I. They elephants are in fenced areas. Riddle’s fences are made from rail road rails. I don’t know about Hohenwald. They are unable to use their complete area because they haven’t fenced it all. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elephant-kills-keeper-at-tennessee-sanctuary/365654/7 "2006-07-23T14:34:33Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > That’s one of the reasons they are here, so that elephants like Winkie don’t need to be euthanized. I see … So they bring the animal there, in the hopes that limited human contact lessens any threat of danger. An admirable concept. Pity this happened then. I fear Trout Slinger may well be right about the uninformed public rising up in protest, tho. Tragic all the way around. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2006, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elephant-kills-keeper-at-tennessee-sanctuary/365654/8 "2006-07-23T14:54:14Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > I fear Trout Slinger may well be right about the uninformed public rising up in protest, tho. Thaaaat’s Mister trout Slinger to _you_, laddie! 😃 ---
**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:** [July 24, 2006, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elephant-kills-keeper-at-tennessee-sanctuary/365654/9 "2006-07-24T01:05:18Z")
Pictures of [Winkie](http://www.elephants.com/winkie/winkiepix4.htm) with the trainer she injured. [La Petite](http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Culture/6930.htm) is an elephant these guys wanted. She was difficult in Austria, probably killed a guy in Britain and killed her calf in Israel. First time mothers often kill their calves by error; that’s why the Riddle guys want to keep Mothers in herds. The Aunts and sisters show them how to care for their calves. I didn’t realize the Tennessee people interacted to that extent with the animals.