# Punishing an elephant after the fact? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 17, 2011, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punishing-an-elephant-after-the-fact/567998 "2011-01-17T21:31:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punishing-an-elephant-after-the-fact/567998/21 "2011-01-18T05:52:46Z")
Somebody explain to me how an elephant understands cause and effect. If an elephant can understand long term cause and effect then he/she should be tried in a court of law. Let the elephant “lawyer up” and defend his/her actions. If the elephant is smart he/she will hire OJ’s attorneys (if they are still alive). If an elephant is judged not to have the intellectual capacity to understand long term cause and effect then . . . the trainer/handler had it coming. They took the risk. Losing bets are still losing bets. Sorry, but you undertook the risk and lost. Don’t kill the elephant for giving you what was thought you deserved. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punishing-an-elephant-after-the-fact/567998/22 "2011-01-18T06:18:19Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Thanks, **Fubaya**. Do they always keep the elephants in that enclosure, though, or do they have to get them in at some point? I mean, in most zoos I’ve been in, the elephants are in a big enclosure…for any training, would the keeper then have to get them into a separate room or area? You might want to read [this](http://www.upali.ch/keeping_en.html) brief explanation because I’m certainly no expert. From what I can tell, elephants in PC are kinda “free range.” They have to lure the elephants to a opening in the bars in order to do anything with them. If it doesn’t want to come over, they just leave it alone. Training is up to the elephant, and some come over and interact with humans while others just go about their business doing elephant things. The Knoxville Zoo has an outdoor area and a “barn.” The outdoor area is divided in the middle and the male elephant (PC) is kept on one side while the two females (FC) are on the other. I’ve seen the trainers outside with the two females\* but they don’t appear to go outside on the other side. I think the male just goes in and out when he pleases, but to do anything with him, they would have lure him inside then lure him over to interact with the trainers. \*The keepers mostly hang around the entrance to the barn as the outdoor area doesn’t look very safe for people. It has a pond and some big sticks that the elephants like to swing around. They wisely keep their distance when the elephants are out there. ---
**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:** [January 18, 2011, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punishing-an-elephant-after-the-fact/567998/23 "2011-01-18T12:36:24Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I don’t want to watch the whole video, so what is protected contact? I’ve seen handlers interact touching the elephant but being a step away from those huge bars. One step back, and you are safe. I guess that is “semi protected contact”. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punishing-an-elephant-after-the-fact/567998/24 "2011-01-18T13:35:20Z")
Obligatory link to [Shooting an Elephant](http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/887/). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/punishing-an-elephant-after-the-fact/567998.md?page=1)