Elephants Elephants - Wildpro - Twycross Zoo

1 Must added
• An opportunity to evaluate the general health of the elephant as it will
be easier to notice subtle changes.
• A scheduled time to reinforce to all of the handlers the parameters of a
behaviour.
• An opportunity to introduce a new staff member into the elephant
programme in a stable environment. It is extremely important for a
new employee to succeed in their initial encounters with the elephant.
One of the more controversial aspects of elephant training is punishment.
Punishment/discipline is the administration of behavioural modification in
the form of a correction. It is given as a response in the following
circumstances:
• to eliminate an unwanted behaviour.
• in order to elicit a desired behaviour.
• to enhance trainer safety.
The mode or degree of the punishment should be compatible with, and
recognisable to, the elephant’s natural mode of social discipline i.e. within the
elephant’s normal behaviour repertoire, and MUST 1 not exceed the natural
punishment that elephants in a herd perform. The amount and type of
punishment MUST take into consideration both the physical and
psychological requirements of each species, as well as age, health, sex, and so
on. All corrections should enhance or create a situation of benefit to both
animals and humans involved, such as increasing safety and social
compatibility. For a correction to be effective punishment MUST be timely so
the elephant can understand what behaviour is not desired and why it is
being corrected.
Unwarranted or extreme corrections and the continuance of a correction after
the unwanted or harmful behaviour has been eliminated and/or the desired
behaviour has been achieved, and or harsh or severe treatment in a context
neither recognizable by, nor beneficial to, the elephant is considered to be
abusive. A correction or abusive treatment is not always, or only, physical in
nature. Incorrect use of time-outs and reinforcements, and failure to provide
the essential physical and psychological necessities required by the elephant
can cause physical and psychological damage as well.
It is counter-productive and therefore unacceptable to the goals of training to
use inappropriate training methods (and see Section 3.8.1. Elephant Training:
Rationale and Justification). Inappropriate training methods at best destroys
the bond of trust between the trainer and the elephant and at worse, risks the
general physical and psychological health of the elephant. Examples of
unacceptable training methods are:
• the routine use of high amperage electricity for training, discipline, or
punishment (see Section 3.13: Standard Operating Procedure: Use of
the Electric Goad or Hotshot),
• physical corrections causing severe and/or permanent injury,
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