Just because dogs do tricks doesn’t mean an elephant should. That is not a fair or relevant comparison. Elephants are meant to live in the wild. Dogs are domesticated, they are meant to live with humans, they actually enjoy attention from humans, affection, & some enjoy the praise and attention they receive from their family when they do a trick. Just because an experience is amazing, does not make it right. If you educate yourself on elephant sanctuaries that actually treat the elephants right, & aren’t just using them as a pay check by entertaining humans dumb enough to believe anything, you’d learn what they do here is complete wrong. It takes 5 seconds to do mild research & learn any elephant that paints, are used for constant human interaction, including advertising “elephant baths”, basically everything this “sanctuary” has to offer...It is not “protecting” them from abuse like there well paid trainers/actors make you believe, u are doing no good but supporting fakes.
These people are from California and formerly known as HTWT- Have Trunk Will Travel. They moved this so called "preserve" to Texas because California now has strict laws about using bullhooks. Beverly, a true sanctuary/preserve doesn't exploit their rescued animals to do tricks...they let them live out the remainder of their life in peace.
Oh Beverly, your answer only shows how little you understand animals. Dogs and elephants are not the same. Dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years. Elephants have not. The only want to get them to do their tricks is to break them down and inflict pain. Your "amazing experience" is a direct result of these animals being abused. Plain and simple. And you, therefore, are part of the problem.
How could you think because an elephant can do a trick they are mistreated? Dogs learn tricks and are not in the circus. The experience is amazing.
I've been there. And its actually pretty decent. It's a lot better than I gave it credit. It was a very educational experience.
Linda Duckwell, check out the YouTube video on Have Trunks Will Travel. Same people and they BEAT them. Educate yourself.
These five elephants are the beginning of a new Preserve it has been open less than a year the people are trying to get more animals and will if as the grants and stuff are given I enjoyed it immensely it was my Mother's Day gift from my son I guess you'll just have to go down and see what it's about and get the details on it don't mess it up for everyone it was nice it was awesome
I would imagine that since these elephants are trained to do some tricks from previous life situations, they may crave the interaction with the guests. Also, the handful of elephants at the meet and greet that do the entertaining provide a service to financially help support the place. I'm sure it's not cheap.
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