Exotic Incident #778
Incident Date:
04/13/2005
Location:
Polk City, FL - USA
Facility Name:
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
Facility Type:
Circus (C)
Incident Category:
Escape/Attack resulting in human injury (HI)
Species:
Elephants
Animal:
Asian Elephant
Animal disposition:
Removed/Re-housed
Summary:
Tova, a 36-year-old female Asian elephant, kicked her elephant trainer at the Ringling Bros. Circus’s elephant breeding facility. The man was airlifted to the hospital and suffered a fractured pelvis and soft tissue wounds. Tova was disciplined with temporary isolation from her peers. Bruce Read, vice president of animal stewardship for the center, said, “This is normal elephant behavior.”
Action take by Born Free USA:
Notes: