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Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) Fact Sheet: Managed Care

History: San Diego Zoo and Safari Park

  • 1923: The San Diego Zoo receives its first Asian elephants, Empress and Queenie (Dolan et al. 1990; Stephenson 2015a)
    • Upon arriving in San Diego (via train from San Francisco), San Diego Zoo founder and director Dr. Harry Wegeforth and head zookeeper Harry Edwards rode the elephants from downtown San Diego's Santa Fe Depot station to the San Diego Zoo.
    • Via a newspaper ballot, the children of San Diego voted to rename the elephants Happy and Joy—but the elephants didn't respond to the new names, so the Zoo staff continued to call them Queenie and Empress.
  • 1971: The San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Wild Animal Park) received its first Asian elephant, from the Denver Zoo (Dolan et al. 1990) 
    • A year later, 2 additional Asian elephants were transferred to the Safari Park (Wild Animal Park) from the San Diego Zoo
  • 1971: Joan Embery and an Asian elephant named Carol appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (Stephenson 2015b) 
    • Embery demonstrated Carol's ability to paint for the studio and TV audiences
    • This visit was the first of more than 100 appearances that Embery would make on The Tonight Show
  • 1992: Animal care specialists at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Wild Animal Park) began using a "protected contact" program, an approach to working alongside elephants that uses rewards, voluntary compliance, and physical barriers with openings to give access to the animal and also protect zoo staff (Priest 1992)
    •  Elephants voluntarily present their ears, feet, eyes, and other parts of their bodies, cooperating in routine healthcare
  • 2009: Elephant Odyssey opened at the San Diego Zoo (Perkins 2009)
    • Featured a 2.5-acre elephant habitat with a large pool, wallows, and several “utilitrees,” which provided shade, food, and enrichment
    • Original herd consisted of 6 Asian elephants and 1 African elephant, blending herds from the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park (Wild Animal Park)

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