‘Dig Deeper,’ Humane Society Told : More Facts Sought in Dunda Beating

The San Diego city attorney’s office has sent the case of Dunda the elephant back to the San Diego Humane Society for further investigation before a decision is made on whether to press criminal charges against anyone involved in Dunda’s beating last February.

The Humane Society, which turned over the results of its investigation to city prosecutors about two weeks ago, has been asked to conduct more interviews about the incident, according to Stuart Swett, a deputy city attorney.

“He had some specific questions and he asked us to dig a little deeper,” said Larry Boersma, a spokesman for the Humane Society. Boersma said the society has already spent 300 hours and more than $5,000 investigating the case.

Neither Boersma nor Swett would discuss the nature of the remaining questions or say who is to be interviewed.

Meanwhile, state Sen. Dan McCorquodale (D-San Jose) visited the San Diego Wild Animal Park and San Diego Zoo on Friday as he began an inquiry into the Dunda incident. McCorquodale, chairman of the Senate Natural Resources and Wildlife Committee, said he was responding to press reports about the incident as well as many complaints received by his office.

“There’s enough to make me concerned about a pattern of abuse of elephants,” McCorquodale said as he entered the Wild Animal Park.

McCorquodale spent about an hour in the park’s African elephant enclosure, where he looked over Dunda’s injuries. He was escorted by officials of the Zoological Society of San Diego, which operates the Wild Animal Park and zoo. Also on hand was Alan Roocroft, supervisor in charge of elephants at the park.

McCorquodale left the park without speaking to a group of reporters waiting at the gate.

Earlier, he said he had no immediate plans to speak with any of the elephant keepers at the zoo who first registered complaints about Dunda’s handling.

Dunda, an 18-year-old African elephant, had lived most of her life at the San Diego Zoo but was transferred to the Wild Animal Park last February. Keepers at the zoo have complained that there was insufficient preparation for Dunda’s transfer and that keepers at the park chained her by all four legs, pulled her to the ground and beat her on the head with ax handles.

Officials of the park and Zoological Society say no abuse occurred but have given varying accounts of the incident.