Elephant Beating Dispute Escalates at State Hearing

The dispute between San Diego Zoo elephant keepers and their colleagues at the San Diego Wild Animal Park escalated Friday with angry allegations at a rancorous public hearing prompted by the beating of Dunda the elephant.

In their strongest language yet, the zoo handlers accused their superiors of “lying” and “covering up” the incident, which occurred in February at the Wild Animal Park.

Steve Friedlund, senior elephant trainer at the zoo, said that Dunda’s beating was “obscene and completely unnecessary” and charged that Zoological Society management had “engaged in a series of distortions and outright lies.”

Another keeper, Lisa Landres, said she learned that zoo officials planned to transfer her from her job caring for elephants as punishment for her role in pressing an internal complaint about the beating. Landres said her superiors changed their minds two months ago when stories about the incident were first published.

New Procedures

Officials of the Zoological Society of San Diego, which operates both the zoo and the park, continued to deny Friday that Dunda was abused but announced that as a result of the controversy, new elephant disciplinary procedures have been developed.

The hearing was called by state Sen. Dan McCorquodale (D-San Jose), chairman of the Natural Resources and Wildlife Committee. The tense hearing was the first time most of those involved in the bitter controversy have faced each other since the allegations against the world-renowned institution became public.

McCorquodale said his committee is considering legislation that would place a greater obligation on the trustees of zoos to oversee their institutions.

McCorquodale requested the hearing after reading newspaper stories about the beating of Dunda, who was transferred from the zoo to the park last February.

Legs Chained

At the park, Dunda was chained by all four legs, pulled to the ground and beaten over the head with ax handles on at least two days.

“I think if I had been watching it--I couldn’t have controlled it--I think I would have been sick to my stomach,” McCorquodale said toward the end of the daylong hearing. “I doubt that the trustees could have watched it either.”

More than 200 people jammed the hearing in a meeting room at the Escondido City Hall, frequently cheering, applauding and booing the more than 30 witnesses who testified.

Alan Roocroft, supervisor in charge of elephants at the Wild Animal Park, told McCorquodale that the damage to Dunda’s head was superficial and that at no time during the sessions was her skin broken. The large, jagged areas of peeling hide still visible on Dunda’s head are the result of cracks that were caused by swelling of the bruised areas, he said.

“Since we administered the necessary discipline six months ago, Dunda has been socializing well in the herd,” Roocroft said. “Our course of action is in my opinion the most effective way to bring a violent animal under control.”