2013-04-23 - Knoxville, United States.
Whether an organization permits free or protected contact training of elephants, operant conditioning through positive reinforcement can still serve as the basis for behavioral training. I asked my colleague, Jim Naelitz, the Curator of Elephants at the Knoxville Zoo to weigh in on the topic and answer some questions.
2012-11-13 - Knoxville, United States.
Knoxville Zoo 1.2 currently houses African elephants and we are looking for an Elephant Keeper with 2+ years of experience. This person is responsible for a wide variety of tasks involving the husbandry of several area species, the daily upkeep of keeper and public areas and interpretation with zoo guests. The individual must be able to carry out the duties typical of a keeper and comply with Knoxville Zoo policies and procedures as they appear in the employee handbook and departmental protocols...
2011-06-07 - Knoxville, United States.
The Knoxville Zoo is fighting the citations and fines imposed upon them by the Tennesssee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) after the death of a worker. In January, elephant keeper Stephanie James was killed when an elephant named Edie pushed her into a steel beam.
The Knoxville Zoo has been fined more than $12,000 dollars after an inspection by TOSHA following the death of an elephant trainer. Stephanie James was killed in January when Edie, an 8500 pound African elephant, pushed her into a stall. The Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) inspected the zoo after the incident, and their findings were released to 10News on Monday.
2011-03-25 - Knoxville, United States.
The Jan. 14 death of Stephanie James, the Knoxville Zoo keeper who died after being pushed by female elephant Edie, was accidental, a review panel has found. The zoo also announced Thursday that Edie and its other female elephant, Jana, will be permanently cared for by keepers in what´s called ´protected contact.´ That means keepers will work with the pachyderms with bars or barriers between them.
2011-02-15 - Knoxville, United States.
The elephant that killed its handler at the Knoxville Zoo last month apparently committed an “intentional” attack without provocation, according to a state report released today. Zoo officials say that’s a conclusion without any proof. “Intentional is a word that I don’t know how you can say,” said Jim Vlna, the zoo’s director. “They don’t know the mind of an elephant.”
2011-01-16 - Knoxville, United States.
Stephanie James loved animals - whether it was the horses she used to take care of as a child, her dog she rescued from being euthanized or the elephants that she cared for daily at the Knoxville Zoo. "That was her life," her father, Ron James, said by telephone Friday evening. "It was just her goal in life to take care of animals and be around them."
2011-01-15 - Knoxville, United States. Amy McRary
The Knoxville Zoo African elephant that fatally injured one of her keepers will not be punished as multiple agencies begin to investigate what zoo officials call a tragic accident. Elephant keeper Stephanie Elaine James, 33, died from internal injuries she suffered Friday afternoon when a zoo elephant named Edie pushed her into the heavy metal bars of a stall inside the pachyderms’ barn.
2009-08-14 - Knoxville, United States.
The Knoxville Zoo is seeking a qualified person to fill an opening in the elephant department. The Knoxville Zoo currently houses 1.2 African Elephants. The females are managed in free contact and the male is managed in protected contact. We need a dependable, trustworthy, and very team oriented individual who will be able to work in a fast paced, progressive program. Elephant experience not required but it is preferred.
2008-10-09 - Knoxville, United States. The Clausens
We recently visited the Shriner Circus where you were given the opportunity to ride an elephant. I graciously volunteered Mitch to take Tanner for a ride. As you can see from the photos, the elephant trainer was much to worried about his phone call than the 2 ton animal carrying small children! It was a highlight for Tanner, my little animal fanatic.
2008-10-09 - Knoxville, United States. Jamie Satterfield
Thomas D. "Zoo Man" Huskey appeared in Criminal Court for a new sentencing hearing that Judge Richard Baumgartner said was necessary because of a 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision rendering Tennessee's sentencing law as unconstitutional. What is at issue is a 22-year sentence Huskey received for the rape and kidnapping of a prostitute at the Knoxville Zoo, where he worked as an elephant keeper. That rape occurred before the bodies of four women were found in 1992 that Huskey admitted killing. He ...
2008-08-06 - Knoxville, United States.
The Knoxville Zoo is seeking a qualified person to fill an opening in the elephant department. The Knoxville Zoo currently houses 1.2 African Elephants. The females are managed in free contact and the male is managed in protected contact. We need a dependable, trustworthy, and very team oriented individual who will be able to work in a fast paced, progressive program. Elephant experience not required but it is preferred. A high school diploma or equivalent is required, a college degree in a rela...
2008-08-01 - Knoxville, United States. LaSaundra Brown
A little pre-game pep talk still may not ease the nerves of the big orange players, who are getting ready to play one of their toughest games ever. "I've never been around somebody who was bigger than me," offensive tackle William Brimfield says. He's referring to elephants Edie and Jana, who together weigh more than 17,000 pounds. "They make an awesome offensive line," Knoxville Zoo Elephant Curator Jim Naelitz says. The elephants have been preparing for their match up against the star Vol play...
2008-06-19 - Knoxville, United States. Amy McRary
Battle lines were drawn Tuesday in the hard-packed red clay of the Knoxville Zoo elephant yard. The pachyderm Edie was challenged to tug-of-war by eight determined if unrealistic humans. Five zoo marketing staff workers, two elephant keepers and one News Sentinel reporter grabbed a 15-foot rope and planted tennis shoes or work boots in the dirt. Edie waited feet away. All 8,700 pounds of her. Edie's back was turned to her competition. She wore a harness fastened to a yoke to which keepers hooked...
2008-01-27 - Knoxville, United States. JANE CARLSON
After spending three weeks in Thailand caring for elephants, Sara Pool isn’t used to sleeping without the sounds of the jungle. It’s the strangest thing to be back here and not hearing random elephant trumpets at night. I really loved it over there and I miss it every single day,” said Pool, a Knoxville native and budding animal rights activist who is studying animal science at the University of Illinois.
2007-09-27 - Knoxville, United States. Sam Watson
More shovel-tusked elephant remains have surfaced at the Gray Fossil Site seven years after scientists first identified portions of the fossilized behemoth in the early days of the sites discovery. Having searched in vain in previous digs, East Tennessee State University researchers struck gold this week after getting a better idea of where an elephant pelvis and other fragments were found from some of the original investigators.
2007-06-11 - Knoxville, United States.
MUST HAVE PREVIOUS ELEPHANT HANDLER/KEEPER EXPERIENCE. This is a Zoo Keeper II position. It differs from the next lower level of Zoo Keeper (Keeper I) in that the lower level does not have the responsibility of training staff, team leading as requested, or serving on Zoo committees. A Zoo Keeper II is also demonstrating increasing knowledge and experience in the area species and related programs. It differs from the next higher level of Zoo Keeper in that a Keeper III has developed considerable ...
2006-11-03 - Knoxville, Tennessee, United States.
Four murder charges were formally dropped in Knoxville against an accused serial killer known as the "Zoo Man." Thomas Dee Huskey is a former elephant trainer who got his nickname from prostitutes who said he took them to the Knoxville Zoo to have sex. He remains in jail serving a 66-year prison term for raping four other women in woods near the Knoxville Zoo in 1992.
2006-05-28 - Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. EAZA
The Knoxville Zoo is looking for an experienced, motivated, team oriented individual who wants to work elephants. We work both free and protected contact with 1.3 African Elephants. The program is early in its building phase with the ultimate goal of breeding within the next year. There are promotional opportunities available within the elephant team.
2001-08-24 - Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. AP
Two Knoxville Zoo handlers were injured Thursday when Mamie, the zoo's painting African elephant, broke loose during a morning walk.Keepers Tom Troy and Mike Gaugler were taking Mamie on a daily get-acquainted stroll to a new exhibit space when she decided to make a run for some tasty tree leaves, zoo executive director Jim Vlna said. Troy had a cut on his head and Gaugler injured a rib.Both were treated at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, while Mamie went back to her pen and calmed d...
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