|
|
|
Spotlight on JACKSON
Jackson was born in Zimbabwe in 1976. He was captured in 1978 when he was just two years old and shipped to the U.S. where he became the property of Ferndale, an exotic animal broker.
Not much is known about Jackson's early life, but records show he was transferred to Randall Moore in 1983. Moore pioneered the use of controversial "elephant back" safaris in Africa, where paying tourists ride on the backs of trained elephants.
The taming process for African elephants often involves immobilizing the elephant by tethering him to a tree or another elephant and hobbling all four legs; and then beating him into submission.
In 1989, Jackson was sold to Allen Campbell, a trainer for the Hawthorn Corporation, a supplier of performing tigers and elephants. Denver Zoo  officials would later reveal Campbell had been the target of complaints that he abused elephants. Jackson briefly lived at the Miami Metro Zoo and then returned to circus life with the Hawthorn Corporation and Allen Campbell until 1994, when Campbell was killed by another African elephant, Tyke, during a circus performance in Hawaii (photo, right). After Campbell's death, Jackson was sent to the Pittsburgh Zoo.
At the Pittsburgh Zoo, head elephant keeper Willie Theison (shown below left with Jackson) began working with Jackson. According to Theison, who referred to Jackson's former owner as his "friend and mentor," Jackson had more than 250 deep gashes and infected wounds all over his body when he first arrived at the Pittsburgh Zoo and "if you raised your voice, he would run."
 Later news articles reported Jackson had been abused until the age of eight, when he allegedly was confiscated by the Humane Society. According to the African Elephant Studbook and other official records, however, Jackson was 18 when he arrived at the Pittsburgh Zoo and had been traveling with the Hawthorn Corporation and Alan Campbell - Theison's "friend and mentor" - immediately before arriving at the Pittsburgh Zoo in 1994.
The Pittsburgh Zoo put Jackson to work immediately as a breeding male. In 1996, he was bred with 13-year-old Savannah. Savannah's calf was stillborn in 1998. In 1997, he was bred with 15-year-old Moja, who gave birth to female calf Victoria in September 1999. (Note: Moja, was born in captivity in 1984 at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. When she was just two years old, Moja was separated from her mother, Wankie, and shipped to another zoo. Moja never saw Wankie again. Wankie died in 2005 en route from a zoo in Illinois to yet another zoo in Utah). In 1998 Jackson was bred with Savannah again, and male calf Callee was born in September 2000.
In 2001, Jackson was shipped to Disney's Animal Kingdom in Florida, where he was bred with numerous females, including 17-year-old Vasha (female calf, Kianga, born July 2004), and 19-year-old Donna (female calf, Nidirah, born December 2005). In 2004, Jackson was trucked back to the Pittsburgh Zoo, where his semen was collected through forced ejaculation and shipped to other zoos to be used for artificial insemination. The process of the collection of Jackson's semen was filmed for this video.
 In 2005, Jackson's semen was used to impregnate 20-year-old Miki at the Louisville Zoo, who gave birth in March 2007 to a male calf, Scotty .
Jackson's son Scotty, just over a year old, is shown in the left photo performing circus-style tricks for his keepers.
Jackson's semen was also used to artificially inseminate second-time mother Moyo at Disney's Animal Kingdon in 2006 (male calf Tsavo, born June 2008). In 2006, Jackson was bred again with the female elephants at the Pittsburgh Zoo, with two more of his offspring born in July 2008 - female calves Angelina and Zuri. Also in 2006, his semen was used to artificially inseminate 25-year-old Dottie (who had not been bred before) at the Atlanta Zoo. Dottie died in October 2008 in the third trimester of her pregnancy.
The Pittsburgh Zoo likes to describe breeding with Jackson as "natural breeding." However, it is reported that Jackson is sometimes chained and the females elephants "held" in front of him in the process, indicating that there is virtually no choice involved in the breeding, and nothing "natural" about it.
 On December 18, 2008, Jackson was moved to the breeding facility outside Pittsburgh where plans are to forcibly breed him with 27-year-old elephants Kallie and Bette, who have never been bred before. Pittsburgh Zoo director, Barbara Baker, is shown at the Pittsburgh Zoo with Jackson (photo, right). Read more about Baker's management style here.
 Upon arrival at the breeding facility, Jackson was kept alone in a cement barn until March 24, 2009, when he was allowed outside for the first time. He was kept inside reportedly because of the weather and to avoid colic.
According to Baker, "bull elephants like to be alone." However, Joyce Poole, Director of Research and Conservation of the non-profit, ElephantVoices, Member of the Amboseli Elephant Research Project, the longest study of elephants in the world, has stated: "Contrary to statements by the zoo, male elephants are not solitary. Until the age of 14 they live in the company of their families and, as adults, they spend two thirds of their time with other elephants..." (for more information from Poole, click here.)
Because Jackson has already sired ten calves (two stillborn) in the already limited gene pool of captive elephants, it's questionable as to why Zoo officials insist on attempting to breed him yet again, and why they would try to do so with 27-year-old females like Kallie and Bette. Kallie and Bette, since they have never been bred before, have little chance of getting pregnant at all at their age, and if they do get pregnant, they have a 71 percent chance of suffering life-threatening conditions like elephant Dottie.
Sources:
Rock, Vicki. "Jackson in the great outdoors." Daily American 25 Mar. 2009.
"For Father's Day, 6 huge ties." Chicago Sun Times 19 June 2007
Fuoco, Linda Wilson. "Zoo's 'elephant whisperer' uses polite requests to keep behemoths in line." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 3 July 2005.
Massie, Michelle K. "Elephants find love at the zoo." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 25 Sep. 2004.
Srikameswaren, Anita. "His potency is nationally known." Pittbsurgh Post-Gazette 30 May 2004.
Jones, Diana Nelson. "In the shadows of the zoo." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 02 Jan. 2001.
|
|
