citation_inspection: 3605

The elephant husbandry staff employs two dogs to watch the elephants and alert the staff to elephants' behavior while the handlers are in free contact. Due to weather on the day of inspection, only a limited interaction between dogs and elephants could be observed by APHIS officials. The manager was asked to demonstrate an example of this type of interaction, and so he called one of the dogs to create a barrier between the husbandry staff and an elephant which had reached its trunk through the enclosure bars. The dog showed aggressive behavior, growling and lunging at one elephant and entering its enclosure before being called by the manager. The manager also reported the dogs' having bitten the elephants during the course of their work. Furthermore, a CBS News clip from May 13, 2014, which was verified by the facility representatives, showed the elephants exhibiting signs of distress when charged by one of the dogs, including ear flapping, trumpeting, and turning and running away. The manager was clear that the dogs are not herding the elephants but are protecting the keepers during free contact. Having the dogs interact with the elephants by unrestrained lunging and biting may cause undue stress to the elephants. All animal handling must be done in a manner that does not cause behavioral stress. Correct by: from this point forward.