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Maggie is getting ready to leave the state.
A California elephant facility was in town Thursday to get Maggie trained for her new home. In Defense of Animals says that the facility is a poor place for the pachyderm. It's a story you will only see on CBS 11 News.
CBS 11 News got an inside look at the process the zoo is taking Maggie through.
This is the second time this summer that Charlie Summat has visited Maggie at the Alaska Zoo. He says the first visit made it pretty clear she wouldn't be the best fit for his facility: a home for retired circus elephants in California.
"We don't want to take ourselves out of the running if Maggie needs us. But knowing
Maggie come here... that a girl.
But Sammut does have something to offer the zoo--that is years of training African elephants. For the last week, he's been working with staff members in a technique called protective contact.
No cancel it. Cue the other foot.
It's teaching keepers how to work and care for Maggie with a barrier between them.
Right there, good. And steady her easy just walk in and brush the back of her foot...touch it with both hands.
Sammut says there's nothing at all negative about the technique. Maggie is rewarded for good behavior and when she doesn't comply, she gets a time out.
"And they simply walk away from her; and it works. It absolutely works. When you come back to her, she is ready and willing to try it again on a much different level," said Sammut.
Zoo workers say the training is the type of thing that Maggie will have to learn, no matter where she goes, and that she now has a good start in preparing for
As for where and when Maggie will move?
Well, the zoo says it has a very good candidate coming in the next few weeks to take a look at her. They also say that this facility, like many others, has asked the zoo not to release their name, because they don't want to get caught up in negative publicity before a decision has even been made.
To contact Lauren, call 907-273-3186.
