I'm directing this to the Animal Right Activists

I have been watching the counter on my blog. I see the results are doing well and I assume that many of these people are animal activists keeping track of what I feel and believe.

If you people would read the top of the page I would welcome your views on our pictures and my views. I will NOT add vulgar or abusive language but I will be more than happy to add your views and feelings.

I guess the big thing at present is El Paso and the situation with their elephant department.

I am not in El Paso and don't have direct contact with anyone their so I don't have first hand information but I do have an opinion on the situation.

I have read the "Letter to the Editor" in the El Paso Times and I think Ms. Bain has answered most of the opposing views as she is there in El Paso and seems to know the facts of this situation.

I have heard all kinds of stories that Mr. Seidon has beaten this elephant with a rasp to a sledge hammer handle to a broom stick breaking the implement. Sounds kind of ridiculous to me.

The first thing to take into consideration is that elephants are not the big lovable gentle giants they are portrayed to be by some. They are socialized animal that live by rules and regulations. In the wild they set the standard, in captivity we set the standards. There is a difference between the wild herds and the captive animals. They are entirely different animals.

I understand that the Sissy event was brought up again. Again I must emphasize I was not there and only had reports from the media and hearsay information.

That so called terrible beating that was administer to Sissy may have just saved a life. In her previous location she killed a man and got away with it. When she made attempts to repeat this action she was taken to task and lo and behold for the next year she attacked no one and fit into the herd. There is a difference between abuse and discipline as each is individual. I think that Ms. Buckley, Mr. Scott and all those that work around the elephants at TES should thank the El Paso Zoo elephant personal for her good behavior.

There are times that force MUST be used and just maybe the rules and laws of El Paso and other places concerning what is abuse and what is discipline should be rewritten.

I have not seen any rebuttal to Ms. Bain's information to the public. Instead of writing all kinds of abuse that you know nothing about without disclosing yourselves why not come out of your shells and publicly voice your concerns instead of using threats and misinformation. I invite any of you give me actual facts not what is told to you by people that profess to know. I have had 43 years of hands on contact with elephants in which no one that has been around my elephants has ever been hurt. Oh yes, with the exception of myself with a bull in musth. THERE ARE NO ELEPHANT EXPERTS. We still need much more knowledge and experience before there will be experts.