Franklin Zoo and Wildlife Sanctuary in Tuakau has been the home for Mila the retired circus elephant for the past three years. With the tragic death of Dr Helen Schofield the Trust has relocated most of the animals and continues to care for Mila and raise funds to send her to her new home in the USA mid to late 2013.
“Mila is responding well to her operant conditioning and protected care management. The program allows keepers to manage her through a protected wall, and is based solely on positive reinforcement training with no negative responses or punishment. She is responding well by presenting feet for care, all parts of her body for washing, rub downs and other health care procedures.”
“Our dream for Mila is to get her in a situation where she can have other elephants for company; a lot of elephant facilities around the world manage their elephants using these procedures so she will understand them when it comes time to move.”
“Our program is designed to ‘future proof’ Mila by giving her skills so that if it becomes possible to move her to a social situation in the future she will be able to cope well. Not only has she learnt to work with more than one keeper, she has also developed more physical fitness and confidence, she has perfected her mud wallowing and sand bathing techniques, not to mention her ability to knock down pretend trees (telegraph poles), blow water and other natural elephant behaviours. All these activities will help her in the future”
“The Franklin community has been hugely helpful in caring for Mila, including the delivering wonderful browse (branches and trees) and good quality meadow hay for her to eat.
Keeping an elephant is a significant financial commitment. Dr Schofield set up the Franklin Zoo and Wildlife Sanctuary Charitable Trust in November 2008 to assist in the care of exotic and native animals being retired or re-homed. The Sanctuary successfully purchased and retired the last circus lions in New Zealand in 2006, the Sanctuary was also home to over 300 birds and animals including Zebra, Bobcats, and Lemurs, Capuchin monkeys, Kea and many others. Donations are very much needed and can be made at the Sanctuary or here on the website
The Franklin Zoo and Wildlife Sanctuary is now closed to the public after the tragic accidental death of Dr Helen Schofield on 25 April 2012. All donations will go to the future of Mila and the other animals.