14 DAY TRIAL // The news just broke that, after being accused of having beaten and abused a 28-year-old female elephant they were supposed to look after, three men working for the Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire in the English Midlands got fired.
Moreover, the keepers have been arrested and are very soon to come face to face with the legal consequences of their actions.
Apparently, these three men had been using canes to beat both Tonzi and two other elephants for quite a while, yet, because they were careful enough to not leave any marks on the animals' skin, the abuses went unnoticed by most of the people who visited the zoo and their co-workers.
However, Daily Mail says that, after the three men were somehow filmed while abusing these animals, both the zoo's management and local authorities were quick in putting an end to the elephants' ordeal.
According to the same source, one other zoo employee told members of the press that, "It appeared Tonzi was being beaten by the keepers.”
Furthermore, “Apparently the keepers were taking it in turns to hit her with bamboo canes.”
For the time being, the only good news is that, as zoo representatives claim, the elephants beaten by these three keepers did not suffer any permanent injuries, meaning that – at least from a physical standpoint – they will soon get back on their feet.
“The zoo immediately instigated an extensive investigation in line with its internal policies and legal welfare requirements.”
“The small group of animals this incident relates to suffered no lasting injury, are behaving normally and are now doing extremely well,” a spokesperson for this zoo in Leicestershire told members of the press.
The news concerning these abused elephants and their rescue comes shortly after police officials in Hong Kong reported a major breakthrough in their fight against poaching: 1,209 tusks were confiscated and kept from reaching the black market.