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MUSIC CITY ZOO
by John M. Regan (from AAT Magazine 2001)
There’s a refreshing new tune coming out of Nashville, Tennessee. It’s called the Nashville Zoo at Grassmere, and if you’re one of those old time, hands on, free contact type trainers then this is the place for you. This is a park that’s not afraid of the word “show.” It’s a place where elephant rides are still a major attraction and keepers are encouraged to get out front with their animals. Director Rick Schwartz has no intention of backing off his stance that zoo visitors deserve to be entertained while they’re being educated, and he’s doing it his way.
The Nashville Zoo’s public affairs folks put me in touch with Jacqueline Walker, Animal Programs Coordinator. Despite a schedule that often includes several shows daily I managed to catch up to Jacqueline, known around the zoo by her nickname, “Jac.” Jac’s a busy lady these days. In charge of all zoo shows and education programs she maintains around 45 different animals for these presentations from macaws to two-towed sloths.
Jac handles a wide variety of animals, but works most closely with birds. Although she “had never even picked up a parrot” until she was twenty-one years old, she has certainly made up for lost time, even winning a Behavior of the Year Award from the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators. A font of enthusiastic information, Jac is dedicated to her profession and passionate about the Nashville Zoo.
Her career as a trainer began part time at the Columbus Zoo while attending college. She learned the rudiments of bird training and discovered that she loved it. She read as much as she could, listened to others in the field, took all the advice she could and experimented. By the time Nashville hired her to do bird shows and run the zoo’s outreach program she was ready, but a great deal of challenges were in store.
“I had to start from scratch in the first show,” Jac said. “We had only one trained bird and a few small animals.” Director Rick Schwartz, however, had bigger and better things in mind. The show added an ocelot, then a kinkajou, and a small collection of native animals from the old Grassmere Wildlife Park, forerunner of the Nashville Zoo. In a short time Jac had a substantial collection to deal with. She now has enough animals to do three shows daily plus a variety of educational outreach programs, each specifically tailored to the needs of the audience and the experience of the presenter.
Building the show for the Nashville Zoo led to a serendipitous meeting with one of the top bird trainers in the country. While visiting Las Vegas with two tiger cubs for a Segfried and Roy movie she met Joe Krathwhohl, master falconer and well-known “Birdman of Las Vegas,” famous for his spectacular avian shows. Joe agreed to share his expertise with Jac and consult with the zoo.
The Birdman not only gave Jac bird handling tips, but he trained her as well, giving pointers about “stage presence.” Joe’s tutelage helped improve the theatrical portion of the presentation.
“At Nashville we’re not afraid of the word ‘show,’” Jac explained. “It’s extremely important that we present a conservation message in a dignified manner, but we have to entertain to do that. I like to get people into the zoo with entertainment, then sneak education in there. Joe taught me about costume, ensemble, how to stand on stage, even make up. He taught me how to package a show plus numerous training tips. I learned a lot from him.”
Jac now presents a show with about 10 birds from parrots to birds of prey, and a hornbill. The zoo has invested in a beautiful amphitheater specifically designed for animal shows. Each show lasts about twenty minutes and is centered on presenting natural behavior in an entertaining manner. Jac is one of the few folks who regularly fly two macaws simultaneously in a bird show.
The presentation for which she won the Behavior of the Year Award is a beautiful example of innovative simplicity. First, Jac rolls a large, rectangular, upright box onto the stage. The box is a standard magician’s prop with a false door behind. She then selects a young volunteer from the audience, brings him or her on stage and proceeds to dress the volunteer like a bird, replete with bird feathers, beaks, etc. All the while Jac explains to the audience the utility of each avian appendage. At the conclusion of the lecture Jac walks the youngster into the box and closes the door. A few magic words later the box door is opened. But instead of a costumed young volunteer, a red tailed hawk flies out. The audience loves it.
I asked Jac about what species she feels are the easiest to train. She answered without hesitation. “Harris hawks,” she said. “The old bird show standby.” Being an elephant guy I can’t say that I knew that, but Jac filled in the blanks.
“Harris hawks are probably the most intelligent of the hawks. They are very popular in falconry. In addition, Harris’ are semi social; you can develop a closer relationship with them, and they display versatile behaviors. They can catch a lure in the air or grab one on the ground. In short, they make you look good with very little effort.”
And the hardest?
“The bald eagle,” Jac answered. “By their very size they are difficult, but their nature adds to it. They’re very nervous birds and don’t like crowds and noise. In addition, there are a lot of federal regulations that go along with keeping them. I had one that I finally got to jump to a glove, but it took an extraordinary amount of effort.”
On training birds in general, Jac says, not surprisingly, that positive reinforcement is key, especially with parrots. “They respond to many things, though. Affection and companionship are added bonuses. With birds of prey the primary reinforcement is food.”
Her personal training tips:
Accidents, however, do occur. “Fly offs occasionally happen. These are birds and they are susceptible to strong winds, etc. So far, knock on wood; I’ve never lost a bird. The key is not to panic. Call the bird, and if it doesn’t come down, walk away. I’ll use a volunteer to keep an eye on the bird, but not to chase it from tree to tree. They know where home is and eventually they come back.”
I asked Jac how she manages diets. “I weigh each bird in the show every day,” she explained. “But I don’t judge strictly on that basis, even though it is very important. I base it more on the behavior of the animal; I’m more in tune with what the animal is actually doing.”
And what does she see for the future? “Bigger and better shows,” she says. “Rick (the Director) wants us to keep expanding and keep making the shows better.”
I have no doubt that Jac could have easily given me an encyclopedia’s worth of bird and animal training knowledge, she can pack more facts into one sentence than my literary skills give credit to, but true to her mission of “education through entertainment” she had to leave for an educational outreach program.
Before she left, however, Jac kindly asked if I’d like to visit to the elephant barn. Now that’s an offer I never refuse. She spoke to someone on a hand held radio then turned to me and said, “Reise is over there now; she said to come on over.”
Now I’ve spent a fair amount of time with elephants, and I’ve met my share of elephant people, but my visit with the Pankow family was especially significant. I approached the elephant enclosure fully expecting the kinds of things I had seen in most other zoos – a small herd loafing in the sun doing nothing in particular. I assumed I’d do the usual interview discussing the latest techniques in protected contact and how husbandry was managed at the Nashville Zoo. Instead I found something I had not seen since my days with Ringling over twenty years ago – a real, honest to goodness elephant ride - and a family that owns the elephants they display.
A sign proclaiming “Elephants Rides - $3.00,” hung in front of a wooden stairway that led to a gated platform. Around the sign an enthusiastic crowd of adults and children gathered in palpable excitement. At the top of the platform a lady, whom I took to be Reise, prepared visitors for the upcoming ride while a gentlemen in the riding arena fastened an enormous harness around a beautiful African elephant. I climbed to the top of the platform, stifled my urge to ride the elephant, and introduced myself.
Reese had her hands full, but she directed me to a paddock beyond the elephant ride where two trainers were working with a pair of African elephants. I felt a bit disappointed. I wanted an interview with the gentlemen and lady giving the elephant ride, not a couple of assistant keepers. I was about to get the second surprise of the day.
I walked out to the paddock, a rectangular two-acre enclosure surrounded by a fence composed of posts and cables. The keepers were inside with the elephants exercising them, putting them through a few training steps, and feeding hay. Another thing becoming rare in zoos these days – free contact elephant training. Of course, elephant rides would be pretty difficult without it.
One of the trainers, a big fellow in a jungle suit and sunglasses, approached and stepped through the wire. He introduced himself as Chuck Pankow, Jr. “That’s my father over there with the elephant ride,” he said.
A father – son combination is unique in the zoo world, but Chuck and his father are unusual in another way that only revealed itself as we talked. As Chuck answered my questions about elephants and his training philosophy I realized that these elephants actually belonged to the Pankows.
“We’re under a contract with the Nashville Zoo,” Chuck explained. “The elephants belong to us, but we consider them to be the Nashville Zoo elephants. We’ve been here six years and we don’t plan on going anywhere.”
I asked Chuck how he and his father came to own elephants and got a brief lesson in elephant history. “Dad worked at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago for about eighteen years,” Chuck said. “He even worked with the famous elephant Ziggy. Have you heard of him?” I certainly had heard of the well-known pachyderm. Although Ziggy’s age at the time of his death has always been a subject of dispute, (Chuck’s father puts it at fifty-eight) he was by then the oldest elephant in North America.
Chuck explained that his father finally tired of zoo work and the restrictions it placed on the things he wanted to do. (Haven’t we all been there before?) But Chuck Sr. did something very few have the fortitude to do. He left the zoo and struck out on his own as an elephant consultant, leasing and buying elephants, giving rides at parks, and doing acts for shows around the country. That was back in the 70s and 80s when the animals were relatively easy to come by. Eventually they ended up with the elephants they have now. The Pankows have three African cows: Keba, Sukari, and Hadari. All are between seventeen and eighteen years of age.
Chuck Jr. began by working big cats with David Tetzloff in Naples, Florida, but soon discovered his love for elephants. “Down there,” he said, “everything is hands on,” a comment that explains a lot about his training philosophy.
I asked Chuck about the considerable financial risks involved in toting elephants around the country. “Well,” he told me, “that’s certainly true, but you just can’t think about it. If you did you’d never get to sleep.” I’ll bet.
And speaking of risks, I had to ask the obvious question. “What’s up with the elephant rides, Chuck? I haven’t seen this in years.”
He smiled. “We are one of the very few zoos left who actually give elephant rides. But that is what these animals do – they like to do it. It’s great exercise and obviously the people like it.” That people liked it was beyond argument. By the size of the crowd you’d have thought the zoo was paying people to ride the elephants instead of the other way around. But what about the danger involved?
“There simply have not been a lot of accidents associated with elephant rides,” Chuck said. “Most accidents have been indirectly caused when someone fell off the elephant, not from the elephant going on a rampage or something.”
Talking to Chuck Pankow certainly put a new spin on the subject, but I still had my doubts. Then Chuck added an irrefutable bit of fact.
“I’ll tell you how safe these rides are. Our insurance rates are the lowest they have been in twenty years. Insurance companies just don’t throw money away, you know.”
Now there’s something tough to dispute.
We moved on to the subject of free contact versus protected contact. As expected, Chuck prefers free contact. “You can bond with the animal more closely on a one on one basis, and you have more control. You can provide better health care, and do more. Now you obviously can’t do this with all elephants, but I believe that where you can use free contact you should.”
Chuck is not, however, an exclusionist. He believes that both protected contact and free contact have great merit. It depends on the situation. What he objects to is the notion that one system should be totally eliminated in favor of another.
With typical modesty, though, Chuck put his belief in the way he trains into perspective. “It’s like the old saying,” he said. “The only thing two elephant trainers can agree on is what the third one is doing wrong.” Great quote!
And here I’ll add an observation of my own. I’ve seen quite a few elephants in the past several years, but I have to say that the Pankow animals have exceptionally good care. All three have skin smoother and cleaner on an African elephant than any I have seen so far. Their feet and toes were in perfect shape. In addition all three of their elephants are extremely good-natured. Natural disposition or plain old good training?
Chuck has a sensible explanation. “I think there are more decent trainers than there are keepers. Keeping and training are two different things. It takes a lot of work and money to properly care for an elephant.”
I asked Chuck about his training principles and he gave me a quick run down:
1. Consistency. “If the elephant always knows what to expect from you, than you can always know what to expect from the elephant. You can’t keep changing keepers all the time. The three of us (Chuck, his father and Reise) are here seven days a week.”
2. Temper. “Remain even tempered; stay calm no matter what.”
3. Voice Control. “There’s no need to get loud. Sometimes softer is better. This is something I work on all the time.”
4. And lest anyone get the wrong idea, the Pankow method of free contact training involves a lot of positive reinforcement, especially in the beginning. “We use a lot of “dukes” (food rewards) and verbal praise. We reward a lot.”
5. Simple formula. “Ask them, tell them, show them.”
The Pankow method has certainly produced results. In addition to the elephant rides they put on small act, usually twice a day in the warmer weather. Each animal responds to at least sixty commands, and a total of seventy-nine for all three elephants. Kadari can whistle, a trick she picked up while recovering from a trunk injury, and Keba trumpets on command. The Pankow elephants paint, too. Their work is on display in the gift shop.
I’ve always been a great believer in questioning conventional wisdom. I think we all fall into the habit of accepting commonly held beliefs. One of our current accepted beliefs is that elephant training is the most dangerous occupation in America. I asked Chuck why training elephants is such an extraordinarily hazardous profession. Is it the elephants? Or is it simply that we have a lot of trainers in the business who don’t know the business?
Chuck’s answer was straightforward and simple. “Neither,” he said. “I think that’s inaccurate. Elephants are dangerous, and some are very dangerous. No doubt about it. But most can be handled safely. To say that training them is more hazardous than what a policeman or fireman does for a living does a disservice to those professions, and I simply do not believe it’s an accurate description of our profession.”
Now that statement is going to make some people sit up. But let me remind you that Chuck is talking about his own experience. He’s been around a lot of elephants over the years, he’s trained free contact, and this is what he sees.
And what does he see for the future of elephants at the Nashville Zoo?
“I’d like to try artificial insemination or perhaps acquire a bull and build a natural herd, home grown right here in Nashville. Most of the herds in zoos are not related in the sense that herds in the wild are. A naturally related herd would be beautiful.”
As for the elephant rides and shows – these are permanent fixtures that will expand. The zoo is currently building an even larger paddock in addition to the several acres it already has.
I finished my interview with a tour of the new elephant barn conducted by trainer keeper Kevin Healey. Kevin came to Nashville from the Burnett Park Zoo in Syracuse, New York, where he trained under Chuck Doyle. Talk about a team with depth!
As I was leaving Chuck’s father graciously took time out from the elephant ride to introduce himself and say hello. I regret not having time to interview the senior Pankow, but by then I was nearly late for my flight back to Kansas. I’m sure he knows volumes about elephant training, and I’d love to hear about Ziggy.
In
closing, I’d like to make a prediction about the Nashville Zoo. This 200-acre
park is going to be one of the most popular zoos in the country. Although still
under construction, it is already a beautifully landscaped park of waterfalls
and scenic vistas. Director Rick Schwarz is dedicated to bigger and better
things, even if his opinions don’t fit into the politically correct views of the
day. And if Jacqueline Walker and the Pankows are an indication of the rest of
the staff then there are no limits to what they can achieve. Forget about the
Grand Ole Opry – go to the zoo.
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