Description

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Keepers of the Ark is the true story of R. J. Ryans experience as an elephant keeper at the San Diego Wild Animal Park during the mid-1980s. It follows the daily life of not only the author, but also the elephants at one of the most prestigious facilities in the country. The reader will be able to understand for the first time the day to day life of captive elephants from someone who actually was involved in their care, and not from second hand information. Keepers of the Ark goes into explicit detail about how elephants are taken care of, from the time they are released in the morning, to the time they are locked up at night. This includes not only what they are fed, their physical care, their training, but also the deep emotional interactions between the elephants, and also between elephant and keeper. The story describes in graphic detail the daily beatings that the elephants endure in order to get them to perform for the public in rides and shows. It also goes into the intricate relationships that the elephants form between each other and the intense grief and sadness that they go through when they lose one of the herd members through death. The story eventually ends with the details of one of the largest animal abuse cases in California history involving one of the elephants at the Wild Animal Park. All of the events depicted in the story actually happened, none of it has been made up to enhance the storyline. Some of the names of the people involved have been changed because this isnt a story about them, but a story about the elephants. It is a universal story that happens in most zoos, parks, and circuses around the world, with very little exception. Hopefully with this story, people will forever look at captive elephants in a different light and will work towards a time when the conditons they live under will be changed for the better.

About the Author

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The author was born on the South Side of Chicago in 1954. He moved to California in 1976 where he received his B.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University. Upon completion of his degree, he began his work with the elephants at the San Diego Wild Animal Park. He currently resides back in the Chicagoland area.