Who are some famous big animal trainers What do they do Everyone loves a circus Big cats jump through burning hoops Elephants balance on their back legs Bears ride bikes Big animal trainers work with these animals They teach them to do tricks Patricia White is known as the beauty with the beasts She teaches big cats to perform for circuses She controls the 500-pound 227 kilograms beasts She Champions to Big Animals chapter 1 4
said I’ve had a few minor accidents and some close calls but nothing serious I know my animals She was attacked by a young cat It lasted five seconds She escaped She hurt her back She had a tiger tooth stuck in her arm She had cuts on her stomach Her nose was ripped She healed She was angry at herself She learned to pay more attention A popular animal circus trick is putting body parts in the mouths of dangerous animals 5
Tim Sullivan manages a zoo near Chicago He’s in charge of animal training Sullivan trains his animals to work for a living He wants the animals to find their own food He wants animals to see habitats not zookeepers as their food source Habitats are places where animals live He wants to make zoo life similar to wild life This makes animals more active Zoo animal trainers want zoo habitats to look natural 6
He worked with gorillas His team created a special box with treats Gorillas figured out how to get food out He changed the behavior of zoo gorillas Animal training is about growing an animal’s abilities Dr V Krishnamurthy was an Indian animal doctor and elephant trainer He was known as Dr K or the Elephant Doctor He improved the ways people capture and train elephants He said I love elephants and they love me He worked with many elephants He worked with them for over 50 years He was never attacked He was famous for helping to capture an elephant that killed 15 people in India Dr K had a special relationship with an elephant named Inspector General They were friends for over 20 years Inspector General had been in a fight with wild elephants Dr K healed Inspector General's wounds When Inspector General died Dr K visited his grave People say great elephant trainers aren’t made they’re born Spotlight Biography Dr VaiDyanathan Krishnamurthy 7
