Escape of the Elephants

By Bruce Lindsay

There was a funny incident last summer (July, 2007) when 2 elephants escaped from the circus in Newmarket in the middle of the night. Neighbourhood residents called the police claiming they’d seen an elephant, and it didn’t take long for police to find them. The elephants kept leaving their calling cards all over the front lawns they visited. That poop requires a pretty big scoop!

It was a harmless incident but there are some things about the story that we can all learn from. Sometimes we need to make like an elephant and escape!

The Garden Bros. Circus actually had three Asian elephants “Susie”, “Bunny” & “”Minnie”. They had been trained using the ‘invisible fence’. It works with a cable set up for a barrier and a collar on each elephant. At first, you set up white flags around the perimeter. As young elephants approach the perimeter flags the collar sends out warning noises that increase in noise until they reach the cable. At that point they get an electric shock. The elephants quickly learn to stay away from the white flags. Soon the flags can be taken away and the cable is enough. That’s the stage these elephants were at. Eventually, the cable can be turned off. The elephants just stop trying to wander. A friend of mine is using the same technique to train his golden lab puppy.

It was 2:30 am and somehow the power went out. Susie and Bunny made a break for it. Poor Minnie was fast asleep. I feel bad that Minnie missed out on the adventure. I often wonder if elephants have dreams. I think they do. Susie was found eating grass in the middle of a nearby field. I like to think that was her dream-come-true, standing alone in a big field full of grass. A whole field to herself!

But Bunny had different dreams. She wanted to explore!

A York Region Police dispatcher told patrol cars to be on the lookout for "one outstanding elephant . . . last seen heading north on Crossland Blvd."

A lady in the neighbourhood woke up thinking some kids were making some noise. It’s one thing to wake up and smell the coffee. It’s something else entirely to wake up and smell elephant droppings on your front lawn. Bunny had eaten her lilies and left her a large gift.

Soon an officer radioed in that he had the "outstanding elephant" in view. "It's just eating someone's tree."

Our minds are not all that much different than elephants. As children we are sometimes told we can’t do something and we learn that it is true. Sometimes it’s for our own good. I was taught not to steal. I remember that it was a tough lesson for me to learn.

But we are sometimes told things that do nothing but trap us and cage us in. Being told “You are no good. You’ll never amount to anything. You are useless. You are stupid.” Being told things like that, especially as children, mentally puts people in chains. They soon learn to stop trying, and believe inside that there is no use in trying.

I coached a boy on my son’s baseball team like that. He tried to pitch for one inning. I helped him get warmed up and I believed he would do quite well. In the game, he walked three batters and never threw a single strike. I walked out to him and asked, “How are you doing?”

He just broke down in tears. He said, “I suck!” He pulled his hat down over his face and marched to the bench.

I looked around for his parents to help me. But nobody came to help. Another mom said that his case worker just drops him off for the games and picks him up later. This boy is in foster care. He never sees his parents anymore. His mind is in chains.

I put my arm around his shoulders and picked him up. I told him he doesn’t have to pitch anymore but we need him to play. I couldn’t let him quit. He took over at first base with tears still streaming down his face. We still ended up winning the game and this boy was a valuable part of our team. But he never believed he was, and he never tried to pitch again.

Some of us are like that boy. We’ve been told we are worthless so often we believe it. We don’t dream any further than the small invisible fence in our minds. We’re like Minnie, ignoring our big chance, sleeping through it. I hope you aren’t like that.

I hope you are like, Suzie and Bunny, and haven’t given up on your dreams. I hope you are just like Suzie and Bunny, waiting for the opportunity to come to make your dreams come true. The power is off! Run for it! Make your dream come true today!

Photo by RICK MADONIK/TORONTO STAR

Trainer Billy Morris hoses down Susie and Bunny after they escaped from their compound and went for a late night stroll in Newmarket. Elephant Minnie (left) slept through the excitement.

Resource
http://www.thestar.com/article/235562