Elephant Jenny's Development of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Please Read

November 24, 2008

Eden, a new CCFJ member, wrote me about Roman Schmitt's abuse of baby Jenny (and many other elephants). Schmitt is the man who owned Jenny before she came to the Dallas Zoo. I knew of Roman Schmitt, but I thought some others may not so I am sharing a copy of Eden's email (below).

But first, I would like to make some remarks that I urge you to read completely and with an open heart. I do not make this request lightly as it is important to know the truth.

Imagine a struggling and terrified baby Jenny being held under water by a strong man until she lost consciousness from being able to breath. Imagine the daily pervasive fear and deep despair of a tiny and friendless Jenny, who as a sentient being could anticipate that she would be so tortured over and over and over again . . . and knew that she was helpless to do anything to save herself.

Then, imagine Jenny's little body spasming in pain as she suffered alone through many a dark night lying chained and spread eagle, stretched beyond her physical limit to endure. And, yet endure she must, because there was no one to release her from relentless agony. The last love and kindness Jenny knew was from her mother, who was shot dead before her eyes and could save her baby no more.

Elephants weep from emotion, just as we do. Who knows how many uncomforted tears baby Jenny shed or which one of her countless travails caused the deepest sorrow?

We are all aware that Jenny was systematically tortured before she was transferred to the Dallas Zoo. And, that this is a major reason why today, Jenny is depressed and seriously mentally ill today. But, it is not the only reason why Jenny is mentally disturbed. We also know of her unrestrained grief at the loss of her beloved Moja while at the Dallas Zoo and we know of her unnatural confinement for 22 years in an antiquated enclosure, shocking by modern zoo standards.

At some point, Jenny's mind broke. Did the final break occur before or after she came to the Dallas Zoo? What was the final blow to Jenny's sanity? When did the full weight of the Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD), initially developed during her years of torture at Schmitt hands overwhelm her?

At the least, the Dallas Zoo is also culpable in Jenny mental illness as it has steadfastly resisted all efforts to get Jenny much needed treatment for her PTSD through blocking her retirement to The Elephant Sanctuary (TES). TES is renowned for its expertise in treating and rehabilitating elephants with PTSD. The Zoo can not provide such care.

The Zoo's response to Jenny's obvious need for mental health care is to repeatedly drug her, which does not relieve her mental anguish. The Zoo has demonstrated an historic pattern of "chemically restraining" Jenny with ACE, a heavy sedative. ACE is simply a chain for her mind, not at dissimilar to a chain on her ankle. It only restrains her from acting out. Her mental suffering remains unabated.

The Zoo has kept Jenny in unnatural confinement in less than 1/4 acre of barren sand for 22 years, which has added and deepened her PTSD. She has not been able to freely roam and relieve her anxious mind through diversion. She has not been permitted the healing touch and fellowship that an elephant herd would offer. Jenny has been denied these comforts, which she would have at TES.

While at the Zoo about a month ago, I was sickened to see a Zoo "trainer" make Jenny raise her feet upon command and to perform other little tricks. Jenny first learned to so comply at the hands of Roman Schmitt. Does she not still comply out of memory of this abuse? Out of memory of what she suffered when she disobeyed . . . or even when she did not disobey?

The only hope for Jenny to be restored to psychological health is to retire her to The Elephant Sanctuary, which specializes in rehabilitating and healing elephants like Jenny. Jenny's PTSD is every bit as serious and real as the physical maladies elephants develop from forced confinement in the unnaturally restrictive Zoo environment.

Elephants do not recover from PTSD without expert treatment as intensive as was the systematic torture and abuse.

Moreover, Jenny has lived in isolation for seven months. Poor Jenny has had to mourn her only companion KeKe's death by herself, when she could have done so in the comforting company of other elephants at TES. It is impossible for humans to provide the solace others of Jenny's kind would provide.

Please do not give up on Jenny. Do not allow yourself or others to falsely believe there is nothing to be done to help her, so there is no point in making further effort on her behalf. She has one chance to be restored. One chance to be healed. We must never cease advocating for her to have that chance.

Speak out for Jenny and do so repeatedly. Please do it in memory of the Baby Jenny who was repeatedly held under water until she passed out or her muscle stretched into a continual spasm of pain. Urge that she be immediately retired to TES to get the care she so desparately needs.

For details as to how, go to CCFJ website. Get actively involved in our SAVE JENNY campaign:

-- Come to City Council on Wednesdays

-- Call City Council and the Parks and Recreation Board and urge them to retire her to TES

-- Participate in CCFJ leafletings (watch for email announcement for dates/times)

-- Sign Jenny's Birthday Dec 16 commemoration card (watch emails for opportunities)

-- Vote in the next May's City Council election in accordance with whom on the council helps Jenny and who does not

SAVE JENNY.

Thank you.

Margaret

www.concernedcitizensforjenny.net

--- On Sun, 11/23/08, topsy2tyke wrote:topsy

Jenny and Roman Schmitt"Margaret Morin" Sunday, November 23, 2008, 3:40 AMMy name is Eden and I admire you so much for your hard work and dedication to get Jenny released to TES. I have sent emails, faxes and made phone calls to the Dallas City Council and the Mayor (I gave up sending emails to Greg Hudson) and I sent a package ofinformation to the reporter at the Dallas Observer. I live in Albuquerque, NM so I am unable to attend council meetings, rallys, etc.

I would love to be able to join you Sunday for the luncheon get together (I am a vegetarian). What I wanted to tell you is that Roman Schmitt is the circus guy who was the elephant trainer who used the brutal training methods on Jenny. You probably already knew that, butI kept reading about how Jenny was owned by a brutal elephant trainer, but no one ever said who this was. I found his name when I went on IDAUSA's website and looked up her medical records and it states that she was donated to the zoo by Roman Schmitt. His father, Hugo Schmitt, was responsible for developing techniques to create "learned helplessness" in their elephant training. One of the techniques was to hold the baby elephant's trunks under water until they almost died, and they would do it again and again and again.

That, in addition to constant beatings, stretching for hours and/or days and depriving them of food and water, is what Jenny had to endure. Roman Schmitt is also the guy who bred Ned's mother and father and sold Ned when he was two or three years old (the elephant that the USDA just this month confiscated and sent to TES) to Buckles Woodcock who sold him to Lance Ramos who almost starved him to death.

I would like people to know just exactly what Jenny has had to endure and who the people were who treated her with such brutality. Do you have any more information on these Schmitt's? There is a guy named Dennis L. Schmitt who is an elephant veterinarian who is a shill and paid mouthpiece for Feld (Ringling Bros. Circus) that they use whenever they need an "expert" and he also shills for zoos and other circuses. He is the number one proponent for the AZA elephant breeding programs and travels all over the USA and the world artificially inseminating the females and extracting semen from themales. I haven't found a family link, but it would be just too much of a coincidence for him not to be related to Hugo and Roman Schmitt.

I know that you have very little extra time, so I don't expect a reply. I just wanted to share this background information with you. I'll be with you every step of the way until Jenny is walking in sunshine at TES. Try to get some rest whenever you can.

There are lots and lots of us who are with you all the way.

Love, Eden