Sanctuary says handler killed by elephant would oppose euthanasia

HOHENWALD, Tenn. (AP) - A handler killed in an attack by an elephant last week at a Tennessee sanctuary would not have wanted the animal euthanized, the nonprofit group said in a statement posted on its Web site.

Joanna Burke of Hohenwald was killed Friday at The Elephant Sanctuary in Lewis County when an Asian elephant named Winkie stepped on her or kicked her in a quick attack, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency spokesman Doug Markham said.

The Elephant Sanctuary's seven-member board would be responsible for determining the elephant's fate, Markham said. Sanctuary officials scheduled a news conference Monday to discuss the trainer's death.

Facilities director Scott Blais sustained a broken ankle, cuts and bruises when he tried to help Burke, Markham said.

In a statement posted Saturday, the sanctuary said that Burke was devoted to the elephants, many of whom came from performance backgrounds.

"Joanna made it perfectly clear in word and deed that no harm should come to any elephant no matter their action," the statement said. "She shared the Sanctuary's philosophy that Winkie will not be punished for her actions but managed in a way that keeps another innocent caregiver out of harm's way."

While at the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wis., Winkie hurt several staffers and visitors, earning a reputation as a "dangerous elephant," according to her biography on the Web site.

Burke, 36, had been the primary caregiver for the Asian elephants at the sanctuary for eight years. She was a native of Mansfield, Mass., where her parents, Paul and Carol Burke, still live and a graduate of Mansfield High School and Bridgewater State College.

Burke will be buried on the grounds of the sanctuary as she had requested, according to the statement. Burke's family arrived in Lewis County on Saturday, but burial arrangements have not been set.

Opened in 1995 by executive director Carol Buckley and Blais, the nonprofit refuge on 2,700 acres about 60 miles southwest of Nashville specializes in Asian elephants.