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Elephant Who Went Missing From Animal Sanctuary Knew Electric Fence Wasn’t On

November 15, 2018

A 44-year-old elephant once burned by napalm in Vietnam wandered away from an animal sanctuary in upstate New York after she realized the electric fence that ordinarily keeps her hemmed in wasn’t on.

The elephant, Fritha, did no harm except to a 3-ton pile of hay she encountered while on the lam, according to local officials.

Fritha could tell the electric fence hadn’t been turned on because it didn’t make its usual clicking sound, the sanctuary owner said.

A New York state trooper who encountered the elephant expressed gratitude that the elephant’s owners were able to retrieve her peaceably.

“I don’t know what we would have done if we hadn’t gotten a hold of the owners,” Sergeant Dave Scott said, according to WABC-TV Channel 7 in New York City. “It’s not like you can call the local dog warden and have him pick up an elephant.”

Westtown is a hamlet about 48 miles northwest of New York City, on the New Jersey state line.

The elephant was on the loose for about a half-hour.