Ruedi Tanner , zoo elephant keeper in Switzerland Born 1938 . Educated as Carpenter, Tanner started as zookeeper in Zoo Zurich in 1957, and after some time became responsible for a section with herbivours like antelopes, bison (He was even riding a bison bull), ponnies, jaks, sebras and wattussis. But soon he became the head-keeper of the Zoos elephants Mandjullah and Valaja. When Mandjullah died 1966-12-06, he went 1967-06-07 to animal dealer Karl Künzler in Romanshorn Zoo and bought the young female elephant Thaia, selected from a Group of three young elephants. A very young Druk, Chukkha, and Ruedi Tanner, Photo: Archive Zoo Zürich: René Honegger.
