John Lehnhardt

From the list of elephant persons Family: Lehnhardt

John Lehnhardt
Profession	zoo director
Personal details
Born	?
Country	United States

Locations
Title	curator 1997-1998
Location	at Disneys Animal Kingdom in United States

Title	assistant curator 1988-1997
Location	at Smithsonian National Zoological Park Washington in United States

Title	elephant keeper 1980-1988
Location	at Calgary Zoo in Canada

Title	zookeeper 1976-1980
Location	at Lincoln Park Zoo in United States

Biography details

John Lehnhardt , zoo director in United States

Born ? .

Affiliation with 1 elephants

1: Spike (Ganesha) (attacked)

Casualties

1 casualties

1980: director John Lehnhardt attacked by Spike (Ganesha). Lehnhardt’s job was to separate a 3,000-pound male elephant from two females at night. “This young male decided he wasn’t going, so he tried to kill me. He knocked me down and tried to squish me into the floor with his head,” he said.” John Lehnhardt Survived. Lehnhardt grabbed the bull’s ear and quickly moved to the elephant’s side. “If he’d had Tusks, he would have gored me to death,” he said.

John Lehnhardt is the Animal and Environmental Policy and Standards Technical Director for Animal Programs and Environmental Initiatives, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide.

Lehnhardt was at the Calgary Zoo in Canada 33 years ago when a bull elephant nearly killed him.

At the time, zoos didn’t understand that elephants lived in a matriarchal society or that males lived solely to fight and mate. Zoo staff went inside elephant enclosures, something never done at the NEC.

Lehnhardt’s job was to separate a 3,000-pound male elephant from two females at night.

“This young male decided he wasn’t going, so he tried to kill me. He knocked me down and tried to squish me into the floor with his head,” he said.”

Lehnhardt grabbed the bull’s ear and quickly moved to the elephant’s side.

“If he’d had Tusks, he would have gored me to death,” he said.

Animal and Environmental Policy and Standards Technical Director April 2009 to present
Animal Operations Director, Disney’s Animal Kingdom May 1998 to April 2009
Consultant between 2002-2007 on Elephant programs at the Pittsburgh Zoo, Miami Metrozoo, Indianapolis Zoological Society, St. Louis Zoo and Philadelphia Zoo.
Curator of Elephant/Mammals, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Apr. 1997 - May 1998
Associate/Assistant curator/Supervisory Biologist, Department of Mammology Feb.1988 - Apr. 1997 National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. 20008
Elephant Trainer, Calgary Zoo and Botanical Garden May 1980 – Jan. 1988 Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2M-4R8
Animal Keeper, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, Illinois 60614 Aug. 1976 – May 1980
Research Technician, University of Chicago, Division of Biological Sciences Aug. 1975 – Aug. 1976
Kennelmaster, Anti-Cruelty Society, Chicago, Illinois Nov. 1973 – Aug. 1975
Child Care Worker, Pritzker Children’s Hospital and Center, Chicago, Illinois Sept. 1971 – Sept. 1973

Reference list

References

Koehl, Dan, (2025). director John Lehnhardt in United States. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 29 March 2025 at https://www.elephant.se/person.php?id=2901. (archived at the Wayback machine)

Sources used for this article is among others:

Selected publications

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