Brian Harman - Zoo Keeper
24” x 20” / 60.96 x 50.8cm (Edition of 8)
20” x 16” / 50.8 x 40.64cm (Edition of 25)
16” x 12” / 40.64 x 30.48cm (Edition of 50)
The Story.
Brian Harman with Elsi at London Zoo. Brian was a Zoo Keeper for forty-eight years, twenty-one of which he spent with elephants. In that time h has handled more than fifty elephants from all over South East Asia. Elsie is a special case for him as he raised her himself. The elephants consider Brian to be the head of the herd – he speaks to them in Singalese and they come when he calls them by name. He say’s he’s constantly amazed by their intelligence and they often read his mind, doing things before he tells them. Normally this could be explained by routine, but their day is always varied, specifically so that mundane routine is not established.
“When my elephants see two people talking and decide that they don’t like one of them, they will try to split them up.”