We can learn a lot from elephants says Zoo star
Gerry Creighton hopes family follow him and keep working with animals
A FORMER zookeeper known as ‘the elephant whisperer’ who has spent almost his entire life working with the animals has revealed his daughter may be about to follow in his and his father’s footsteps.
Gerry Creighton, 54, grew up in Dublin’s inner city and spent a huge part of his childhood at Dublin Zoo, where his father worked as a keeper.
He became obsessed with elephants from a very early age, so it was no surprise when he himself joined the zoo at the age of 15.
And just as he followed his father into the zoo, Gerry says he wouldn’t be surprised if his children became the third generation in his family to take up the work.
He told the Irish Mail on Sunday: ‘Mia, my daughter, she’s 17 and she’s been on a couple of jobs with me this year in France. She’s very, very smart, she has a really animal brain and she’s great at picking
‘She is great at picking up behavioural signals’
up animal behavioural signals. Jack is a little bit young. At the moment he’s going to be a pilot and a professional boxer, but you never know.
‘That said, I only ever want my kids to do something because they want to do it.
‘Yes, my dad’s proud of me, he was the one who brought me in and taught me everything, but he says to me – you’ve taken it to the next level and I’m very proud of that.’
Visitors to the Phoenix Park attraction and fans of the TV show, The Zoo, will be familiar with Gerry’s larger-than-life personality and his reputation as the ‘elephant whisperer’.
And now he is set to reach an even larger audience through the publication of his first book – Raised by the Zoo – this week.
One of the key benefits of being a zookeeper, according to Gerry, is the great stories you get to tell your friends.
He recalls one such tale of a frantic dash to a late-night pharmacy at O’Connell Street in Dublin.
‘What can I help you with?’ asked the pharmacist.
‘I need something for a teething infant. The pain is driving her mad,’ answered Gerry, before adding: ‘Actually it’s a chimpanzee.’ Gerry added: ‘The look on his face was priceless. I don’t think he thought I was all there. Myself and my fiancée had Lucy the chimpanzee living at home with us for two years. I’m not sure it would happen now.’
Although he still works as consultant with Dublin Zoo, Gerry is no longer a full-time employee after he branched out two years ago to set up his own organisation, Global Elephant Care, a consultancy promoting elephant wellness in human care.
From his first days in Phoenix Park, Gerry says he found himself drawn to elephants and in the book he reveals how he learnt to observe, study and care for them.
He says watching the animals – the way they live, care for each other, form relationships and teach the next generation – can reveal to us what it means to be human.
Gerry added: ‘Everybody loves elephants and I think a lot of it is from the time of Disney and Dumbo and the Jungle Book and all these characters that initially draw people in.
‘But what really hooks people is when you learn about them and really get to know how they operate and you see it’s all about the next generation, it’s about the investment in the herd, the babies coming along.
‘Elephants have empathy, they have emotional intelligence, they learn behaviours and they’re very similar to humans. In fact, they have a much more steady social structure than we have.
‘I think people see that empathy when they look into an elephant’s eyes, I certainly do. I’m still learning from them every day.’
After spending 36 years at Dublin Zoo as operations manager and elephant keeper, Gerry admits the decision to leave the Phoenix Park was difficult, but necessary.
He added: ‘My profile was getting much bigger and I’d kind of outgrown my zoo role. I had this always lingering in the back of my head, “I can do more, I can make a difference”.’ Gerry, who still lives in Dublin with his young family, is now a public speaker and consults for zoos and wildlife parks around the world on best-practice elephant conservation and research.
He said: ‘I like to think I’m out there making a difference to elephants’ lives and to how people perceive them. Teaching the next generation of keepers that kindness is the key to working with these animals.’