Heads And Tails

Description

HEADS AND TAILS

Acrylic Painting and Downloadable Art Print By Romani American Artist J.A. George AKA; The GYPSY

My hands were wrapped around his throat as I beat his head up against the ground. It was Easter Sunday Of 1984 and the security guard who was in my grasp was a moment away from death. And I was a moment away from a manslaughter charge. What had brought me to this moment had started a week before.

I sat in El Paso Zoo director Robert Fulton’s office, with me was Zoo Foreman David Benavidez. Going forward in my chair, “I’m sure you understand my concern”, I said to the zoo director. Mr. Fulton nodded his head, “I certainly do”, he said, “David dropped the ball.” Mr. Fulton was not talking about David Benavides, He was talking about another David who, for a brief period, had been the zoo’s Curator.

David was an American that had worked at a zoo In New Zealand. He had wanted to get back to America and when the curator’s position at El Paso opened, he applied. David was hired based on his experience and his degree in zoology. However, it was a mistake. To hire him. He was a chair warmer and nothing else. His time that the zoo had been disruptive and unproductive. David had spent most of his time at the zoo looking for another position at another zoo.

When Mr. Fulton found out what he was doing and how disruptive he had been to the staff It was suggested that he resigned. Now we were in between curators and the problem that I had brought up to David several times still had not been addressed; The Bisons hoofs needed to be trimmed.

Our Bison, Heads and Tails, lived in the hoof stock exhibit at the North End of the zoo. The exhibit was a hard packed caleche, otherwise known as desert concrete. Due to the lack of foresight on the designer of the exhibit there was no gravel mixed into the caleche. This caused the problem of hoof overgrowth in animals like the Bison.

The exhibit was due for a major makeover and that problem would be addressed at that time but for now the major concern was getting the animals’ hoofs trimmed back. Their hoofs had severely overgrown and walking for the Bison had become increasingly difficult and painful.

As the Lead Keeper for the exhibit, it was my job to bring these concerns to the curator who had failed to act. David had said arrangements were being made when in fact no arrangements had been made at all. Now here I sat in the Directors office working on a plan of action with him and the Zoo Foreman.

Mr. Fulton contacted the Zoo’s Veterinarian, Doctor Hutchinson, who was also El Paso Counties Health Department Director. The Doctor’s schedule was heavy, but he said he would be out Thursday morning to tranquilize the Bison and get their hoofs trimmed back. Mr. Fulton asked me to coordinate with the Zoo’s Vet Technician Claudia Newman. He asked David to get together a team of Keepers to assist.

READ THE REST OF THE STORY OF THE CREATION OF THIS PAINTING IN OUR BLOG https://artistalleystudio.com/the-artist-life-heads-and-tails/

“Art must evoke an emotion in order to be art. If it only creates indifference then it is not art, it is garbage!” -The GYPSY-

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