Former Festus resident John Bradford, a senior zookeeper at the Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield, Mo., was killed Friday (Oct. 11) when Patience, a female elephant, became aggressive and crushed him.
Bradford, 62, had worked as a senior zookeeper at the Springfield zoo for more than 30 years, working mostly with the zoo’s elephant herd.
Visitation will be held from 4-8 p.m. today (Oct. 14) at Dietrich-Mothershead Funeral Home, 220 N. Main St., De Soto.
He is survived by a sister who lives in Fenton and a brother and sister who live in Festus.
Funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday (Oct. 15) at the funeral home. Burial is to follow in Bethlehem Memorial Garden in Dittmer.
Bradford graduated from Festus high School, where he was an all-district football player.
He earned a degree in wildlife conservation and a graduate degree in finance from Southwest Missouri State University. He was interested in the St. Louis Cardinals, music, physical fitness, hunting, conservation and the family farm in Hematite.
According to a news release from the Dickerson Park Zoo, the accident happened at about 8:45 a.m. when Bradford, who was the elephant manager, and other staff members were moving Patience, the 41-year-old elephant, through a chute that connects the barn to the yard. Elephants are routinely moved through the chute, according to zoo officials.
The morning of the incident, the elephant hesitated in the chute, and Bradford was coaxing her forward. Bradford leaned into the chute, reaching for her with a guide. The animal suddenly lunged forward, knocking Bradford down into the chute. The animal then crushed Bradford against the floor, killing him instantly.
The other zookeepers moved quickly to pull the animal away from Bradford. The whole incident took place in a matter of seconds. No other zoo employees were injured.
Dickerson Park Zoo is internationally recognized for its elephant program, according to the release. The zoo is the recipient of the 1997 Edward H. Bean Award from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, honoring the zoo’s elephant breeding program.
Read more in this week’s Leader newspaper.