Joanna was descendant of early New England settlers with surnames including Mink, Pratt, Newbert, and Orff.
She was an animal lover from a young age and worked tirelessly as an Elephant Caretaker at The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. She died in a tragic accident there when one of the elephants "Winkie" who was in pain due to an eye injury swung her head into Joanna, killing her.
Joanna's parents lived in MA but respected her love for the animals she cared for so much they buried her on the Tennesee Sanctuary grounds so she could be near the elephants and dogs she had loved.
Winkie was not euthanized and was observed by caretakers afterward to be in a state of mourning. Joanna had expressed her wishes that no harm should come to any of the animals if they should ever harm her.
Winkie died 11 May 2017 at the age of 51. She was born in 1966 in Burma and lived for 30 years in zoos before coming to the Sanctuary in 2000 after it was decided she should be removed from the zoo environment.
WINKIE ON FIND-A-GRAVE
~~~ FURTHER READING ~~~
THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY
*In Memory of Joanna: https://www.elephants.com/news/elenotes/posts/in-memory-of-joanna-burke
*In Memory of Winkie: https://www.elephants.com/elephants/winkie
For the Love of Joanna and the Elephants, The Sun Chronicle, Attleboro, MA, 28 Mar 2010
https://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/for-the-love-of-joanna-and-the-elephants/article_a4fa277d-9d20-54cb-9d39-f3c026d45e2c.html
She was an animal lover from a young age and worked tirelessly as an Elephant Caretaker at The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. She died in a tragic accident there when one of the elephants "Winkie" who was in pain due to an eye injury swung her head into Joanna, killing her.
Joanna's parents lived in MA but respected her love for the animals she cared for so much they buried her on the Tennesee Sanctuary grounds so she could be near the elephants and dogs she had loved.
Winkie was not euthanized and was observed by caretakers afterward to be in a state of mourning. Joanna had expressed her wishes that no harm should come to any of the animals if they should ever harm her.
Winkie died 11 May 2017 at the age of 51. She was born in 1966 in Burma and lived for 30 years in zoos before coming to the Sanctuary in 2000 after it was decided she should be removed from the zoo environment.
WINKIE ON FIND-A-GRAVE
~~~ FURTHER READING ~~~
THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY
*In Memory of Joanna: https://www.elephants.com/news/elenotes/posts/in-memory-of-joanna-burke
*In Memory of Winkie: https://www.elephants.com/elephants/winkie
For the Love of Joanna and the Elephants, The Sun Chronicle, Attleboro, MA, 28 Mar 2010
https://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/for-the-love-of-joanna-and-the-elephants/article_a4fa277d-9d20-54cb-9d39-f3c026d45e2c.html
Joanna was descendant of early New England settlers with surnames including Mink, Pratt, Newbert, and Orff.
She was an animal lover from a young age and worked tirelessly as an Elephant Caretaker at The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. She died in a tragic accident there when one of the elephants "Winkie" who was in pain due to an eye injury swung her head into Joanna, killing her.
Joanna's parents lived in MA but respected her love for the animals she cared for so much they buried her on the Tennesee Sanctuary grounds so she could be near the elephants and dogs she had loved.
Winkie was not euthanized and was observed by caretakers afterward to be in a state of mourning. Joanna had expressed her wishes that no harm should come to any of the animals if they should ever harm her.
Winkie died 11 May 2017 at the age of 51. She was born in 1966 in Burma and lived for 30 years in zoos before coming to the Sanctuary in 2000 after it was decided she should be removed from the zoo environment.
WINKIE ON FIND-A-GRAVE
~~~ FURTHER READING ~~~
THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY
*In Memory of Joanna: https://www.elephants.com/news/elenotes/posts/in-memory-of-joanna-burke
*In Memory of Winkie: https://www.elephants.com/elephants/winkie
For the Love of Joanna and the Elephants, The Sun Chronicle, Attleboro, MA, 28 Mar 2010
https://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/for-the-love-of-joanna-and-the-elephants/article_a4fa277d-9d20-54cb-9d39-f3c026d45e2c.html
She was an animal lover from a young age and worked tirelessly as an Elephant Caretaker at The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. She died in a tragic accident there when one of the elephants "Winkie" who was in pain due to an eye injury swung her head into Joanna, killing her.
Joanna's parents lived in MA but respected her love for the animals she cared for so much they buried her on the Tennesee Sanctuary grounds so she could be near the elephants and dogs she had loved.
Winkie was not euthanized and was observed by caretakers afterward to be in a state of mourning. Joanna had expressed her wishes that no harm should come to any of the animals if they should ever harm her.
Winkie died 11 May 2017 at the age of 51. She was born in 1966 in Burma and lived for 30 years in zoos before coming to the Sanctuary in 2000 after it was decided she should be removed from the zoo environment.
WINKIE ON FIND-A-GRAVE
~~~ FURTHER READING ~~~
THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY
*In Memory of Joanna: https://www.elephants.com/news/elenotes/posts/in-memory-of-joanna-burke
*In Memory of Winkie: https://www.elephants.com/elephants/winkie
For the Love of Joanna and the Elephants, The Sun Chronicle, Attleboro, MA, 28 Mar 2010
https://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/for-the-love-of-joanna-and-the-elephants/article_a4fa277d-9d20-54cb-9d39-f3c026d45e2c.html
