They were whacking her over the head on the forehead and behind the back legs. I was very surprised, I didn't know they did that. I went to Dr. Lea Hutchinson, the director at the time, and also Dr. Anthony Smith, the veterinarian. They explained to me the system we had, free contact, as opposed to protected contact. They explained that when the elephant acted in a dangerous manner, refused commands or challenged the keeper, they were subject to being disciplined.
Elephants are herd animals with a dominant female.
In captivity, the keepers are essentially the herd. They had to remain dominant over Mona, otherwise she could be dangerous towards them. Well, I did not particularly like what I had seen, but on the other hand, I was able to accept that. It's a choice between the keeper being killed or hitting Mona. She's a 7,000-pound animal, it's like hitting your dog with a newspaper.