News and Events About Chris Gallucci
| Chris Gallucci Talks About His Life at the Shambala Preserve, November 19, 2016 | ||
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Last Saturday evening, November 19, 2016, Chris Gallucci gave a photographically laced talk about his fascinating experiences at the Shambala Preserve since Feb. 5 1975. Beginning with working on the movie ROAR in almost every capacity, when it was known as "The Ranch"......Chris worked on every faze of keeping big cats content in captivity, from building enclosures to feeding, and getting to know the Wild Ones, close and up personally. By the time the two elephants, Timbo and Cora came to live at the ranch Chris was well ensconced as a permanent figure. He knew everything about the operations and most of the animals and their trainers. The most fascinating of them were the two elephants, Timbo and Cora. The two huge beings were being cared for by a professional trainer who when offered a job with a larger pay check, left the elephants in the barn. Period. Chris came to my then husband and me asking if we would give him a chance to work with them. Without hesitation, knowing his work ethic, we unhesitatingly said yes. Best, fastest decision we could have made. From then on it was history, the two pachyderms had the best friend they could have dreamed of having, Chris Gallucci. For many years, the three of them were inseparable, especially during rare times of health problems. It was awesome to witness the lengths to which Chris would go in order to keep the huge beings warm, safe, healthy, content and amused. Timbo and Cora were a major part of The Shambala Preserve and the lives of all of us, those of us who cared for them, those who cared about the Preserve, the Adoptive Parents, our visitors, but mostly, Chris Gallucci. This is his life. He saved the elephants and they saved him. We have all been the beneficiaries from this amazing duo, with lifelong memories to share. Chris will be talking about his life with Timbo and Cora forever, stay in touch with us for his next dissertation on these two fabulous personalities!!!!! Happy Holidays to all of you, With so much love,
Tippi........
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Shambala
Members Fall Celebration, October 27, 2013 |
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Chris at the annual party for Shambala's Roar Members, along with Tippi and Melanie (he loves his job).
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Shambala
Sunset Safari, September 29, 2012 |
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Chris greeted Shambala's celebrity guest, Eileen Graff. She played the roll of the mother on TV's "Mr. Belevedere". She also starred as Sandy in the original Broadway production of "Grease". Her acting history includes numerous other rolls on stage and screen. |
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Shambala
Members Fall Celebration, October 27, 2012 |
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Chris at the annual party for Shambala's Roar Members, along with Tippi and Melanie (he loves his job).
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Shambala
Sunset Safari, September 29, 2012 |
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Chris greeted Shambala's celebrity guest, Eileen Graff. She played the roll of the mother on TV's "Mr. Belevedere". She also starred as Sandy in the original Broadway production of "Grease". Her acting history includes numerous other rolls on stage and screen. |
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Shambala
Members Fall Celebration, October 27, 2012 |
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Chris at the annual party for Shambala's Roar Members, along with Tippi and Melanie (he loves his job).
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Shambala
Sunset Safari, September 29, 2012 |
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Chris greeted Shambala's celebrity guest, Eileen Graff. She played the roll of the mother on TV's "Mr. Belevedere". She also starred as Sandy in the original Broadway production of "Grease". Her acting history includes numerous other rolls on stage and screen. |
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Pasadena
Land Rover Visits The Shambala Preserve, September 22, 2012 |
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Malaika
Marquee, August 25, 2012 |
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Shambala
Sunset Safari, August 25, 2012 |
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Shambala
Sunset Safari, July 28, 2012 |
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Chris and vet Dr. Gay Naditch take a look at Zeus. |
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Whitey goes to the vet: Shambala Preserve works very closely with vets Dr. Jon Bernstein and Dr. George Antoun during an office visit in April. |
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| Monday, April 2, 2012 was the day of a press conference held at Shambala to discuss H.R. 4122 "Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act of 2012." Tippi Hedren, Chris, bill sponsors Congressman Buck McKeon and Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, along with Directors of several other animal organizations, met to discuss the need for this vital piece of legislation. | ||
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Chris with HGTV star Michael Payne at Sunset Gower Studios
Highlight Hollywood Reports on Chris and John's Award!
Tippi Hedren Presents Film Makers with Award for Best Documentary Short for “The Elephant Man Journeys.” Having recently been honored with the Award of Excellence as well as Best Editing at the LA Movie Awards, Chris Gallucci and his brother John Gallucci, added the honor of Best Documentary Short for “The Elephant Man Journeys” at the recent Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood, which was presented by actress and activist, Tippi Hedren.
“The Elephant Man Journeys” is about love, honor, respect, dedication, sacrifice, and a promise. A promise to an elephant 30 years ago that Chris Gallucci would stay with him until the day he died. “This not just a story about a man and an elephant. This story is about a person with no destination, a person with a huge hole through the middle of him. It took an elephant to fill that hole,” Ms. Hedren tells Highlight Hollywood exclusively.
Salvation and friendship come in many different forms, but few as strange and beautiful as that of Timbo the African bull elephant and Chris Gallucci, the Elephant Man. Their friendship spawns a lifetime's vocation, which endured for almost 30 years.
Timbo, the gigantic bull elephant, immediately fascinated Chris and when the film's elephant trainer quit, he immediately applied for the job. “Someone told me that the elephant was the largest animal that walked the earth,” Chris says. “I knew I had to have a piece of that.” To win the pachyderm's trust that first night, Chris chained himself up beside Timbo in his enclosure and threw away the key. That was the start of the 30 year long relationship; one which tamed the savage in Chris.
“My life before here was craziness,” Chris recalls, “and even if you're afraid, you can't show it. And so then, here [at Shambala], that fits like a glove. My background probably helped me in the position that I'm in now. I'm ready for anything.”
Chris and Timbo's story began to be told, in the Animal Planet cable network's documentary on Shambala, Life With Big Cats. Guests who visited the Preserve saw how he interacted with Timbo and Kura. Eventually, he and Timbo were the subject of their own documentary, The Elephant Man (aka Tusks and Tattoos), which has been shown worldwide.
Following Timbo's death in 2005, Chris has continued to work as Preserve Supervisor at the Shambala Preserve, later becoming Vice President in Charge of Operations. In October 2009, Roar Foundation President Tippi Hedren relinquished her additional title of Executive Director, and honored Chris with that position.
In June 2009, Chris kept a promise he had made to his elephant friends, journeying to Africa to lay Timbo and Kura's spirits to rest in their natural habitat. The trip enabled him to understand them in a way he never could while they were in captivity.
Written By: Tommy Lightfoot Garrett
The Roar Foundation
Members Fall Celebration, October 22, 2011 |
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Roar Foundation President Tippi Hedren and Shambala Preserve Director Chris Gallucci were recently interviewed by CNN Local Edition Anchor Brad Pomerance about the reason and purpose of The Shambala Preserve in regards to captive exotic felines. The interviews will be aired on CNN Headline News during the first 2 weeks of July, 2011.
