Maine Veterinarian Dies after being Accidentally Crushed by Elephant

Maine Public | By Ed Morin

Published September 9, 2014 at 11:12 AM EDT

HOPE, Maine — The state medical examiner says the death of the founder of a facility here that cares for retired circus elephants was due to asphyxiation and multiple injuries due to compression of the chest by an elephant. Mark Belserene is administrator of the medical examiner's office in Augusta.

"The manner is ruled accidental and at this point we have no indication that the elephant acted in an aggressive manner," Belserene says. "It's clearly an accident."

James Laurita, 56, was found dead in the animals' barn this morning. Laurita, who was a veterinarian, founded Hope Elephants with his brother in 2011. The elephants — named Rosie and Opal — arrived in 2012.

Laurita appeared on "Mainewatch" in September 2011. Watch below.

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Ed Morin

Ed is a Maine native who spent his early childhood in Livermore Falls before moving to Farmington. He graduated from Mount Blue High School in 1970 before going to the University of Maine at Orono where he received his BA in speech in 1974 with a broadcast concentration. It was during that time that he first became involved with public broadcasting. He served as an intern for what was then called MPBN TV and also did volunteer work for MPBN Radio.

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