A large animal handling chute for facilitating close handling of an elephant or the like, comprising:
- (a) a fixed wall means;
- and
- (b) a movable confinement wall means, said movable confinement wall means comprising
- (i) a support frame means including a pair of bottom support rails and a pair of top support rails, each of said bottom support rails being connected to a corresponding top support rail by a separate upright support;
- (ii) a movable confinement wall attached to each of said top and bottom support rails via a corresponding plurality of movable attachment points, said movable confinement wall being movable toward and away from said fixed wall along said support rails, each of said movable supports comprising a support movable along the corresponding support rail and a pivot mount attached to said movable support and to said movable confinement wall whereby said movable confinement wall is independently pivotable relative to each of said top and bottom support rails;
- and
- (iii) means for selectively moving said movable confinement wall along said support rails including a pair of hydraulically operated cylinders, each with telescoping pistons, each of said hydraulic cylinders being attached to a different one of said upright supports, and each of said telescoping pistons being attached to a respective end of said movable confinement wall whereby either end of said movable confinement wall can be independently moved along said top and bottom support rails by the extension or retraction of the respective telescoping piston;
- (c) said movable wall comprising a plurality of vertically oriented pivotable wall sections, each of which can be independently pivoted toward or away from said fixed wall means, the bottom of each of said pivotable wall sections being attached to the bottom of said movable wall via a plurality of hinges, the top of each of said pivotable wall sections being connected to one end of a respective telescoping piston of a hydraulic cylinder, with the other end of said cylinder being pivotally attached to the top of said movable wall;
- whereby
- (d) extension of said telescoping piston causes the top of the connected pivotable wall section to pivot outward, away from the top of the movable wall;
- (e) a pivot support means;
- (f) said fixed wall assembly being pivotally attached to said pivot support means;
- (g) means for pivoting said fixed wall assembly, and said movable wall assembly, along with an animal confined therebetween, to a position in which the animal is lying on its side with its feet and legs readily accessible to a handler;
- (h) a floor means, said floor means being pivotally connected to said fixed wall means and being rotatable therewith;
- (i) at least one hydraulic cylinder and telescoping piston connected between said floor means and said fixed wall means;
- whereby
- (j) said floor means can be hydraulically lowered to a position in which it forms an approximately horizontal working platform when said animal is rotated to lie on its side.