The Tusko Tragedy: A Cautionary Tale for Scientists and Humanity In 1962, two psychiatrists, Drs. Louis Jolyon West and Chester M.
Pierce, conducted an experiment at the Oklahoma City Zoo that would leave a lasting legacy of tragedy and controversy.
As part of their work on Project MKUltra, a clandestine CIA program aimed at developing techniques for controlling human behavior through psychological manipulation, they administered a record breaking dose of LSD to a young Indian elephant named Tusko.