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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Loren Pechtel" data-source="post: 5132294" data-attributes="member: 4679">Two mechanical issues:1)  Can the ladder support the animal?  Very few ladders are going to be strong enough for an elephant.  Most will be marginal at best even with a horse.2)  To climb a ladder you must either grip the ladder (something no horse or elephant can do) or you must keep your center of gravity within the polygon defined by a rubber band around the edges of your points of contact with the ladder.  (It's not just a simple foot-foot-hand or foot-hand-hand as the contact area in each case is a rectangle, not a point.)  If the ladder is steep I do not believe it's going to be possible for the animal to meet this criteria.  (Note that the animals with good climbing ability have hands that can grip!)In almost all cases these criteria will preclude the use of a ladder.  If it's shallow enough for the animal to go up it's probably stairs, not a ladder.  (Although it would be possible for a party to rig up a shallow ladder.  Making it strong enough, though....)</blockquote>