Thursday, April 27, 2006

"Targa" #1


Mac MacDonald told me that "Targa" was included in the group of elephants imported in 1953 from which he selected the famous "Besalou Elephants" for Polack Bros. Circus. He said she was only a few months old so he passed on her and she went to Catskill Game Farm instead.
After the 1955 season with the Ringling Show Hugo Schmitt decided to buy his own elephant and being good friends with the Lindermanns he bought "Targa" (Hugo once told me that in India the word "Targa" means star).
Here we see her at age 3 with Leonard Bros. Circus in 1956 with Hugo and his son Roman.

Posted by Buckles at 4/27/2006 06:37:00 AM

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I remember seeing this show and Hugo in my youth in northern Indiana. The press releases always mentioned Hugo was directly from the Ringling show. Don't recall the routine of the act other than it had the zebra and guanaco but I do remember Hugo selling elephant rides after the show.

Mike Kostial, the St. Louis Zoo chimp trainer, talked about Hugo's chimp act. I don't think I ever saw it but Mike said the chimp would attack Hugo regularly. Hugo demonstrated a few ways to get back at the chimp but in the end I think the chimp won. Any photos of Hugo's performing primate?

27 April, 2006 07:49
Buckles said...

The chimp act came during the time when he was on the Mills Show 1950-53.
I saw a picture of him in the back yard before before entering the ring and I recall it as being two chimps both very large and fierce looking.
I asked dad why he was holding a bull hook and he didn't even bother to answer.

27 April, 2006 12:15
Anonymous said...

I have always remembered "Here come the Chimps. Clear the way" when playing winter dates. I never understood why everyone cleared a wide path. Now you read where a chimp has ripped a humans face off in a flash. These are fantastic animals and a great act. Even I would feel better if they were worked in an arena. Guess they would lose that special appeal to the public if shown as wild animals. Which they are. I would always watch them perform and was always amazed at their feats so close to humans. Its been a long time since I have seen a chimp act. I did learn to use unprinted newspapers for bedding for the animals from The Barincinis{?} Leaves your wardrobe clean and the ink from printed newspapers does not make the animals dirty.

27 April, 2006 13:57
Anonymous said...

The St. Louis Zoo chimp show was presented on a stage with two water moats between the audience. Mike Kostial would work with some males that were 12 to 13 years old. It could get pretty tough on stage, especially at the end of the season, but Mike always wanted the show presented like the chimps were cute, funny animals; regardless of the animals' size and danger.

27 April, 2006 16:07
Anonymous said...

Taken from the March 8, 1947 Billboard
UNHAPPY ELEPHANT TRAINER RELEASES FIVE BULLS on STREET
Stockholm, Sweden, March 1

Upset by the decision of the Swedish govenment to sell the animals of the former German-owned Carl Hagenbeck Circus, a German elephant trainer turned loose the show's five bulls in Malmoe Feb. 23. The elephants charged down main street smashing windows, breaking lamposts and terrorizing citizens.
Police, after vain attempts to halt the animals, appealed to the trainer, Capt. Hugo Schmidt, to round them up. Weeping bitterly, Schmidt finally consented and regained control of his charges.
With tears streaming down his face, Schmidt said: The State is making a great mistake in selling them. They have been trained together and love each other. If they are parted they will die.

27 April, 2006 20:09

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