| This was taken not long after I returned from the Army the following year, I don't have many pictures from this period, maybe it's just as well. The white stuff on "Lydia's" head is soap left over from the barber shop number. |
Friday, December 12, 2008
Rudy Bros. Circus 1959
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6 comments:
Buckles, Was your Dad involved with Anna May up to the time of his passing? I have heard that elephants have a "sense of self" and "mourn" death. What affect did your Dad's passing or his absence from her life have on her and how did she respond? A odd question with a personal twist but I have spent a lot of time with elephants in Thailand and have noticed they have pretty developed emotional systems. Thanks, Jeff Swanson
By the time my father had died in 1963 my wife Barbara and I had presented the act for three years, most of which my dad and Anna May had been separated so I don't think his death had any effect.
I have been asked if I thought Anna May's death in retirement came as the result of her separation from me and Barbara, I doubt that too.
I have found that elephants are like people, no two alike making it impossible to generalize.
Most are a pleasure to be around while others might be cunning and even diabolical.
I had an elephant I called "Peggy" that for some reason was obsessed with my daughter Dalilah and another one that was in love with a goat.
"Sadie" had a fetish for an automobile tire, carried it everywhere and would prop it against her leg while she drank, lay it flat and stand with one leg in the center while she ate, take it into the truck when she loaded and bring it out when she unloaded.
One night I was awakened by a blood curdling scream only to discover that "Lydia" had stolen it at which point I tossed it into the dumpster and everything returned to normal.
Buckles, Those are great stories - thanks for sharing them!
Buckles,
Yes they are great stories. And the second one, effectively disproved the "cute and charming, just like people" nonsense that so many propagate to the humiliation/belittling of what an animal truly is, and the detriment of the animal training profession.
Wade Burck
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