Friday, August 28, 2009

"Tusko" #3


Scan12069, originally uploaded by bucklesw1.

Finally on the lot with Elephant Boss, J.O ('sippi) Nance.

10 comments:

Henry Schroer said...

One really has to feel sorry for this animals the way the where treated in the old days days.

Harry Kingston said...

The one I feel sorry for is the elephnat hand that put the chains on in the first place without getting killed or hurt bad.
These were two damn big killer tuskers and what they could do to a human.
People seeing these chained elephants, towners just must had stood in amazement at there size.
I sure wish I had been back there with my 16mm camera taking movies of these beasts.
Harry

GaryHill said...

On the other hand, the elephant men that were able to get close enought to actually put the chains on those big guys deserve alittle credit.

johnny said...

lot of that chain is unecessary and I understand it was put on for Show to make the elephant sappear to be very ill tempered. I believe that Barnes had very fine animals with excellent trainers and took very good care of all the animals.

Wade G. Burck said...

Henry,
Brilliant and profound statement from someone who has been around a long time. That honesty is why things needed to change. I wish we/the industry had done it "just because." Hopefully we can keep evolving, adapting, changing and improving our world. Old photos are to learn from, not emulate. Because something was done before, will never make it acceptable to continue doing. To hell with tradition, wrong is wrong.
Wade Burck

Buckles said...

Fact of the matter is, this is what the public of the day wanted to see and paid money to do so.
A Capitalistic Society in progress.

Henry Schroer said...

I remember when My Uncle Franz Althoff had a big Bull and one day he got made and could not be handled anymore without restrains and before anybody would get killed my Uncle traded him for 6 Camels to the zoo in Moscow. In my eyes a much better way to handle situations like this.
Of course Buckles is right, in them days the public wanted to see man versus beast and the wilder the better. That's why Clyde Beatty became so famous with he's acts.

J.C. Hall said...

This big fella has as much rigging on him as a Clydesdale parade horse short the bit, or is it a hack-more bit. What ever.
I do recall discussing the likes of this photo with Smokey once. His comment came close to what Mr.Woodcock stated. He also said about two thirds of that chain was unnecessary .He was not to impressed with it.
PS I sure would not want to meet this big guy on a dark street at night though.

Anonymous said...

"From and to Anonymous"

Peta + Ignorance = Capitalism

Anonymous said...

From Anonymous to anonymous & back:
You are correct!
...I never was good at math!