This is the picture you mentioned and I never could connect Ira Watts with this big fish.
"Goliath" toured with both RBBB and Sells-Floto in the early 1930's so it had to be during that time frame.
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Wednesday, May 20, 2015
To Jim Alexander #1
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8 comments:
Thanks Buckles for the photo and artwork.
Anyone know where this photo was taken?
That must have been a real chore to get that animal to do what the trainer/keeper wanted him to do. They are not known for having a "sunny" disposition.
Bob, my guess is that if you had a bucket of fish the elephant seal would follow. Never worked with them myself but know of a few that were pretty cooperative - probably because you only had to ask them to move from A to B. I think the big challenge would be the logistics of obtaining the large quantity of fresh fish while on the move.
This is Colossus the 2nd elephant seal brought over from Hamburg in 1928 to serve as a replacement in case the original Goliath croaked before RBBB could get its money's worth from all the press and advertising.
Upon arrival, Colossus was sent to the now closed Bridgeport Qtrs. That is where this photo was taken. Late in '28 he was sent to Sarasota and installed in a pen in Panzy Cove between St Armand's and Lido Beach. The pen had a sandy beach and access to sea water.
There he joined Goliath who had already arrived in 'Sota with RBBB.
RBBB's elephant seals always spent the winters in the pen on the sea.
The original Goliath died in the pen before the start of the 1930 tour. Then Colossus went on tour with RBBB in 1930 and '31advertised as "Goliath."
In '32 he was shipped to Peru. He was exhibited there in the big barn in a portable canvas tank. He spent the '32 tour with Sells Floto. Unlike on RBBB Colossus was shown in the S-F menagerie.
With SF shuttered for 1933 Colossus was sent to Chicago for H-W's opening. He then went on loan to the Cincinnati Zoo. From there he went to the Steel Pier in Atlantic City and then for a short time to the Philadelphia Zoo. Then it was back to Germany.
Thanks, Richard.
Thank you Mr. Reynolds for the information regarding Colossus and Goliath over the years.
The changed look of the wagon building (after the fire in 1924) along with the sleepers and the tall grass in the background of the Bridgeport quarters, painted an interesting photo. I understand now why they kept Colossus in Bridgeport as they didn't go back out west till 1929,and if needed could send Colossus out rather quickly from Bridgeport, instead of all the way from Sarasota if a replacement for Goliath was needed during the eastern tour of 1928.
With Colossus going back to Germany after 1933, are we to understand that both of these animals were under some type of lease then?
Do you know if Colossus grew to Goliath's size over time? He looks much smaller then Goliath in this 1928 photo and from my understanding why the display wagon was changed after Goliath had died.
p.j.
Am not sure which was bigger though I think maybe the original Goliath was. I just came across an except from a history book on Cincy zoo that said Colossus was not as large as Goliath.
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