Wednesday, May 25, 2016

#1 Elephant Men


Posted by Buckles at 5/25/2016 07:10:00 AM

3 comments:

Jim Alexander said...

Eddie Allen w/ Safari. I think Safari came from the Detroit Zoo. Any possible relation to the African w/ a younger Hugo Schmitt #3? Most elephants coming from a zoo with no previous training would likely be an interesting challenge.

25 May, 2016 11:10
Dennis said...

Hope that wardrobe was wash and dry.

25 May, 2016 13:31
Richard Reynolds said...

Safari did come from Detroit zoo. He had arrived there around 1930 as the new Hagenbeck-style zoo was being opened. He came from Hagenbeck, Hamburg. Hugo Schmitt brought him over so he no doubt had some training. This was Hugo's first trip to USA. While here, he was able to visit RBBB and got on famously with Dutch Narfski who worked in the menagerie. Dutch (no doubt meaning German) was a fellow countryman, so they could converse in their native language. Narfski later became a fixture on the Kelly-Miller show.

By the time Safari was sold to Cole Bros.in 1935 he seems to have contracted TB. When he went to Cole he was the only African on an American circus. It is said that before he dropped dead at w.quarters in the winter of 1936-37 he could hardly keep up with the elephants on their march to and from the train.

27 May, 2016 16:39

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