Tuesday, December 06, 2005

"Safari" #1


Jess Adkins and Zack Terrell managed to accumulate 17 elephants for the opening of their new show, Cole Bros. Circus, in 1935. Most notably was the Ranch Herd (101 Ranch) presented by Eddie and Jean Allen as well as nine from Hall's Farm and three from Zoos. Mid way in the season they received the last of the Hall elephants bringing the herd to 26.
This is Ace Donovan with "Safari" purchased from the Detroit Zoo. At first it was thought he would have to be transported to and from the lot by wagon but as it turned out he was no trouble at all and fit right into the program. In the Press he was given the name "Jumbo II".
Hugo Schmitt once told me that he personally had delivered "Safari" to Detroit from the Hagenbeck Zoo in Germany in 1928. While there he made a trip to Chicago to see the Ringling Show and his interpreter that day was "Camel Dutch" Narfsky.

Posted by Buckles at 12/06/2005 06:29:00 AM

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Safari died at Rochester Indiana (Cole Bros winter quarters)Thanksgiving Day 1936.
However I read that he died from eating broken glass but another source says he died from tubercolis.
Which was it?the glass probably?
Also Safari's skeleton and hide were sent to the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

08 December, 2005 17:37
Anonymous said...

How many African elephants were in the U.S.A in 1936?
savvannah elephants that is,not those unusaual looking Forest/Congo elephants which scientist nowdays say not only a seperate species but aloso genus I believe.Some circus menagerie guy told me a few years back that the two can not breed.

10 December, 2005 14:11

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)