Thursday, May 11, 2006

Elephant Rides 1930's

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Question brought up by all the different rigging systems in today's pictures --

Travelling shows must want the most compact gear that's safe and comfortable, but, assuming the gear is well designed, would elephants rather pull or carry?

Up to 6-yr-old kids might be just as happy with a wagon ride, even if you have to go back into the main tent where animal taxis give nice long rides around the outer circle.

Grandparents tend to want that once-in-a-lifetime picture, animal and child posed in the same frame, but there are lots of ways to create a great scene.

How to do the most good for the most people (and animals) in the least time was the line along which I was musing. Maybe no way to answer unless you are looking at one specific set-up.

Anonymous said...

Is this"Jap" the elephant?
Wasnt she at the Benson farm at one time in the mid-1930'S?

Anonymous said...

Jap was a big female elephant,
about 8 feet at the shoulder.
This one looks too small.

Anonymous said...

Is it Modoc?

Buckles said...

Her name was "Betsy" and was many years at Bensons.

Anonymous said...

Was it Bensons that had the water skiing elephant? I remember staying at an animal farm in NH during some down time but do not remeber the name of it. cc

Buckles said...

That was "Queenie" in Fairlee, Vt. she is with Gatti Circus today.

Anonymous said...

Betsy was at the Benson Animal farm from 1932-1952.
In 1935 Francis Benedict
for his book PHYSIOLOGY OF THE ELEPHANT,
measured Betsy,her shoulder height as 7 feet 5 inches in height.
wt. 5,640 pounds.
Her age was listed as 11.
This photo she looks younger

Anonymous said...

However a published photograph from the February.13.1951
edition of the NASHUA TELEGRAPH
over at newspaperarchive.com.
states Betsy is 32 years old,which would have made her 16 years old in 1935.
Her keeper was Joseph"lucky"Friscia in the photo.