Saturday, December 09, 2006

Ringling-Barnum Blue Unit 1979 #5



For some reason, I was working an end ring act, since Barbara is alone in the center. Elephants are "Carmen", "Hugo", "Peggy", "Zina" and "Gilda". Except for Hugo, all were former Billy Smart elephants. Posted by Picasa

Posted by Buckles at 12/09/2006 06:05:00 AM

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

At one point, didn't Barbara work this act on horseback?

09 December, 2006 06:57
Anonymous said...

There's that mysterious "fly wheel" again from two days ago! This time it's up on the high wire rigging.

09 December, 2006 07:02
Buckles said...

She did at Circus World but on tour she only rode the horse during the rather lengthy prologue to the elephant display.

09 December, 2006 07:04
Anonymous said...

Where is "ALPO" now?

09 December, 2006 08:36
Buckles said...

Barbara donated him to the Sheriff's Boys Ranch in upstate Florida.

09 December, 2006 08:42
Anonymous said...

That will teach the kids something.

09 December, 2006 12:10
Casey McCoy Cainan said...

Is that the same Hugo now living at Woodland Park Zoo in Portland?

12 December, 2006 15:52
Buckles said...

Yes it is.

12 December, 2006 16:15
Casey McCoy Cainan said...

When I saw that elephant he had a deformed trunk, which the keeper said was from a tiger bite. Is this before or after? Or did he not work after that is what I am asking.

12 December, 2006 16:27
Buckles said...

I took delivery on him in 1975 while I was at the Ringling Park and trained him for the ring. I renamed him "Hugo" after Hugo Schmitt and he was pretty big already.
Gary Hill would know his History prior to that.
We parted company in 1980 but he remained under Ringling ownership thru 1983 then went to Portland.
I know of no time when he would have had exposure to a tiger.

12 December, 2006 17:04
GaryHill said...

Hugo came to World of Animals in Mesquite from International Animal Exchange. He went from there to Jacksonville Zoo, then to Buckles at CW. His name was Doc when I had him , George, Tarzan ( Rex Williams got him and named him Gardner) and the female African Konti, who Buckles named Bonnie, were my elephants at the park. He was a tough guy but Buckles turned him into a oneleg stander!

12 December, 2006 17:13
Casey McCoy Cainan said...

There was a male in portland when I saw Hugo that had belonged to Rex at one time, or so the keeper told me. Would that have been Gardener?

12 December, 2006 17:35
GaryHill said...

Buckles will have to answer that one? My guess is maybe????

12 December, 2006 20:57

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