Hugo Schmitt #1

Hugo told me quite a few stories about his days at the Hagenbeck Zoo and the things various trainers accomplished. But of particular interest were the war years, he explained that when the air raid sirens went off, he would hurriedly move the elephants under a nearby arched bridge then ride it out. He further described the situation in Sweden where the elephants were eventually sent and then confiscated due to War Reparations. My favorite part of that story was after he learned what had happened, he took all five elephants down town and handed the bull hook to the first policeman he saw. No wonder John North got a good purchase price.