Monday, March 03, 2014

Zoo Pix #9


Posted by Buckles at 3/03/2014 05:37:00 AM

2 comments:

John Herriott said...

I am allmost sure this is Floyd Smith. Long time elephant trainer at St. Louis zoo during Th Verheiler years of great animal shows recognized world wide. I believe he was self taught. I saw him many times in fall of 1950. Unusual routine but with surprising difficult tricks and routines. It would be very difficult for a circus elephant trainer-presenter to take over this type of presentation-training. Audienc4es loved it and thats what its all about.

03 March, 2014 08:53
Jim Alexander said...

Johnny's correct, Floyd Smith and the St. Louis Zoo's performing elephants. The Elephant Show began in 1937 with three elephants and two more were added in 1941. The show was presented in the current Grevy zebra yard at the "camel barn". If one were to visit today you could see a shoe-box sized hole in one of the gunite granite boulders were the show announcer could look out and follow the show. Floyd had a very good act by all reports. The elephants did a barber shop, baseball game, and other vaudevile routines in addition to traditional tricks.

In 1954 August Busch donated eight baby elephants for a new act. Floyd and his assistant Joe Stephans (seen in the background) went to Jungleland in the fall of 54 to train the new act. It would premier in 1955. The original act, now four plus an exhibit elephant, were sold to Paul Kelly. Bert Pettus came to pick them up. From reports it took two long days and was quite a rodeo. Paul Kelly told me years later several animals had TB and the act never left the barn.

10 March, 2014 09:10

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)