Buckles Blog: #10 Elephant Acts!

Monday, October 09, 2017

Rudy Muller and "Rosie".
Roger Smith once told me of Mullers' vain attempt to save May Kovar from a Tiger attack at Goebel's Farm in Thousand Oaks!

Roger Smith said...: This was a tragic event. On December 20, 1949, May Kovar Schaeffer went in to practice. She continued the European habit of standing beside the tunnel door, then getting behind the animal let in to drive it from behind to the seat. This time, Sultan lion was turned in, and the doorman closed the door too quickly, catching the lion's tail. As Sultan spun around in protest, there stood May with her back to the bars. He lunged into her, and snapped her neck with one bite. As was later learned, she died instantly, but Sultan laid into mauling her body. Stories at the time held that May's young son and daughter tried to enter the cage to fight the lion off, but Rudy Mueller pulled them back out. He then went in and drove Sultan off May's lifeless form to keep him from dismembering it in front of the children. He ordered the tunnel doorman to take Sultan home, and drove the lion out. It was far too late to prevent a terrible image from remaining with all involved, but Rudy went in to face a lion in full attack mode, and saved the children from the same fate as their mother. Rudy was honored thereafter for his heroism. In recent days here, Rudy and his wife are seen in the exotic white wardrobe, performing with the Powers elephants. When I first came to know Rudy, in 1965, he had retired from animal work, and was Jungleland's expert groundskeeper.; 09 October, 2017 18:37

Buckles Blog