Buzz
While it’s tempting to bestow the title of the world’s most captivating animal upon one of the great apes, a chimpanzee shares more traits with humans than not; a single chromosome could trade its bananas for an office job. Instead, let’s explore a species less easily anthropomorphized—though not entirely, given the enchanting, wide-eyed, and fantastically airborne charm of Dumbo—yet equally intelligent and self-aware as primates. The elephant, Earth’s largest land-dwelling creature, once included a colossal 26,000+ lb. bull shot in Angola, the heaviest ever recorded. This list delves into the lives and peculiar deaths of some of the most magnificent beasts to ever roam the planet.
10. Abul Abbas
In 797 AD, Harun al-Rashid, the caliph of Baghdad, gifted Charlemagne, King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans, a clock featuring a mechanical bird that emerged and chirped on the hour. Alongside this, he presented him with an Asian Elephant. While Charlemagne was undoubtedly fascinated by the cuckoo clock (a novelty long before such items became commonplace at stores like Pier One), the elephant left an indelible mark. Historical records on Charlemagne are sparse, and similarly, details about Abul Abbas are scarce. What is known is that he was used in battles against the Danes. In 810, at the age of forty, Abul Abbas succumbed to pneumonia, likely worsened by his frequent swims in the Rhine and the lack of specialized veterinarians for exotic animals in the region.
9. Old Bet
On April 13, 1796, the second elephant to ever set foot in the Americas arrived aboard the Private Armed Ship America. Interestingly, the elephant’s journey was documented in the logbook of Nathaniel Hathorne, the father of the famed author Nathaniel Hawthorne (who later added a “w” to his surname). The elephant, named Old Bet, was exhibited along the eastern seaboard in the early 1800s. She was eventually bought by Hachaliah Bailey, a farmer whose name would later be associated with the world-famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Initially intended as a work animal, Bailey soon discovered that showcasing Old Bet across the country was far more profitable than using her for farm labor. He created a traveling menagerie with Old Bet as the main attraction, charging families either a coin or a two-gallon jug of rum for admission. Bailey claimed that Old Bet was killed on July 24, 1816, near Alfred, Maine, by a farmer who believed it was immoral for the poor to spend their meager earnings on circus entertainment.
8. /7 Castor and Pollux
Paris, a city renowned for its rich cultural heritage, has endured significant turmoil throughout its history, with 1870 marking one of its most harrowing periods. German forces encircled the French capital, initiating the Siege of Paris. Cut off from supplies, the French resorted to consuming whatever animals were available. Menus featured dishes like Epaules et filets de Chien braises (dog in tomato sauce) and Civet de Chat aux Champignons (cat with mushrooms). Zoo animals were not spared, including Castor and Pollux, a pair of elephants named after the Gemini twins. They were killed with sum-sum bullets and sold by weight to local butchers, with their trunks commanding higher prices. Henry Du Pre Labouchere, an affluent English politician and writer, sampled the meat and remarked, 'Yesterday, I had a slice of Pollux for dinner. Pollux and his brother Castor are two elephants that have been killed. It was tough, coarse, and oily, and I do not recommend English families to eat elephant as long as they can get beef or mutton.'
6. Jumbo
Jumbo, arguably the most famous elephant in history, was a massive African bull captured in Ethiopia in 1869. After spending years at the London Zoo, where he gave rides to visitors, he was sold in 1882 to showman P.T. Barnum for $10,000. The name 'Jumbo,' now synonymous with 'huge,' is believed to derive from a Swahili word—either 'jambo' (meaning 'hello') or 'jumbo' (meaning 'chief'). Standing at least twelve feet tall, Jumbo was an extraordinary specimen. On September 15, 1885, while the circus was boarding a train in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada, Jumbo and a baby elephant named Tom Thumb were struck by an unscheduled freight train. Tom Thumb suffered a broken leg, but Jumbo was fatally injured, his skull crushed. His trainer, overcome with grief, knelt beside him, holding his trunk until he passed. Jumbo’s stomach contained English coins, keys, rivets, and even a police whistle. His skeleton was donated to New York’s Natural History Museum, his heart to Cornell University, and his stuffed hide toured with Barnum before being donated to Tufts University, where it became the school’s mascot.
5. Topsy
The history of Brooklyn’s Coney Island is incomplete without the tragic story of Topsy, an elephant who fell victim to the calculated schemes of Thomas Edison, the Wizard of Menlo Park. Topsy, a performer in the Forepaugh Circus, fatally retaliated against three abusive trainers, the last of whom attempted to feed her a lit cigarette. Her actions led to a death sentence. Edison, embroiled in a battle to prove the superiority of his direct current (DC) over alternating current (AC), saw an opportunity. To discredit AC, he orchestrated Topsy’s public execution using 6,600 volts of electricity. Before the electrocution, she was fed cyanide-laced carrots. The event, witnessed by 1,500 spectators, was quick and uneventful. Edison’s film, “Electrocuting an Elephant,” was shown globally, furthering his agenda despite his eventual loss in the War of Currents.
4. Mary
Mary, a five-ton Asian elephant from the Sparks World Famous Show circus, met a grim fate in September 1916 in Kingsport, TN. After a new handler, Walter “Red” Eldridge, provoked her, she threw him into a snack stand and crushed his skull. A local blacksmith attempted to shoot her, but her thick hide rendered the bullets ineffective. Instead, a public hanging was organized, drawing a crowd of 2,500, including many children. A derrick chain was placed around her neck, and an industrial crane lifted her, but her ankle chain was mistakenly left attached, causing her immense suffering as her tendons tore. The neck chain eventually snapped, and she fell, shattering her hip. A second attempt succeeded, and haunting photographs of her hanging remain as grim evidence of the event.
3. Tyke
By 1994, advancements in technology allowed for the detailed recording of dramatic events, such as elephant rampages. On August 20th, during the Hawthorn Circus at Honolulu’s Neal S. Blaisdell Center, Tyke, a 20-year-old elephant with a history of unruly behavior, unleashed her final outburst. In front of a horrified audience, she killed her trainer, Allen Campbell, and injured groom Dallas Beckwith before breaking free and rampaging through the streets. The panicked crowd scattered, resulting in minor injuries. Tyke, adorned in a bright red headdress, charged through the city unimpeded. Steve Hirano, the event’s publicist, attempted to corral her into a parking lot, but a chain-link fence proved no match for her fury. Police intervened, firing shots into the air to deter her. Officers eventually shot Tyke over 80 times, leading to her collapse and death from severe nerve damage and brain hemorrhaging. Footage of the incident, often featured in shows like 'When Animals Attack!,' remains a chilling reminder of that day.
2. Hanno
Pope Leo X, a member of the infamous Medici family, received Hanno as a coronation gift from King Manuel I of Portugal. The Pope adored his new companion and frequently showcased him. Hanno, a white elephant (with a pinkish hue), was considered sacred in Southeast Asian cultures. Two years later, Hanno fell ill and, due to the limited medical knowledge of the time, was given a gold-infused laxative. He passed away on June 8, 1516, with the grieving Pope by his side.
1. Black Diamond
Black Diamond, an 18,000-pound Indian elephant owned by the Al G. Barnes Circus, had a history of unruly behavior. To manage him, he was often chained to two female elephants during public displays. On October 12, 1929, in Corsicana, Texas, he rampaged again, injuring a former trainer and killing a woman. Deemed too dangerous to remain in the circus, attempts to poison him failed due to his cleverness. Ultimately, Hans Nagel, the keeper of the Houston Zoo, shot Black Diamond, who endured over 60 bullets before succumbing.
