Archive for the ‘Elephant Tales’ Category

Woodside has been uncomfortable ever since the wild animal farm, as it is known locally, was opened about a year ago. Every woman in the place has predicted that the animals would escape some dark, cold night and wipe out the town, devouring buildings and inhabitants. These predictions came near becoming true on Monday night… […]

On Friday morning, June 2, 1904, the proprietors of Coney Island’s Luna Park reported that three of their elephants were missing. The two male elephants were found shortly thereafter, but the female elephant, Alice — or Fanny (reports vary) — was nowhere to be found. Alice had gone AWOL.

This true elephant story brought tears to my eyes, and was very difficult to write. However, I believe it’s an important story to tell in order to show how far we’ve come in America when it comes to treating both animals and humans, how far we still need to go, and how important it is for us to ensure that other countries catch up and keep pace with us.

On April 12, 1796, Captain Jacob Crowninshield arrived in New York Harbor on a trading ship called the America. On board was a two-year-old female elephant the captain had purchased in India for $450. She was the first elephant to ever come to America.