John Krausz - How to Buy an Elephant: And 38 Other Things You Never Knew You Wanted to Know

JOHN KRAUSZ, 1977

T HE BUYING of an elephant is increasingly difficult for anyone, circus, zoo dealer, or eccentric. At present the Asian elephant, male and female, is on the endangered species list, making importation impossible and raising current costs of already imported animals to an unprecedented high. Only Southwicks Bird & Animal Farm in Blackstone, Massachusetts, remains in business as a major East Coast importer of elephants. While owners of elephants will claim that no two have ever been bought in the same way, the majority of animals are in fact purchased through dealers.

Barnum & Bailey Circus has purchased all its elephants either from dealers or small circuses that were going out of business. They would never buy an animal from a zoo, since it would either be badly trained or an unmanageable animalnor do they bother to buy elephants from foreign dealers or governments, since its too complicated and time consuming. All of their elephants are bought for performing purposes, and while they have Africans as well as Asians, they claim the Africans are stupider and harder to train. (One man can get an elephant act trained and together in six months.) In the past they have paid dealers approximately $7,500 for Asian elephantsoff the boat from Indiawith permits provided by the dealers and no quarantine necessary.

The Bronx Zoo bought their elephants with the intention of breeding Asians in this country and thereby avoiding the problems of their status as endangered. In the fall of 73 they bought three females and one malepaying $4,600 per elephantthrough Danny Southwick, the late Massachusetts import mogul.

They also have one African female, who, despite African elephants reputation for being harder to handle, has not been more difficult than their four Asians. She is currently on loan to the Knoxville Zoofor matingand on writing of this article she has just become pregnant (Summer 1977). No African elephant has ever been born in the U.S. until now.

Central Park Zoo has one Asian female that they paid $3,000 for in 1963, bought from Trefflichs, a large N.Y. animal dealing company that has gone out of business. Trefflichs, in turn, had bought this same elephant from Deitchsa large animal farm in Fairlane, New Jersey, which is also out of business.

As for the dealers themselves, they buy elephants not only from countries of originKenya, Thailand, India, etc.but also from all of the same sources they sell to. Often a circus going out of business, another dealer, a small animal park, or private zoo will sell an elephant already in the U.S. to a dealer.

Before the Endangered Species Act of Dec. 28, 1973, buying elephants from the foregoing countries required having contacts in those countries, either trapper/ dealers or the governments themselves; applying for permits from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Fish and Wildlife Division); and paying for shipping costs. According to Southwicks, the average age of imported elephants was two years old, and they were generally less than fifty inches high. The majority of orders were for females, and all the animals arrived at JFK airportone of thirteen approved ports of entry for wild animals. The shipping itself costs approximately $1,500 to $2,000 ($2.60 per pound: the elephant weighs 600 to 800 pounds without its crate). Their traveling accommodations from India included a wooden framed cage; their legs were tied to the frames for the 14-to 15-hour flight. From Kenya they traveled in wooden boxes with metal trays at the bottom (for droppings) and open board tops, fronts, and backs.

Southwicks Asian sources (which are no longer operational, now that permits for importation cannot be obtained) included trapper/dealers in Bangkok, Thailand, and the Delhi area of India. Their African source is a dealer in Kenya who owns a small farm, hires trappers, and ships animals all over the world. While the Asians previously imported arrived partially trainednot for tricks but for handlingthe Africans are wild upon arrival.

The current prices1977are quoted at: Africans, $7,500; Asians (already in this country), $15,000. And deliveryfrom time of orderingis usually upwards of two months.

In order to bring an elephant into the U.S., a permit for importation must be obtained from the Department of Agriculture, Fish and Wildlife Division, and while there is no cost for such permission, certain criteria must be met. These criteria involve inspection of the grounds and facilities provided for the elephant, the handlers expertise, and availability of veterinary care. It is for this reason that individual parties find it impossible to receive the necessary permission, and importation is restricted to animal farms, dealers, zoos, and circuses.

While the passage of the Endangered Species Act (Dec. 28, 1973) has made it illegal or virtually impossible to import Asian elephants, some consideration is given to whether the animal was purchased before the bill was passed and to whether it was born in captivity or in the wild.

Africanswhich do not fall under this actstill require permits and clearance through the Federal Register before being admitted to this country, and the government specifies a period of 90 to 120 days for such permission to clear.

JUMBO & THE WHITE ELEPHANT WAR

W. C. THOMPSON, ON THE ROAD WITH THE CIRCUS (1903)

J UMBO was the biggest elephant ever in this country, and few are in on the secret that the tremendous success of the animals tour was an accident of fortune, observed our elephant man. He was an African animal and very stupid, but always good-natured. An agent of the big American circus heard that he was the tallest pachyderm in captivity and that London was anxious to sell him. The man closed the sale for two thousand pounds, with no conception of the money-making prize he was securing. The beast had been a pet with the children in the London Zoological Gardens, but the announcement of his purchase by Americans was received with no especial expressions of regret. It required two weeks to build a van-like cage for the journey by sea, and then keepers went to the zoo to lead Jumbo to the ship. He strode along all right until the gate of the garden closed behind them and then lay down in the street. It was a pure case of elephantine obstinacy, and the animal wouldnt budge. There he measured his length in the dust for twenty-four hours despite all urging and entreaty, to the despair of his custodians, who little realized the wonderful effect the incident would have on the owners pocketbook.

The English newspapers soon heard of the occurrence and promptly seized upon it for an effective story. Dear old Jumbo, they said, refused to leave the scene of his happy days with the children; his exhibition of protest was one of remarkable sagacity; they hoped he would continue to defy the Yankee showmen and remain in London; he was the pet and friend of the little ones and ought never to have been disposed of, any way. The elephant when in repose or resistance rests on his knees, and one of the newspapers sagely remarked that Jumbo was in an attitude of prayer. The Humane Society was appealed to and someone made a sympathetic hit by telling how lonesome and melancholy was Alice, the abandoned wife. The pathos of the thing was very affecting, on the surface, but a phenomenal advertisement.