Tag Archives: elephant
Messing At Dublin Zoo
Kelley Cousins at Dublin Zoo writes:
“in a particularly large unveiling ceremony at the Kaziranga Forest Trail, Dublin Zoo welcomed one of the most highly anticipated arrivals in many years – Upali an Asian bull elephant. Upali arrived from Chester Zoo at midnight on Thursday July 5.
Upali is now the largest animal at Dublin Zoo. He is 17 years old, measures 3 metres tall and weighs over 6,000kgs, equivalent to the weight of ten Friesian cows.
Upali’s arrival is a momentous development for both the Zoo and the international breeding programme as he joins three breeding females – sisters Bernhardine and Yasmin, and Yasmin’s calf Anak.
It is expected that the elephants will mate soon and double the size of the Dublin Zoo herd over the coming years.”
(Patrick Bolger)
An Elephant In 17th Century Dublin
Unfortunately, on the night of Friday the 17th of June 1681, things went disastrously wrong for this zoological enterprise. At approximately 3am the wooden booth [near the Custom House on Parliament Street] caught fire and was quickly enveloped by flames. The elephant, trapped inside, was overcome by the fire and smoke. News of the elephant’s death soon drew a large crowd of onlookers, many of whom had not been able to see the living animal due to the high admission price. It was a motley crew and things soon got out of hand. As the flames died down many of the onlookers rushed forward and attempted to carry parts of the dead animal away.
The Death Of An Elephant, Dublin, 1681 (Irish Archaeology)
Thanks Colm
Junk In The Trunk
The Elephant Chair by Maximo Riera:
…crafted “from compressed foam with an internal steel frame. The final object is enveloped in fine leather, allowing all the detail to be refined. Although not as heavy as an actual elephant, the chair weighs 160 kg.
No price available but Riera’s Octopus Chair went for $53,000.
A Head. With Feet.
Elephantulus pilicaudus. That is all.
Cuteoverload
A Moment Of Silence, Please
Queenie, who during the 1950s and 1960s became known as the ‘world’s only waterskiiing elephant’, has died.
Queenie was put down earlier this week at the age of 59 after her health deteriorated, according to the theme park in south Georgia where she spent her retirement from performing.
The elephant was just six months old when she was bought in a New York city pet store in 1953 by her former owner Liz Dane.
Soon after Dane began training Queenie to water ski at a Florida theme park, where the animal performed to music several times a day for 15 years. She also played the harmonica.
Can Elephants Suppress Memories?
Let’s hope so.
Tourist Martin Nyfeler of Kloten, Switzerland, captured pictures of the wild encounter during a visit to Zambia‘s South Luangwa National Park in late September.
“We saw a mother elephant and baby at the water hole and said [to the guides], You know, what a cute picture, let’s stop here,” Nyfeler told National Geographic News.
“And suddenly the croc jumped out. The whole event took maybe 15 seconds.”
