The Tragic Hanging of Mary the Elephant

This is the saddest thing I have read in like forever. We all know circus animals are treated like shit but this takes shit to a whole new level.

So, back in 1916 there was a circus elephant called Mary. The elephant was part of the Sparks World Famous Shows and had performed for numerous years without any incidents.

On September 11, 1916 she was given a new trainer called Red Eldridge. His previous job was a janitor in hotel so I don't think he was...let'say fit for the job.

Now the exact details are unknown but chances are he mishandled Mary who in turn attacked and killed him. Some witnesses say he was stomped to death. Others that he was impaled by one of the trunk... Whatever. He died, that's for sure.

One thing led to another and eventually there was a public outcry demanding for Mary’s execution.

And what better way to kill and humiliate her other than... Public hanging...

And so the elephant was transferred to Unicoi County, Tennessee and hanged by the neck from a railcar-mounted industrial derrick in front of a crowd of over 2,500 people with most of the town's children participating.

Of course hanging an elephant is not something easily pulled off. As a result the first attempt failed due to a snapped chain, causing a fall and a broken hip. Things went better on the second attempt and the elephant died 😖

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Public Domain

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Ironically, a vet examined Mary after the death and found that she had a severely infected tooth in the precise spot where Red Eldridge had reportedly prodded her, possibly causing immense pain to the animal....

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Poor Mary. She was denied everything from day 1. Her freedom. Her home. Her herd. And in the end her dignity.

We humans are interesting creatures, that's for sure.

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References & Further Reading

• Wikipedia

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