But history has preserved quite a few cases when elephants had to EXECUTE.
On June 28, 1970, a big commotion arose in the Yerevan Zoo. A crowd of visitors watched with curiosity as a group of workers tried to return the free-roaming elephant Vova to the enclosure. At first, what was happening was like an attraction, and nothing foreshadowed an impending disaster.
Even today, many years later, it is not known for certain what actually happened to the good-natured Vova, what caused the drama.
The homeland of Vova's elephant was India. When he was one year old, he was transported to the Soviet Union. First, the baby elephant received a temporary shelter in Russia, then in one of the zoos in Ukraine. His last abode differed from other similar institutions in that circus performances were organized on its basis, and Vova became their constant participant. However, he did not possess special artistic abilities and, no matter how diligently the trainer Ivan Shcherban worked with him, he learned to perform only the most primitive tasks. But during this time Ivan became so attached to the animal that he constantly took him on tour and tried to convince the zoo management that it was impossible to find a better circus artist.
When the Great Patriotic War began, the circus at the zoo ceased to function, and the animals were urgently distributed to different cities of the Soviet Union. Only Vova remained in Ukraine - due to its gigantic size, it was not possible to evacuate him in time. To transport such a giant, a heavy-duty vehicle was required, which in the conditions of the outbreak of war was difficult to find: there was no time for elephants then. But Ukraine had to urgently leave, and Ivan, along with his ward, went on foot to the south. Together they traveled long roads, experienced many hungry and cold days, sleepless nights. At one of the stations, these strange travelers came under fire from the Messerschmitts. The elephant, carefully so as not to crush Ivan, covered him with its massive body. Maybe then Ivan for the first time felt protected next to his friend. Years later, he told about this incident to one of the Russian prose writers, and he included in his memories the touching story of this amazing friendship.
In the fall of 1941, the trainer and the elephant reached Yerevan, and Vova was settled in a zoo that was still under construction. Soon Ivan was sent to the front, but before he could reach Rostov, an urgent order came. It said that Ivan should immediately return to Yerevan, because the elephant categorically refuses to obey anyone else. Ivan was forced to return, and since then they have never parted. The elephant calmly walked around the territory of the zoo, followed its master everywhere and was very nervous when he disappeared from his field of vision. He helped Ivan with the housework, guarded the warehouses, and when his new aviary was being built, he helped the workers move the building materials. Like a nanny, he looked after both of Ivan's daughters, and the children from the neighborhood sat on their backs and arranged walks around the zoo. But when the war endedthe elephant was locked in an aviary as the zoo had already opened its doors to visitors. Free life is over. Now the good-natured giant stood for hours in his small "apartment" so that the visitors looked at him, rejoiced and admired him.
Promotional video:
The elephant lived for 30 years in the Yerevan Zoo, amusing adults and children. Over the years, Vova has grown, and his needs for food have also increased. But the norms of keeping animals in zoos have not changed: both the aviary and the daily diet of the elephant have remained the same. In the USSR, animals were kept in zoos for the entertainment of visitors, and not in order to restore natural populations or preserve the species in captivity. Even in circuses, their life was preferable - they moved more and they were better fed. Vova had to find food for himself. Opposite his aviary there was a lot of vegetation, and he plucked and ate everything in a row, clearing the territory from the greenery at the distance of an elongated trunk.
His first escape was unexpected. The elephant smashed one of the curbs of the enclosure and, breaking free from captivity, began to climb the mountainside, greedily eating grass. That time he was returned to the zoo, however, Ivan had to work hard. This incident became a kind of signal - the zoo workers realized that he was living from hand to mouth. However, there was no way to increase the ration - the Yerevan Zoo was supplied with a strictly limited amount of food. And then a very peculiar way out of the situation was found. By tacit agreement, it was decided not to restore the border of the enclosure, so that the animal could sometimes go free. Towards evening, Ivan walked to the foot of the mountain, and he and Vova quietly and peacefully returned to the zoo. During the "illegal" excursions of the elephant, no emergencies were recorded. Until June 28, 1970.
On that day, Vova, as always, climbed the mountain to eat fresh grass. But at the usual time, Ivan did not come for him - the zoo staff that day celebrated some event and remembered about the elephant when it was already dark. Recovering himself, Ivan hurried to Vova, but they began to return not along the familiar road, but along another, which was illuminated by electric lights. The elephant brushed against the lampposts every now and then. Later, a version was expressed that, perhaps, he received a slight electric shock, but then this did not occur to anyone. Having locked the elephant in the aviary, Ivan returned to his friends. And only in the morning it turned out that Vova had broken out again and no longer obeyed anyone. When the workers tried to drag the elephant into the enclosure with the help of a water carrier, he tore a heavy chain tied to his leg and with all his might began to beat the cages and fences with his trunk. So,sweeping away everything in his path, he walked to the exit from the zoo. The workers decided that there was no need to take extreme measures, because they were convinced that Vova was not dangerous and would soon calm down.
When Vova was still allowed to walk freely around the Yerevan Zoo, he had a favorite pastime. Cars driving along the highway often stopped near the zoo - those who could not overcome the steep climb, who ran out of gasoline in the tank. Passengers had to get out of the car and push it. Vova learned to help them. No one was surprised at this anymore. Everything seemed to be in the order of things - think, an elephant came to the rescue! Sometimes he got excited, and all day he pushed the Willys and the Studebakers with his forehead, whether it was necessary or not. So that day, leaving the zoo and finding himself on the roadway, he began to run up to cars, which caused a natural panic among many. The elephant, meanwhile, noticed the trolleybus and began to push it - buried its forehead in the back of it, forming a dent in it. You can imaginewhat the people who were sitting in the salon have experienced! The trolleybus driver, picking up speed, took off abruptly. None of the passengers was hurt, but Vova, out of frustration, prying on someone's car, damaged his tusk. In the crowd gathered around, no one knew that an elephant with a broken tusk was experiencing terrible pain and becoming uncontrollable and aggressive …
Information about the elephant escaped from the zoo reached the Yerevan City Council. It was decided to take emergency measures, especially since the gray giant headed towards the railway bridge, that is, it was approaching the very center of the city. The only thing the city authorities thought about then was to drive the animal back to the zoo as quickly as possible so that it would not harm anyone. For safety reasons, all roads leading to the city center and to the Nor Nork and Avan residential areas were blocked by trucks. The enraged elephant, accompanied by a huge crowd, rushed down Myasnikyan Avenue. With a dangerous approach, people tried to drive away the fugitive by throwing stones at him. The situation was getting out of control - it was necessary to save the elephant and people from each other. Attempts by law enforcement agencies to disperse the crowd were unsuccessful.
On the orders of the authorities, armed soldiers were already stationed at the railway bridge, awaiting the order to shoot to kill. But the Yerevan authorities did not dare to take extreme measures for a long time. Firstly, it was a pity for everyone's favorite, and secondly, Vova, after all, was the second largest elephant in the territory of the Soviet Union. But news of what had happened in a matter of minutes reached the appropriate authorities in Moscow. And there it was decided to stop the rebellious animal, regardless of the means. It was a sentence. But the zoo workers in every possible way discouraged the soldiers from shooting and tried to return Vova to the enclosure at any cost. However, he no longer obeyed even Ivan, who was in complete confusion - it seemed that he did not quite understand, did not believe in what was happening. A loyal friend was in mortal danger,and he was not able to help him … The soldiers again received the order to shoot. And the machine guns were pulled. The bullets hit the rocks and could ricochet into people, so the shooting was stopped almost immediately. But several bullets hit the elephant in the head, seriously wounding him, which made him even more furious and began to rush from side to side.
On the same day, the director of the zoo, Tadevos Yeganyan, returned to Yerevan from Germany. Ironically, there they wanted to present him with a special gift - an injector gun, with the help of which, if necessary, animals can be injected with sleeping pills and thus temporarily neutralize them. But the director refused - either he was sure that it would not be useful to them, or the gift was too expensive. Upon learning of what had happened, he realized how serious he had made a mistake: now it was only possible to return Vova to the zoo with the help of a tractor. A huge tracked vehicle rushed towards the unfortunate animal. Seeing an approaching tractor, the elephant ran towards the zoo. It seemed that there was a chance that everything would end happily, but upon reaching the gate, the elephant refused to enter it. They tried to push the wounded animal into the territory of the zoo with a tractor, but it did not budge. The real fight between the elephant and the car began. But after several blows to the legs, the strength of the wounded Vova dried up, and he fell down dead …
When the elephant crashed to the ground, Ivan fell unconscious next to him, and then lay in the hospital for a long time - what happened became a difficult test for him. Then, a year later, he personally brought a new elephant for the zoo from Brest to Yerevan. But how could he replace his friend ?! So, the first tragedy was followed by the second: a few years after the events described, Ivan died in the aviary of a new elephant when he attacked him in a fit of rage.
Disputes about the true reasons for the anger that gripped Vova continue to this day. They say that after an autopsy, it turned out that the elephant had stones in the kidneys, which moved that day, causing him terrible pain. According to another version, the strange behavior of the elephant could be caused by the absence of the female. In 1953, a friend, Tikki, was brought to him from Germany. But after 15 years of marriage, Tikki fell ill and died. In a word, during the events described, Vova was alone. However, most veterinarians still do not associate the elephant's rabies with its loneliness and consider a damaged tusk to be the main reason. At the same time, almost everyone agrees that the tragedy was caused by a number of fatal mistakes that were made during the operation to return the rebel to the enclosure.
Despite the fact that many people witnessed Vova's death, the day after the incident, the central newspapers reported that "the elephant that had escaped from the zoo was safely returned back, and now it is in its enclosure." In the USSR, it was impossible to admit that the Soviet army was killing the favorite of all children, even the furious and uncontrollable … In the absence of publications in the press, this story, which became one of the legends of Yerevan, was retold by the residents of the capital to each other for decades - in their own way. And each time it acquired new details. But one thing has been and remains unchanged in these stories - a touching love for the elephant and the feeling of guilt that has never left Yerevanians from what happened in their city.
And here is more historical evidence of the execution of elephants:
Until the 1920s, court executions of animals in the United States were common. As a rule, dogs and horses were killed when they, by their actions, led to the death of people.
But some of the executions went to the lot of elephants. The elephant Topsi is considered the first to be executed. The history of the execution of an elephant in the United States is closely related to the history of the invention of the electric chair. Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse fought to ensure that their current systems were not involved in the invention of the electric chair, otherwise their names would be associated with death. Thomas Edison advocated that his DC system be used in city lighting, not execution. In turn, Westinghouse did not want his AC system to be associated with death. It would hurt their companies, both inventors believed. The execution of the elephant took place after the introduction of the electric chair as a method of execution.
Thus, the confrontation between the two inventors continued for many years.
Thomas Alva Edison.
GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE.
Topsi, an elephant from India, was 10 feet high, 19 feet, and 11 inches long. Topsy was brought in for the circus 28 years before her execution, she was taken to performances all over the country, she worked on the construction of a park in Coney Island, New York. 2 years before the described event, Topsy changed, became more aggressive and sometimes uncontrollable. Several times, both spectators and circus personnel had to run away from an angry elephant. Finally, at one performance in New York, she crushed 3 people to death, and for this she was sentenced to death by hanging.
On Sunday, January 4, 1903, the elephant was executed at Coney Island Luna Park. The experiment was observed by one and a half thousand people.
It was a great opportunity for Edison to demonstrate the dangers of alternating current, which can be fatal even to an elephant. A cable was tied around the elephant's neck, one end of which was attached to a donkey engine and the other to a pole.
Attached to her feet were wooden sandals lined with copper. They were electrodes. They were connected via copper wire to a generator at one of Edison's power plants. A current of 6,600 volts was applied! The elephant died 22 seconds after the start of the current, without making a sound.
The spectators were disappointed with such a short-lived execution, and they suspected that the elephant was given a cyanide solution a few minutes before the current was applied (one of the police officers actually gave the elephant a drink before the execution).
Edison and Brown's experiments impressed the New York Forensic Society, which was responsible for developing recommendations for the use of the new method of execution. The experiments were carried out in the presence of the press. Reports of the painlessness of death flooded the pages of newspapers. The New York Times wrote: "The alternating current will certainly leave an executioner out of work."
Although Thomas Edison emerged victorious from this confrontation, both inventors are protagonists in the history of the invention of the electric chair.
A monument to the elephant Topsi was erected next to the place where she was executed.
By the way, here's a video:
This 1903 film by Thomas Edison records the lethal execution of elephant Topsy.
One of the most high-profile cases of elephant executions in US history is the execution that took place in Tennessee on September 13, 1916.
On September 12, 1916, the Sparks Brothers circus band came to play in Kingsport, Tennessee. They brought with them a 30-year-old elephant, Mary, who was watched by a certain Red Eldridge, who had just been taken, and had no experience in handling animals. At that time, the elephant was a curiosity, few people even saw it in a picture, but here it is such a whopper, and besides, it can play 25 melodies on musical horns.
Before one of the performances, Eldridge pierced her sensitive ear with a hook - thus trying to take her to the stage. Mary got mad. She grabbed him with her trunk, threw him to the ground and began to trample with her feet, beating him to death.
Panic arose. They opened fire on the elephant, but medium-caliber bullets were useless here. Then Sheriff Hickman "arrested" Mary and locked her up in a cage near the city jail so that everyone could see how truthful were Charlie Sparks's assurances that the animal would not harm anyone. Residents of neighboring cities said they would not accept this circus as long as the deadly elephant was alive. It is not known how many people she is responsible for the death of (according to some sources 3, according to others - 8).
It is said that the sentenced elephant was shot 5 times with a 32-caliber rifle (12.40-13.10 mm bullet diameter), but could not be killed. It was also proposed to tear the elephant apart by tying it to two locomotives. Then, in order not to torment the animal, it was proposed to kill the elephant with an electric shock. Such a peculiar electric chair for an elephant. But under public pressure, the Sparks brothers made a terrible decision - the next day Mary was hanged from a crane in front of a crowd of spectators.
About 5000 people gathered. However, the execution did not go as planned. The chain, by which the elephant was hanged, could not bear the weight and broke off. Mary fell, breaking her hip.
But she was hanged again, this time successfully. Mary was buried near the place of execution.
And later, the name Charlie Spark, despite the events of September 13, 1916, graced the circus corridor of fame and is still the hallmark of the circus.