ELEPHANTS FUNERAL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 150, 13 July 1937, Page 13

ELEPHANTS FUNERAL

Betty Buried At Epsom Showgrounds SORROW1NG COMPANION

,The baby elephant, Betty, belonging to Sole Brothers' circus ] which died from pneumonia on Thursday morning, was buried in simple state at the Epsom showgrounds, Auckland, on Friday. A circus waggon was the hearse and a large hole dug in the grounds not far from the shed in which she died was her grave. The burial was performed after a medical examinatiou had been made and necessary formalities completed with the Health Department,. All the circus mourns, but particularly Topsy, the only other aniinal of her species in the menagerie. Topsy, an older, more mature aniinal, was her constant companion, and Betty regarded her somewhat as a mother. Topsy has beoome despondent and has gone about her work at a mournful gait. An unusual record was probably established by Betty in her final illness. It is extremely doubti'ul if any other sufferer in New Zealand has ever consumed so many aspirins in so short a period. For the normal person the usnal dose is two of these tablets, but for an elephant it was considered tliat 30 at a time would not be too many. Betty 1 had sevcral such doses, and her briel illness accounted for well over 100. In spite of her tender age, Betty had suffered at least one previous illness that nearly brought her to death' s door. When the circus animals were being conveyed from Waitara to Te Kuiti by motor-lorries early in May a eage of monkeys fell from its conveyance and crashed down the steep bank from tbe road almost into the Awakino river. While circus employees were busv reseuing tbe terrified monkeys Betty and Topsy steppcd from their lorries and bcgan cropping tbe foliage at the roadside. lnjudit'ious choice ot poisonous tutu had an unfortunate result. Both animals beeame itl. 'I'opsy recovered fairly quiol Iv under treatinent, but for Ihree days ik'tty's health wm ia « parlous state.