Yesterday, I finally got to see the current movie "Water for Elephants." I had tried one time before when it was first released, but the theatre was overrun by old folks (like me). I don't like crowds, so left.
Excellent movie and I think it should receive nominations for an Academy Award (but probably released too early).
The May 15th Chicago Tribune had one of their excellent "Ten Things You Didn't Know" articles on elephants because of the movie. As usual, Mark Jacob and Stephan Benzkofer do a great job.
1. African and Asian elephants (Rosie, from the movie, was an Asian). The African savanna elephant is taller and heavier, has bigger ears and a concave back. The Asian's trunk ends with just one lip. The Asian has one pair fewer ribs, but more toenails and are hairier, as they are more closely related to the extinct woolly mammoth.
2. Duchess, Lincoln Park Zoo's first elephant, once escaped in October 1892, she ran through a pond before leaving the grounds at what is now about Clark and what is now Dickens. During her rampage, she demolished the door to the Bartholome & Leicht's Brewing Co.'s saloon, wreaked havoc inside Griesbach's Saloon and killed a horse. She was chased down by zookeepers, residents and police after plunging through wooden sidewalk boards along Cleveland Avenue. Zookeepers finally stopped her by getting ropes around her legs and tying her to trees.
I imagine those folks in the bars really thought they were seeing things, "Honey, you'll never guess what I saw today at Griesbach's." "And, just how much did you have to drink?"
I Know Rosie Was Fond of Whiskey in a Bucket. Duchess Probably Ordered a Pink Elephant. --Cooter
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