Hattie (elephant)

Hattie († November 18, 1922 in New York City ) was a bull in New York's Central Park Zoo. The crowd was well known for his feats and was hailed as the " smartest of all elephants ."

Arrival in New York

Carl Hagenbeck had brought the elephant of Ceylon in 1903 to New York and sold for $ 5,000 to the Central Park Zoo. Through their coach William " Bill" Snyder, who had previously worked at the circus Barnum and Bailey elephant, Hattie learned some tricks. Soon they drew spectators in large numbers. Hagenbeck tried in vain Hattie buy back, to bring them to Hamburg.

Crowd pleaser

In an article in the New York Times on June 19, 1904 is described in detail, which showed feats Hattie after only one year in New York every day. So Hattie waltz danced on its hind legs, played harmonica to, pretending to be dead or imitated a crawling baby who calls out " Mama". And she had acquired in the short time a sufficient understanding of the instructions of the coach in English.

In the same article Hattie is known not only as the most intelligent of all the elephants, but also as the most valuable. Hattie was the animal star of New York.

Another article in the New York Times on April 14, 1911 describes humorous, as Hattie was cured with a healthy dose of whiskey from a colic.

Disease and death

In November 1922 Hattie ill. She collapsed in their enclosure and could not get up. With straw bales was an attempt to protect the animal from a cold. For the pain she received morning and evening a bottle of whiskey - mind during Prohibition. Only on the fourth day it was possible to bring Hattie with the help of two cranes and two trucks in their barn.

Despite all efforts, Hattie died on November 18, 1922, five days after its collapse. The public was informed two days later, after the body had been removed.

About Hattie's age, there are different information. The article in the New York Times about Hattie's death reported that they possibly died at the age of 23, according to another opinion but maybe she was already 40 years old.