Electrocuting an Elephant

This footage is form 1903, but not much has changed for circus elephants in the last 100+ years ... check out this info on the February/March 2009 trial of Ringling Bros. circus for its mistreatment of endangered Asian elephants http://www.api4animals.org/facts.php?...

Also, be sure to watch All India Radio's video "Persist" about Topsy. here's more:

On a dreary January morning in 1903, a crowd estimated at some 1,500 gathered in the off-season quiet of Coney Island to witness what The New York Times termed "a rather inglorious affair."

Topsy, a six-ton, 10-foot-tall female Indian elephant in a circus, had recently developed a bad temper, killing three circus workers in as many years. Each had in one way or another abused her. After a failed attempt to publicly poison Topsy by feeding her cyanide-laced carrots, and flawed plans to have her hanged, officials decided instead Topsy would be publicly electrocuted by Thomas Edison as a publicity stunt.

• Category

  Pets & Animals

[Sceptre Marconi-Tesla]

Thumbs up if Bob's Burgers brought you here.

[folklover]

Tesla >> Edison

[tilleulprod]

Edison is a murderer! Poor Topsy!

[021mohamed]

edison did this because he wanted to prove to the world that ac is dangerous

[Nes tle]

if edison did this.. how can people still support his products back in those days?

[bexsarsaurus8]

hahaha glad I'm not the only one!

[rrc158]

here here, thank god there are others out there who see eddison for what he really was - a thief

[Eric Nishioka]

it's weird seeing it in cartoon version first...

[XRaxyhaczX]

Bobs Burgers

[Pamela Parkinson]

Right now, I'm watching Bobs Burgers on "on demand".

I used "" because it would be weird if i said on on demand.

[thefinewino]

Aw, Topsy.

[nbntn]

Electric love