Mary The Elephant

Mary the elephant (1892 - 1916)

The tragic sentencing of Mary the elephant has inspired plays, books, and songs. Yet, her story is so little known. Who she truly was, we'll never know.

The execution of Mary is an unfortunate part of our history we have tried so hard to forget. But it is important we remember her life and agonizing death.

Please visit the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. The same state in which Mary was murdered, is now home to elephants who survived circuses, zoos, safaris, film, exotic pet trade, and other forms of animal entertainment.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• mary the elephant
• big mary
• murderous mary
• the day they hung the elephant
• circus elephants
• elephants
• animal entertainment
• topsy the elephant
• jumbo the elephant
• chunee the elephant
• chuny the elephant
• musical elephants
• war elephants
• circus animals
• erwin tennessee
• lynching
• hanging
• angry mob
• elephant sanctuary
• sue coe

[clintonearlwalker]

Keep in mind this elephant killed a man named Red Eldridge the day before she was hung. She reportedly tossed him with her trunk then stepped on his head squishing his brains out into the street. To this day they still kill elephants that "go wild" and kill people, I've seen several instances of cops shooting at crazed circus elephants. "Wild" animals almost always revert to their instinctive traits at some point. Sad for the animal, and the people.

[thestreetsempty]

@clintonearlwalker Yes... She was enslaved, mistreated, and eventually freaked out. I don't feel sad for people who exploit animals and get what is coming to them.

[clintonearlwalker]

@thestreetsempty I must admit that when I was kid, i grew up with guns and did things to animals I would never do now. I used leg hold steel jaw traps along with many other kids when we were young. As I've grown older I've become more aware of animals and their treatment. It basically boils down to one thing in almost every case, exploiting animals to make a buck. I don't think I would even go to a circus now as I know how the animals are treated.

[thestreetsempty]

@clintonearlwalker I'm relieved to read you no longer hunt or torture animals, and that you would be hesitant to attend circuses. It isn't fun for the animals, and we shouldn't use them as our entertainment. If you haven't already, please also consider extending your compassion to all sentient lifeforms - including animals used for food, clothing, labor, etc. You are right that it all comes down to profiting from their suffering.

[SMGJohn]

Capitalism, Imperialism. They are all at fault! Socialist countries didn't invade countries and made them slaves! Socialist countries didn't capture animals and tortured them and then shoot them or hanged them. Only Imperialistic Capitalist nations did this

[thestreetsempty]

@SMGJohn Capitalism allows for much profiting from nonhuman animals (and from humans). However, many socialist countries indeed used animals (for labor and food, mostly).

Before we established socialism, capitalism, etc. - we used animals. And despite which structure, we still would. Our entitlement over animals is the issue. How we regard them as commodities rather than acknowledging their sentience.

In the fur industry, China is notorious for skinning animals alive.

[laurensneakysmile]

Poor Mary

She had been with the circus and the owners for decades and then she was sent to her death because the owners wanted to keep the crowds happy. Hard to believe there wasn't more of an uproar back then about this rash decision to publicly strangle an giant beautiful creature to death..

[Jenton11]

So much suffering...

[IdiotsofWalmart]

im in a play about this elephant the play is called elephants graveyard you should read it

[steph982]

@UFMmichigangirl YOU SHOULDN'T JOKE AROUND ABOUT THIS, IT'S SAD

[steph982]

THE PEOPLE WHO DID THIS HAD NO FORGIVENESS WHAT SO EVER. & THE PEOPLE WHO WATCHED, YELLING, HANG THE ELEPHANT, HAD NO HEART. IT'S A SHAME WHAT HUMANS CAN DO & HOW THEY ENJOY DOING IT. ALL I CAN SAY IS REST IN PEACE MARY, YOU HAD A HARD LIFE. <3

[natija08]

Poor, poor Mary.

What a terrible, frightening death she had to suffer.