For Steve and Radar--Sunken temples

Liz(lead elephant) in 1980 at the age of 23 and Liz on the right below in 1980 at the age of 23, 7 years before Hawthorn purchased her.



Liz aged 30 at the top of the hill going away in 1987, above and Liz below in 1987, 2 months before she was purchased by Hawthorn Corp.



Liz above dead at 53 TB positive.

Sunken temples are not necessarily an indication of old age or sickness, unless combined with other visible signs of age or stress. Alone and of it's self it may be nothing more then conformation. The degree of "sunkedness" is often based on prejudice, bia and how well you like or dislike someone. I note below that the Perth Zoo elephant euthanized at the age of 17 "suffered from muscular skeletal weakness for years, making it difficult for her to lie down and get up. The condition also meant she lacked co-ordination in using her trunk." Liz had a "paralyzed beak", as John Milton would say, also. Yet he "insinuated" that a "paralyzed trunk" was caused by something else, a charge that I have heard for year's, depending on whether someone liked or disliked the person with the elephant.

From TES website:

Years of being chained in Hawthorn's dark, poorly ventilated barn had taken its toll on Liz, who emerged from her transport trailer very thin and emaciated at only 6000 pounds(in 2006 when she arrived at TEZ.)

Funny, but she looks thin and emaciated as far back as 1980 before arriving at Hawthorn. But what is very strange is that the Los Angles Zoo claims to have put 1000 lbs on Tina and Jewel in one year, yet TEZ lists Liz's weight on their site at 6,720 lb's indicating that in more then three years they put 720 lbs on a "very thin and emaciated at only 6000 pounds) elephant!!!!!!!

The "fans of Benson's Wild Animal Farm" which closed in 1987 are the most loyal, defending, group of people in the world, as rabid as a "circus fan." The property is now being fixed and will be a park called Bensons Park. They are like anybody else with a touch of nostalgia, the wonderful times and experiences from our youth. It is a wonderful feeling and great to experience, but if, like the circus, you lose sight of your roots/history you will become very biased and make your self look like an ignorant, uninformed radical, while only trying to blame somebody else for the situation.

Here is what one of those rabid fans of Benson's Wild Animal Farm" had to say about Hawthorn whom they didn't like as they removed Liz, Queen, and Jackie from the beloved, but closed down Benson's:

Hudson~Litchfield News Readers: The Caravan to Freedom story, due to its length will appear in two parts. As I began to do research for this project, the story of Queenie and Liz took on a life of its own. It started at Benson’s Wild Animal Farm back in 1987 and ended with their rescue by the efforts of the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. This story was as fascinating to write as it was to read and learn about the two very special Hudson residents.

Doug Robinson

As citizens of the United States, we are protected under the freedoms stated in the Bill of Rights. Animals, however, do not share these same benefits. While most domestic pets, such as cats, dogs, and even turtles receive the proper care of cleaning, attention and medicine, many animals are not so fortunate. Wild animals such as lions, tigers, and bears (oh my) are not protected. Elephants also fall into this category.

For many years, the town of Hudson was the home to two Asian elephants: Queenie and Liz. These two elephants stole the hearts of children and entertained adults for many years while living and performing at Benson’s Wild Animal Farm in Hudson.

However, when the park closed it doors in 1987, the lives of both Queenie and Liz changed forever. Their daily routine of nutrition, health care, exercise, entertainment, and sociability ended. These fundamentals for a happy life of these two elephants ended as they became the property of the Hawthorne Corporation.

THE PHOTO'S MAY SUGGEST INADEQUATE NUTRITION LONG BEFORE HAWTHORN RECEIVED LIZ, AS THE SANCTUARY SUGGESTS WHEN THEY RECEIVED HER.

“A complete act, one African, and two Asian elephants, Liz, Queenie, and Jackie II, were sold for $65,000 to the Hawthorne Corporation, a company that furnishes animal acts for many of the indoor and Shrine Circuses throughout the country.” wrote Bob Goldsack in his book, Remembering Benson’s Wilds Animal Farm.

Since 1987, Liz and Queenie have lived performers’ lives. As an “employee” of the Hawthorne Corp., these elephants were rented to circuses and entertainment organizations. John Cuneo, owner of the Hawthorne Corp., had made a business out of using elephants for entertainment purposes for more than 35 years. Hawthorne’s elephants were required to do tricks and stunts that “entertained” the public.

NOTE THE PICTURE AT THE VERY TOP. THIS IS CALLED A LONG MOUNT, AND IT IS WHAT PERFORMERS DO WHEN THEY ARE EMPLOYEE'S OF A COMPANY. LIZ, AND QUEENIE WENT ON THE ROAD AND DID DATES EACH YEAR WHEN BENSON'S WILD ANIMAL PARK CLOSED. WHILE PERFORMING AT THE PARK AND IN CIRCUS'S IN THE WINTERTIME, WE HAVE TO ASSUME THEY LIVED A PERFORMERS LIFE AS EMPLOYEES OF BENSON'S LONG BEFORE GOING TO HAWTHORN. IT SEEMS THEY WERE REQUIRED TO DO TRICKS AND STUNTS THAT ENTERTAINED THE PUBLIC LONG BEFORE THEY CAME TO HAWTHORN AS THE PHOTO SUGGESTS.

Videos of the Hawthorne organization show various trainers whipping elephants in an effort to have the elephant perform tricks such as standing on their heads, standing on their two front feet, and raising their rear feet in the air. Barbed chains can be seen hitting the elephants as trainers force them to perform other tricks such as standing on their heads. All this was done in the name of entertainment.

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER HEARD ANY MENTION OF A VIDEO TAPE OF ANY HAWTHORN EMPLOYEE, AND WOULD BE MOST APPRECIATIVE OF HAVING A COPY OR INFORMATION ON WHERE I COULD VIEW IT.