French soldiers kill an elephant in the Jardin des Plantes, Paris. During the siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War, the animals in the zoo were killed to preserve fodder and provide meat for Paris restaurants.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Shooting Elephants for Food--1871
Posted by
Wade G. Burck
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from Jim Stockley: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_and_Pollux_(elephants)
Castor and Pollux were two elephants kept at the zoo of the Jardin d'Acclimatation or Jardin des Plantes[1] in Paris. They were killed and eaten, along with many other animals from the zoo, in late 1870 during the siege of Paris. The two elephants may have been siblings, and had been popular before the siege for giving rides on their backs around the park, but the food shortages caused by the German blockade of the city eventually drove the citizens of Paris to kill them for their meat...........
Jim,
Thank you for the additional insight. I am wondering what made them think they may have been siblings? I wonder if they were captive born?
Wade
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