A Blog designed for discussion of topics related to, but not limited to, Circus, Zoos, Animal Training, and Animal Welfare/Husbandry. Sometimes opening up the dialog is the best starting point of all. And if for nothing else when people who agree and don't agree, get together and start discussing it, it will open up a lot of peoples minds. Debate and discussion even amongst themselves opens a window where there wasn't one before.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Zoological Menageries--The Good and the Bad Old Days
What a wonderful, exotic, mysterious world it was. Imagine being a child and seeing posters/sheets like these. Just magnificent.
The next to last poster advertises the Sumatran rhino (nowadays an incredibly rare animal) that Forepaugh-Sells exhibited from 1896until about 1900 or so. It had been on the James Bailey controlled Forepaugh circus which collapsed in the economic panic of 1893.
A number of very important Forepaugh animals were then deposited in (loaned to) the new National Zoo in Washington in 1893. They were there until 1896 when Bailey recalled them for use on his new Forepaugh-Sells outfit.
I have a copy of the contract between Bailey and the Sells Bros. The new F-S was essentially the old Sells show augmented with some animals and equipment from Forepaugh, including the rhino.
What a wonderful, exotic, mysterious world it was. Imagine being a child and seeing posters/sheets like these. Just magnificent.
The next to last poster advertises the Sumatran rhino (nowadays an incredibly rare animal) that Forepaugh-Sells exhibited from 1896until about 1900 or so. It had been on the James Bailey controlled Forepaugh circus which collapsed in the economic panic of 1893.
ReplyDeleteA number of very important Forepaugh animals were then deposited in (loaned to) the new National Zoo in Washington in 1893. They were there until 1896 when Bailey recalled them for use on his new Forepaugh-Sells outfit.
I have a copy of the contract between Bailey and the Sells Bros. The new F-S was essentially the old Sells show augmented with some animals and equipment from Forepaugh, including the rhino.
Bailey wound up with the Sells title as well.