Shrine Circus Topeka, Kansas--1963

I don't know if these are the Hamid-Morton elephants, as I don't recognize the one looking at the camera. I do know Hamid played the old downtown Topeka building for years, and it was the most miserable building in the world, with a stage that used to be used for theater productions back in the day. I think it is gone now. We had to keep the tigers up on the stage, and take them down to the floor below for the performance via elevator. The doors to enter the building were so low, that we could only use 4 elephants in the show, as Tess would not get down and crawl, and so she had to be left out of the performance and only Bombay, Delhi, Joyce, and Billy were used. The trainer is often scorned or criticized for what has to be done with an animal in the process of completing a performance, when often he has no recourse except to follow the order's of the "producer". The only option is to "turn down the date and compensation", or "suck it up, and do what you can" being aware of any, if there is any, harm being done to your animals. If this is the Hamid herd, in 1963 I suggest that may be a "baby Joyce" partially photographed at the tail end.