Vintage London Zoo Elephant Ride

1913. This elephant is conformationally one of those tall, long legged, small headed, sunken templed elephants that we have discussed in the past. To the uninformed they will often give the mistaken impression of an underweight, sickly elephant. I can't see them having much use as a logging/work elephant, and I suspect a number of them were sold by the mahouts to the unsuspecting zoo/circus animal dealers of old.

1920

1927 In today's litigious society of suing for anything, in the hope's of getting rich quick, these children pulling on the elephants tail is a pretty amazing photograph.

1951 It looks like the handler is using a cane hook.

Date Unknown