Elephants Poisoned

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31378, 25 May 1967, Page 1

Elephants Poisoned

(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND, May 24. Two elephants from Ashton’s Circus, Jumbo and Jahora, are critically ill in the Wairoa camping ground tonight. They are believed to have eaten tutu.

The animals have been attended by a local veterinarian, Mr I. Anderson. Late this evening, on the advice of Professor L. H. Larson, professor of veterinary surgery at Sydney University, to whom he spoke by telephone, Mr Anderson administered a barbiturate to anaes-

thetise the elephants throughout the night

Two of the circus’s three elephants, Jumbo and Abu, arrived at Wairoa from Napier about midday. Soon after, Jumbo suffered convulsions, and collapsed. Mr Anderson treated Jumbo throughout the afternoon. About 4.30 p.m. Jahora arrived in town, and soon showed symptoms of tutu poisoning. While Mr Anderson treated both animals, Mrs D. Ashton, a part-owner of the circus, telephoned Sir Edward Hallstrom, a director of the Taronga Park Zoo in Sydney, for advice:

Sir Edward Hallstrom referred Mrs Ashton to Professor Larsen.

Mr Ashton said the eircus would fly a veterinarian from Australia if necessary to save the elephants’ lives. It is believed the elephants were able to reach out with their trunks and pluck the weed from banks as the trucks crawled slowly through the gorges on their way to Wairoa.

Mr R. P. Kelroy, public relations officer for the circus, said every circus visiting New Zealand was warned of the danger of tutu. Elephants had been killed by it, he said. “We have taken every precaution and had special cages built on the elephant trucks, but apparently we have not been able to prevent them reaching out” he said.