Black Diamond (elephant) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

History

Weighing nine ton

Ton

The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...

s, he was believed to be the largest Indian elephant in captivity. A good worker but prone to fits of temper, he was generally kept chained to two calm female elephants during parade

Parade

A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...

s through the towns the circus visited. On October 12, 1929, while being unloaded in Corsicana, Texas

Corsicana, Texas

Corsicana is a city in Navarro County, Texas, United States. It is located on Interstate 45 some fifty-five miles south of downtown Dallas. The population was 24,485 at the 2000 census...

, Black Diamond went on a rampage, injuring his long-time former trainer, H. D. (Curley) Pritchett, and killing Pritchett's current employer, Eva Speed Donohoo (or Donohue).

Ms. Donohoo was not the first person Black Diamond had killed, so after his recapture he was deemed too dangerous to continue with the circus and the decision was made to put him down

Animal euthanasia

Animal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...

. Numerous ideas were floated but his size made most of them unworkable; the final decision was to shoot him. As many as 50, perhaps more than 100, shots were required before Black Diamond died.

His mounted head, on display in a museum

Museum

A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...

in Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

for many years, was eventually acquired by a local Corsicana businessman, who had been a five-year-old boy in the crowd that day in October 1929. Allegedly, one of his feet was made into a pedestal for a bust of Hans Nagle, Houston's first zookeeper

Zookeeper

A zookeeper is a worker in a zoo, responsible for the feeding and daily care of the animals. As part of their routine, they clean the exhibits and report health problems...

, the man who fired the final shot that brought Black Diamond down.

In 2006, singer/songwriter Al Evans

Al Evans

Alfred Hubert Evans was an American Major League Baseball catcher and a Minor League manager. Listed at 5' 11", 190 lb., Evans batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Kenly, North Carolina....

wrote "Black Diamond's Song," a lament

Lament

A lament or lamentation is a song, poem, or piece of music expressing grief, regret, or mourning.-History:Many of the oldest and most lasting poems in human history have been laments. Laments are present in both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and laments continued to be sung in elegiacs accompanied by...

from the pachyderm's perspective. http://www.alevans.com

History

Further reading