Cornelius the First
Encyclopedia
Cornelius the First was a Canadian
black rhinoceros
from the Granby Zoo
in Granby, Quebec
, who was the nominal leader of the federal political party, the Rhinoceros Party of Canada from 1965 to 1993. The party attracted a considerable number of votes in Canadian elections, sometimes even coming in second place in some riding
s, but never elected a candidate to the Canadian House of Commons
.
During the Canadian federal election of 1984
The party made a major part of their platform declaring war on Belgium
because a Belgian cartoon character, Tintin
, killed a rhinoceros in one of the cartoons. The party offered to call off the threatened Belgium-Canada war if Belgium delivered a case of mussels and a case of Belgian beer to Rhinoceros "Hindquarters" in Montreal (the Belgian Embassy in Ottawa did, in fact, do this)
The Granby Zoo eventually traded Cornelius to the San Diego Zoo
in exchange for a giraffe
. The San Diego Zoo loaned him to the Caldwell Zoo
, where he fathered an offspring on January 6, 2003.
The name "Cornelius" is a French-language pun
, as the French word for "horn" is corne.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
black rhinoceros
Black Rhinoceros
The Black Rhinoceros or Hook-lipped Rhinoceros , is a species of rhinoceros, native to the eastern and central areas of Africa including Kenya, Tanzania, Cameroon, South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, and Angola...
from the Granby Zoo
Granby Zoo
The Granby Zoo is a zoo in Granby, Quebec and is one of Quebec's major tourist attractions.It was founded in 1953 by the mayor of Granby at the time, Pierre-Horace Boivin. There are currently more than 1000 different animals grouped into 200 species. The zoo has 516,000 visitors per year and...
in Granby, Quebec
Granby, Quebec
Granby is a city in southwestern Quebec, located east of Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 47,637. Granby is the seat of La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality. It is the fifth most populated city in Montérégie after Longueuil, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Brossard and...
, who was the nominal leader of the federal political party, the Rhinoceros Party of Canada from 1965 to 1993. The party attracted a considerable number of votes in Canadian elections, sometimes even coming in second place in some riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
s, but never elected a candidate to the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
.
During the Canadian federal election of 1984
Canadian federal election, 1984
The Canadian federal election of 1984 was held on September 4 of that year to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 33rd Parliament of Canada...
The party made a major part of their platform declaring war on Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
because a Belgian cartoon character, Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by Belgian artist , who wrote under the pen name of Hergé...
, killed a rhinoceros in one of the cartoons. The party offered to call off the threatened Belgium-Canada war if Belgium delivered a case of mussels and a case of Belgian beer to Rhinoceros "Hindquarters" in Montreal (the Belgian Embassy in Ottawa did, in fact, do this)
The Granby Zoo eventually traded Cornelius to the San Diego Zoo
San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park, San Diego, California, is one of the most progressive zoos in the world, with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species...
in exchange for a giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
. The San Diego Zoo loaned him to the Caldwell Zoo
Caldwell Zoo
The Caldwell Zoo is an zoo located in the city of Tyler, Texas. It features animals from all over the world.The Caldwell Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and is a member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums ....
, where he fathered an offspring on January 6, 2003.
The name "Cornelius" is a French-language pun
Pun
The pun, also called paronomasia, is a form of word play which suggests two or more meanings, by exploiting multiple meanings of words, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use and abuse of homophonic,...
, as the French word for "horn" is corne.