The Life and Death of Tyke
- Her miserable life
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The life of Tyke was about 21 years. Despite this period of time, we only have a few items of published information, usually very brief, and each of these is a confirmation of her misery and unhappy state. |
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1973
Stefan Moore informs us that Tyke was born in Mozambique, and after witnessing the slaughter of her family, was transported to America. At some point after this, she became the property of the Hawthorn Corporation Source: Mike Gordon, 'Tale of Tyke the elephant disturbs, inspires filmmaker', Honolulu Star Advertiser, 25 August 2013 |
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21 June 1988
There follows a period of silence for fifteen years during which time she is 'trained' for performing in the circus. Readers will have to use their imagination about what this involved. The silence is broken when we are told that in 1988: 'According to USDA documents, Tyke was beaten in public to the point where she was 'screaming and bending down on three legs to avoid being hit'. The trainer said he was 'disciplining" her'.' 'According to USDA and Canadian law enforcement documents, while a Hawthorn elephant named Tyke was performing with Tarzan Zerbini Circus, 'The elephant handler was observed beating the single-tusk African elephant in public to the point [where] the elephant was screaming and bending down on three legs to avoid being hit. Even when the handler walked by the elephant after this, the elephant screamed and veered away, demonstrating fear from his presence'. Sources: 'Tyke's rebellion, The Examiner, 10 May 2010. PETA: Info sheet. TEC: 'Tyke the elephant, and her fellow victims of captive animal entertainment', tippedearclan.wordpress.com/2007/03/29. |
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21 April 1993
Nearly five years pass and the reader will again have to use their imagination about Tyke's life in this period. In 1993, 'an elephant named Tyke ripped through the front doors of the Jaffa Mosque during a performance and ran out of control for an hour in Altoona, Pa. An estimated 4,500 schoolchildren had to evacuate the building, and the rampage caused more than $14,000 in damage'. Sources: PETA: Info sheet. 'Remembering an elephant rampage in Altoona', Press Enterprise, 29 July 2014. |
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22 April 1993
According to an affidavit obtained by the USDA from circus worker, Tyke the elephant attacked a tiger trainer while the circus was in Altoona, Pa. Sources: PETA: Info sheet. Liquisearch: Tyke (elephant): History of problems |
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20 August 1993
Just over a year passes by which time Tyke's behaviour has become more frantic and the reader will have to decide why this happened. After being confined on a ship for four days, Tyke arrived in Honolulu (She was shipped over 2000 miles - the shortest distance, as a bird flies, between California and Honolulu is 4,082 km/2,536 miles). On the fourth and last day there, she killed her trainer who was found to have had alcohol and cocaine in his system and was known to be a 'punishment type'. He had been dismissed from a Denver Zoo job after colleagues accused him of abusing elephants. Tyke escaped but slowly died after being shot 87 times: Hawaii then showed its contempt for this animal by dumping her body in ther landfill, along with the garbage. Sources: PETA: Info sheet. 'Team 4: Elephant was exposed to violence', WTAE, 21 November 2002 |
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'Tyke suffered a slow and painful death after being hit by a barrage of bullets fired by police officers', CNN |