Topsy (elephant) facts for kids
Topsy in a June 16, 1902 St. Paul Globe illustrations for a story about the elephant killing spectator Jesse Blount. The martingale harness was intended to partially restrain the elephant.
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| Species | Asian elephant |
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| Sex | Female |
| Born | c. 1875 |
| Died | January 4, 1903 (aged 27–28) Luna Park, Coney Island, New York City |
| Cause of death | Electrocution |
| Nation from | American |
| Occupation | Circus performer |
| Employer | Forepaugh Circus |
| Years active | 1875–1903 |
| Weight | Between 4 and 6 tons |
| Height | 7.5 ft (229 cm) |
Topsy (born around 1875 – died January 4, 1903) was a female Asian elephant. She became famous after being publicly put to death at Coney Island, New York, in January 1903.
Contents
Topsy's Story
Her Early Life and Circus Career
Topsy was born in the wild around 1875 in Southeast Asia. Elephant traders captured her when she was very young.
Adam Forepaugh, who owned the Forepaugh Circus, brought Topsy to the United States. He secretly smuggled her in. Forepaugh wanted to pretend she was the first elephant born in America. His circus was competing with the Barnum & Bailey Circus to have the most and biggest elephants.
In 1877, Forepaugh told the newspapers that his circus had "the only baby elephant ever born on American soil." However, the trader who sold Topsy also sold elephants to P. T. Barnum. Barnum found out about the trick and told everyone. After that, Forepaugh stopped saying Topsy was born in the U.S. He only said she was the first elephant born outside a warm, tropical area.
As Topsy grew up, she was about 10 feet tall and 20 feet long. She weighed between 4 and 6 tons. Over time, Topsy became known as a "difficult" elephant.
Incidents and New Owners
In 1902, Topsy was involved in an incident where a spectator named James Fielding Blount was killed. This happened in Brooklyn, New York, at the Forepaugh & Sells Brothers' Circus. People believe the spectator was bothering Topsy.
Newspapers wrote many stories about Topsy. Some reports said she had harmed many people before. While some claims were likely exaggerated, it was reported that she had injured circus workers in the past. These stories made many people curious to see Topsy at the circus.
Later in 1902, Topsy had another incident while being unloaded from a train. A spectator tried to poke her with a stick. Topsy reacted by grabbing the person with her trunk and throwing them. Because of these events, the circus owners decided to sell Topsy.
Topsy was sold in June 1902 to Paul Boyton. He owned Sea Lion Park at Coney Island. Topsy became part of the animals on display there. Her handler, William "Whitey" Alt, came with her.
Boyton decided to leave the amusement park business. He leased Sea Lion Park to Frederick Thompson and Elmer Dundy. They turned it into a much bigger park called Luna Park. Topsy helped with publicity for the new park. She even helped move large timbers and parts of an amusement ride called A Trip to the Moon.
Topsy's Final Days
In October 1902, during the move of the Luna ride, Topsy's handler, William Alt, was involved in an incident. He was trying to make Topsy pull the ride. When a police officer approached, Alt let Topsy loose, and she ran freely in the streets. Alt was arrested.
In December 1902, Alt rode Topsy through Coney Island streets. He tried to ride her into the local police station. Reports say Topsy made loud noises and tried to push through the station door. The officers had to hide in their cells. After this, the handler was fired.
Without her handler, Thompson and Dundy decided they needed to get rid of Topsy. They couldn't sell her. So, they planned to kill Topsy as a public event to advertise their new park. They even planned to charge people to watch. However, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals stopped this cruel plan.
The event was then limited to invited guests and reporters. Thompson and Dundy agreed to use a more humane method to put Topsy to death. They planned to use large ropes tied to a steam-powered machine.
On January 4, 1903, Topsy was killed in front of a small crowd. A film crew from Edison Studios was there and filmed the event. Their film was later shown in coin-operated kinetoscopes. This is believed to be one of the first times an animal's death was filmed.
The story of Topsy was mostly forgotten for about 70 years. But it has become more well-known recently, partly because the film still exists. In popular culture, people sometimes mistakenly think Thomas Edison was directly involved in Topsy's death.
Topsy and Thomas Edison
There are two main reasons why Thomas Edison is often linked to Topsy's death. First, some newspapers said the death was carried out by "electricians of the Edison Company." This led to confusion between the power company and the famous inventor. Second, the film of the event was credited to "Thomas A. Edison," like most of his films from that time. However, Edison himself was not actually involved in making the film or in Topsy's death.
See also
In Spanish: Topsy para niños
- List of individual elephants
- Chunee (elephant)
- Mary (elephant)
- Tyke (elephant)
