The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-22
TRIMMING MARLY'S FEET.
Operation on Big Elephant of the
Hanover Zoo.
From the New York Press.

From the New York Press.
One of the most remarkable opera
lions ever performed on an animal has
been done in the Hanover Geological
Gardens of Hanover. Germany, on the
big female elephant Marty.
The huge earth-shaking beast had
a foot disease that made it necessary
to amputate large parts of both her
hind feet to save her life. AS it was
manifestly impossible to operate by
force, the great animal was anaesthet-
lied. 1t is believed to be the first sue
cessful anaesthetization of an elephant
on record.
Marty was presented to the Zoolog-
ical Gardens of Hanover by the broth
ers Jannecke. She is said to be one of
the wisest elephants in the world. And
equal to her wisdom is her constancy.
She loved a man once and she never
has forgotten him.
The man whom Marty loved was the
elephant keeper of the garden. He
knew her thoroughly and understood
all her moods. In return she gave him
her unquestioning obedience and af-
lection. There was nothing that he
could do to her that Marty would not
suffer in silence. Twice he operated on
her feet and each time she bore it
"i1AlOhl CNCh WAiiNlil6+ AT lllllGSs hui
the progress of the operations the pain
would make her mighty body tremble
from her wide ears to her little tall
but she did not move her suffering foot
an inch. And when the keeper spoke
to her sympathetically and coaxingly,
as he cut deep into her tender soles,
she would stroke him gently with her
trunk even while she was grooming
with agony.
xxyho CHI y
beloved keeper approach Martyrs eyes
those piglilSe elephant eyes-would
become almost humanity beautiful. The
visitors to the Geological Garden who
did not see this know that the man
never could arrive in sight without
eliciting mighty trumpetings and
stampings and other elephantine signs
of deep Joy.
Under these circumstances the fact
that Marty was a great sufferer from
sore feet did not bother any one much,
for the keeper could enter her house
day or night and cut and saw and file
and sandpaper her toes till they were
in proper shape.
But. after almost fifteen years of I'M
interrupted companionship, the old
man died. For several weeks after that.
Marty permitted others to minister to
her, and was docile enough, but with
out cessation she kept watching and
calling for her friend. Every approach
ing pedestrian who looked at all like
him was greeted with trumpet blasts
until he came near enough for the ele-
plant to discover that he was not the
one for whom she was waiting.
At last she seemed to realize that her
beloved keeper would not return. And
from that moment Marty was a chang
ed beast She attacked none of those
who served her. But her behavior
spoke clearly of her frame of nina
Had she been able to speak she could
not have expressed more clearly her
dislike for all in the gardens.
Still, with the great sense which she
had displayed during the twenty-five
years of her sojourn, in the Zoo, she
objected actively to nothing except one
thing. She permitted the new keepers
to scrub her big sides and to play the
hose on her. She submitted To being
chained and rubbed with oil. She NOV
ed from place to place with ready
obedience. But she would allow nc
man to touch her feet. And her feet