Evening star., 1937-08-12
Old Babe, of Zoo, to Be Mounted
cus Veteran Was About 100 Years OdYoung Sumatran e
phant One of Chief Mourners for Pal

"HE huge bones Of Old Babe,
famed circus elephant, who
died in retirement at the Zoo
L yesterday, will be mounted and
preserved for posterity at the Smith
sonian Institution.
Taxidermists from the Museum
dismembered the century-old pachy-
derms body yesterday afternoon in
the old frame Elephant House, where
Babe had laid on bed of straw for
a week, unable to regain her feet
after her legs buckled under her.
The sections of the body were bur-
led in wooded section of the res
ervation, and the bones will be disin-
tered in a year or so, and the skele-
ton mounted at the Museum.
Headkeeper W. H. Blackburne. who
had known Old Babe while he was a
circus bull" man almost half a CEN
tury ago, was with the elephant when
she gave up and breathed her last
at 11:20 am.
Blackburne withheld word of Old
Babes death because, he said, large
crowd of the idle curious was outside
the locked door asking permission to
see the sick elephant" The head
keeper did not announce Old Babes
death until after her body was dis
posed Of
While the job of preparing Old
Babes body for burial went on through
the afternoon hours, reporters who
telephoned the Zoo to inquire about
the ancient elephant were told she
was weaker, but doing as well as
could be expected"
Perhaps no elephant since Jumbo
was better known than the wise old
leader, who for so many years
checked threatened stampedes and
punished unruly pachyderm troupers
Old Babe spent her final years in
retirement at the Zoo, where she was
a favorite with young and old.
One Of her chief mourners is Ketchel,
the young Sumatran elephant who
learned her first lesson in obedience
from Babe.
Since that day in the Spring of 1884,
when Babe was presented to the Zoo
by Ringing Bros. and Barnum &
Bailey, Ketchel and the older ele-
phant have been inseparable Ketchel
trumpeted her rage and tried to break
her bars each time keepers started to
remove Old Babe
Ketchel Grief-Stricken.
Keepers say that Ketchel's grief is
obvious When the two elephants
were first placed together, Ketchel, an
lll-mannered quick tempered bully,
lowered her head and charged. Old
Babe rumbled one brief note of COM
mand and gave Ketchel a blow with
her trunk.
The younger and much more power
full elephant subsidized at once, like a
loyal subject who had recognized
royalty. This instant submission was
a mystery to the keepers. They
) thought Old Babe must have had
some ancient authority which she had
communicated to the bully. Certainly.
she lacked the physical strength to
enforce her wishes.
Recently, Old Babes withered legs
grew TOO weak to support her body
any longer. The old elephant had not
lain down for almost a decade. Only
the weight Of her years finally
stretched her prone, never to rise
again.
Given Best of Care.
The decrepit elephant had the best
OF care in her final days. She Law
on bed Of clean straw and accepted,
at long intervals, loaves of bread
handed her by her keepers She quit
eating hay when she could no longer
keep her feet.
Zoo officials expressed sorrow that
Old Babe did not live to greet friend
OF long standing, DR.. William NJ
Mann. Zoo director, who is en- route
home from far-aWay Sumatra where
ne went on collecting expedition.
Dr.. Mann, an enthusiastic circus fan,
had known Old Babe for score of
years before she came to the Zoo
He was intensely fond of the ele-
phant, and she reciprocated.
Babes death also was a shock to
Blackburne, who gas atteched to the
circus when Jumbo was killed by
freight train several generations ago.
The veteran neadReeper has heard
many stories of Old Babes proves
as ruler of the picket line. Old
Babe quieted stampedes when storms
blew down menagerie tents, or circus
trains were wrecked She knew how
to keep the elephants in line when
some unusual occurance startled them
during parades.
For years Old Babe was the only
elephant on the lot with complete
freedom to roam picket line and
menagerie tent. She pa.rolled the