[Downthestretch55]

Elephants

If you're reading this, you're probably scratching your head, looking at the title, and saying "Yeah, right! DTS, you never had an elephant on the farm."
I'd answer that you'd be correct on that. I never did.
Then you might be guessing, "Were there ever elephants roaming around the Catskill Mountains?"
To that I'd have to say yes. I'm not just talking about wolly mammoths about 20,000 years ago. I'm talking about real live Asian ones, big grey beauties, three of them. Their names were Dalia, Daisy, and Daffodill.
I got to know these elephants pretty well.
I'll back up for a moment to give you some background.
I've always loved the circus. There's something about the clowns, the trapeze, the highwire, the acrobats, the ringmaster, sideshows and midway that caught me at a young age. A circus is really what it's all about.
But the things I like the most about the circus are the animals...the dancing bears, the scarey lions and tigers, the prancing ponies, the jumping dogs, and especially the elephants.
Dalia, Daisy and Daffodill lived between tours with the Big Apple and other tent shows at a place called Siam Pony Farm, just up Mill St out of Windham, hang a left on Siam Rd. Their owners/trainers were the Vibdels, nice folks.
Their white ponies were famous, as were their three beautiful elephants, Dalia, Daisy and Daffodill.
As they neared retirement, the Vibdels took their critters to the famous Catskill Game Farm (now closed), near Purling, just outside of Cairo. There the elephants stood on their hind legs, took their bows, and gave rides to thrilled children after the show. The kids loved those elephants, as did I.
I spent many an afternoon just watching them run around their pasture, if it could be called that. They had grazed it down to bare dirt and stripped every tree of its bark to the height that trunks could reach. Elephants take a lot to satisfy their hunger, let me tell you.
One day, during deer season, Daisy decided to go in search of greener pastures, broke through the fence, and took off. Mr Vibdel was frantic. He put posters in the luncheonette and all over town, begging for her safe return.
Imagine a deer hunter sitting on a stand having a huge elephant walk up on you, while you're holding a loaded 30-06. Not a pretty picture.
Luckily, a few days after the deer season closed, Daisy was found about six miles away and returned to the safety of Mr Vibdels pasture. Whew! That was a close one! Elephants know how to make one worry!
Over several summers, I'd take my little boys to visit them. For those of you that know what it's like to walk up to a 16 hand thoroughbred stallion in a pasture, guess what it must have felt like to a four year old boy with a handful of grass in his outstretched hand. Both boys loved them too.
Well, as you might know, it takes a special trainer to take command of an elephant and make it do what you want it to do. Like horses, an ear twist sometimes is something that gets their attention. It doesn't make them listen better, just obey.
So, one day...unfortunately, Daffodill had had enough. I don't think she really meant to hurt anyone. She was being an elephant. She took Mr Vibdel around his waist with her trunk, slammed him to the ground, and stepped on him a couple of times. Luckily, Mr Vibdel lived, though he spent the next two years between the hospital and the physical therapy. I wish I could say the same for Daffodill. She was "humanely euthanized". The boys and I cried.
And so the elephant act was over, and they no longer roam the Catskills as they once did. I still love the circus, though as of now I'm really enjoying the clowns, lots of clowns.
Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! Step right up, the shows about to start! Get your ticket, come on in!!! It's a show ya don't want to miss!

Oh! I loved those elephants!

to be continued....