Orleander,

do elephants eat people ? They sure are big...

1939, Geneva zoo. A cleaning woman was so impressed by the african elephant that she slept next to the cage. She disappeared one night and the elephant passed her clothes in his droppings some time later. I think that is the only recorded example though.

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Posts 1-7 moved from here (http://www.sciforums.com/showthread.php?p=1724169#post1724169)

1939, Geneva zoo.

The elephant ate her clothes?

links please?

1939, Geneva zoo. A cleaning woman was so impressed by the african elephant that she slept next to the cage. She disappeared one night and the elephant passed her clothes in his droppings some time later. I think that is the only recorded example though.

I am highly skeptical of this.. link ?

1939, Geneva zoo. A cleaning woman was so impressed by the african elephant that she slept next to the cage. She disappeared one night and the elephant passed her clothes in his droppings some time later. I think that is the only recorded example though.
Three questions.

1. If she slept next to the elephant cage, how did the elephant eat her through the cage?

2. Were the clothes still complete, ie washable and wearable, or were they all chewed up?

3. In Geneva, if you are impressed by something at your workplace, do they usually allow you to sleep there?

Don't get me wrong. I do like the idea of the cleaner being eaten by the elephant she so admired, but there are things here that don't add up.

1939, Geneva zoo. A cleaning woman was so impressed by the african elephant that she slept next to the cage. She disappeared one night and the elephant passed her clothes in his droppings some time later. I think that is the only recorded example though.

how big was this woman? i mean, maybe the elephant mistaken her for a peanut? :D

seriously tho. any links?

Hum,
i think he was probably confusing an elephant with a lion.

Come to think of it, i don't think Geneva even has a Zoo....

Hum,
i think he was probably confusing an elephant with a lion.

Come to think of it, i don't think Geneva even has a Zoo....

They have a botanical garden.
Perhaps she was eaten by a cleaner-eating plant.

Ultra skeptical???
Link please!

A little forensic analysis of this "urban legend" is in order please.Elephants are not carnivores. They will certainly kill another animal that they see as a threat to themselves or the pack, or someone who has abused them. But they will not eat them. They don't have the instinct for it. Because they are grazers, not carnivores, they have lots of molars for grinding grass, not incisors for tearing meat. It would be virtually impossible for an elephant to chew a human into small enough pieces to get down his throat. Almost any mammal can (and does) eat an insect or the other lower animals because they're small and soft--maybe even a small fish or frog--but it takes special teeth and enzymes to chew and digest a large animal. Unless the woman was so small that the elephant could swallow her whole, I don't see any way he could have gotten her into his stomach at all, and even if he did it would not have been a pleasant experience for him. The clothing thing bothers me a lot. Back in those days there weren't a lot of synthetic fabrics, so this was stuff the elephant could have rather easily chewed up and digested. It doesn't make sense that they would have found identifiable remnants of her clothes in his stool, but no identifable remnants of her body, which would have been harder to digest than the clothes. It all sounds like a hoax to me. The lady sneaked away, and a few days later an accomplice mixed her clothing in with the elephant stool.No mystery, just a clever trick.

1939, Geneva zoo. A cleaning woman was so impressed by the african elephant that she slept next to the cage. She disappeared one night and the elephant passed her clothes in his droppings some time later. I think that is the only recorded example though.





Giggle, giggle,giggle ........Rufus , you are headed for the cesspool ......:p

For a short moment, I wondered if it could be true - since I have seen a hippo eat meat from a dead animal on Discovery once .......

But just to be sure, I contacted Geneva tourist information ( +41229097000 )
, they told me that Geneva actually has a small ZOO with domestic animals only .....they did not know if Geneva had a ZOO in 1939 ... but advised me to contact Basel ZOO , which keeps records of everything animalrelated in Switzerland .......

I contacted ZOO Basel (phone number +41612953535 - luckily I use Skype , so it only costs a few cents ) : THERE WAS NO ZOO IN GENEVA IN 1939 - NO ELEPHANTS HAS EATEN ANY HUMAN IN SWITZERLAND , EVER !!!!


And to you , Rufus I respectfully say :

http://aycu20.webshots.com/image/41859/2002889805134811016_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2002889805134811016)


:m:

Actually I read this in an old fashioned book. IIRC it was Death in the Long Grass by Peter Hathaway-Capstick. Take it for what it's worth.

Giggle, giggle,giggle ........Rufus , you are headed for the cesspool ......:p

For a short moment, I wondered if it could be true - since I have seen a hippo eat meat from a dead animal on Discovery once .......

But just to be sure, I contacted Geneva tourist information ( +41229097000 )
, they told me that Geneva actually has a small ZOO with domestic animals only .....they did not know if Geneva had a ZOO in 1939 ... but advised me to contact Basel ZOO , which keeps records of everything animalrelated in Switzerland .......

I contacted ZOO Basel (phone number +41612953535 - luckily I use Skype , so it only costs a few cents ) : THERE WAS NO ZOO IN GENEVA IN 1939 - NO ELEPHANTS HAS EATEN ANY HUMAN IN SWITZERLAND , EVER !!!!


And to you , Rufus I respectfully say :

http://aycu20.webshots.com/image/41859/2002889805134811016_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2002889805134811016)


:m:




Sputnik:
Hello. Is that Geneva Zoo? This is sputnik. I am calling on behalf of a web discussion site. No, I don't want to be forwarded to the arachnology department.
Do your animals eat people? No, look, I'm being serious, someone is saying that a woman was eaten by an elephant in 1939. No, nothing to do with Hitler. She used to sleep outside the cage........ hello?...............hello??????

wasn't there a video showing a cow eating a chicken?? Could herbivores just be curious? (I can't access youtube from work)

well the british DO feed chickens to sheep, sheep to cattle

Sputnik:
Hello. Is that Geneva Zoo? This is sputnik. I am calling on behalf of a web discussion site. No, I don't want to be forwarded to the arachnology department.
Do your animals eat people? No, look, I'm being serious, someone is saying that a woman was eaten by an elephant in 1939. No, nothing to do with Hitler. She used to sleep outside the cage........ hello?...............hello??????

I must admit , that they were VERY puzzled , but nobody laughed ........they actually took it very serious .......they were both nice and helpfull ....:m::p;)

well the british DO feed chickens to sheep, sheep to cattle

Yeah, well this cow was chasing it, stomping it and eating it. I think it was in India.

Actually I read this in an old fashioned book. IIRC it was Death in the Long Grass by Peter Hathaway-Capstick. Take it for what it's worth.

Ahhh ... Millhouse from Simpsons : " if it was in a book , it must be true "

Peter Hathaway Capstick: "Spinner of hair-raising tales " ..... " some have questioned the truthfulness of his writing "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hathaway_Capstick

Anyway Rufus , I only reacted because this is in the science section of Sciforums ...... in the science section you need a little bit higher standard , than in the rest of the forums ........:)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Death In The Long Grass - by Peter Capstick
Book Review, © Copyright 1997, Jim Loy

The important word in the title here is "death." This book is about death, not death of game animals in Africa, but death of the big game hunters, tourists, and natives. These deaths have occurred in the past, and they still occur today. And Mr. Capstick is very good at telling these stories.

The chapters:

Lion: This, the largest chapter, begins with the death of Peter Hankin, who was killed in his sleep when a hungry lion entered his tent, in 1974. The author tells of his own gun bearer, Silent, who drove off an attacking lion, by hitting it in the face four times, with a Coke bottle.

Elephant: Being charged by a bull elephant can be quite a thrill. Don't climb a tree, by the way.

Leopard: Some of these have killed hundreds of people, even as late as 1960. The author was saved from death, by taking a cigarette break.

Cape Buffalo: The author stalks a killer cape buffalo (which was wounded by a poacher), and gets run over, after shooting it four times.

Hippo: The author outruns an attacking wounded hippo. They will still attack boats, and kill people.

Crocodile: The author witnesses the death of a native woman. Almost every day, people are killed by crocodiles. The author tells of a 14-foot (medium large) crocodile which attacked and killed a rhinoceros.

Rhino: In the past, rhinos have been known to attack railroad locomotives. The locomotives won, barely.

Snakes: The author shoots an outhouse full of holes, and then burns it down, trying to kill a black mamba.

Underrated Killers: Wild dogs, hyenas (have eaten lots of humans), sable antelope (the author is attacked by one that killed a lion), and clients ("Never permit a person with a cocked rifle behind you").

This is exciting reading. Capstick has written other exciting books, like Death In The Dark Continent. He is also the editor of a series of classic books on Africa, which he brought back into print.

One of my favorite quotes, from another of Mr. Capstick's books: "The morning sky had brightened to the color of the white fur growing from my tongue."

This is a spoof review (hopefully). I'm not sure how much it resembles the book itself. Capstick is a real author, but not universally respected.

Ahhh ... Millhouse from Simpsons : " if it was in a book , it must be true "

Peter Hathaway Capstick: "Spinner of hair-raising tales " ..... " some have questioned the truthfulness of his writing "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Hathaway_Capstick

Anyway Rufus , I only reacted because this is in the science section of Sciforums ...... in the science section you need a little bit higher standard , than in the rest of the forums ........:)

Please read the moderators note at the bottom of post#1
I did not start this thread It was moved from another thread and was in reply to a question. I made no claims to the truth ot the statement. Although it may seem that way in hindsight.

Please read the moderators note at the bottom of post#1
I did not start this thread It was moved from another thread and was in reply to a question. I made no claims to the truth ot the statement. Although it may seem that way in hindsight.


Ok,Ok Rufus ........ I understand , you acted in good faith ...........

If you really read it in his book , I´ll retract this one from you , and give it to Peter Hathaway Capstick in stead ............

http://aycu26.webshots.com/image/42025/2001165639524281300_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2001165639524281300)

Let there peace between us , Rufus..... no hard feelings, OK ....... :m:;)