1870, Fateful Day When French Ate Elephant Meat of Zoo Pets
The elephant is mans favorite animal. It is also a greatly loved beast and in Hindu mythology it has the form of a god in Lord Ganesh. The elephant is known as a war elephant and as a beast of burden, but one has never heard that it has ever been a substitute for meat of the common animals like goat and cow. There have been no cases ever that an elephant was killed for its meat. It has been killed for its tusks , which are a source of ivory, but never for its meat.
However one incident in 1870 during Franco-German war the French did kill 2 elephants of the Paris zoo and ate their meat. In fact it was sold to the butchers who marketed it to all and sundry. The genesis of this eating of elephants lies in the 1870 war between France and Germany. In 1870, the German Chancellor Otto Von Bismarck ordered an invasion of France. The German army made swift progress and in a few weeks surrounded the French capital Paris. Bismarck now ordered a respite and asked for the surrender of Paris. He did not order an assault as he wished to avoid bloodshed. He was perhaps confident that Paris will surrender if starved of food and water. The French did not surrender and held on. The Germans in the meantime continued with an artillery bombardment of the city.
Supplies of meat began to dwindle in Paris and the French began to look for meat from all sources. They started by killing the horses and after all horses had been killed, somebody suggested that the zoo animals could also be eaten. The Zoo authorities allowed the zoo animals to be killed for meat. They started with animals like deers and antelopes. After a week the only animals left were the big cats and the 2 elephants named Castor and Pollux.These elephants were much loved and had given many joy rides to children who visited the park. With the Germans unrelenting and no meat available a decision was taken to kill the elephants and sell their meat. This was a sad decision and one of which the French are ashamed now. The two elephants were killed by special bullets and then the butchers were called in, who carved the elephants meat to be sold. The trunk was classified as a delicacy. The elephant meat now went on sale in Paris and the people began to buy and eat it.
Many commented that it was not very tasty. However the deed had been done and 2 lovable animals who had given so much joy to children were carved up for their meat. Just 2 days after this incident, the German chancellor ordered an assault on Paris. The German guns opened up and Paris was stormed and captured. One wishes that Bismarck had ordered the assault 2 days earlier. If that had happened the elephants would have been saved. All in all its a sad reflection on French character and culture.
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