19 Years Since Tyke The Circus Elephant Was Brutally Killed.

By Cicci

tykeTyke was a female Elephant born 1974 and died August 20, 1994 after being shoot by the police 86 times. It took nearly 2 hours for her to die there on the street in terrible pain, lonely and afraid…

Tyke was trapped and taken away from her family when she was a baby. She was shipped to a circus. There, she was confined to a concrete room and beaten over and over, to break her spirit. Circus trainers hit her repeatedly with a sharp metal “bullhook,” which made her cry out in pain. They struck her in her most sensitive areas: behind her ears, on top of her toes, in back of her knees, and around her anus. They wanted to hurt her and frighten her so she would be obedient. imagesBullhoock

The day she died she was as usual performing for Hawthorne circus which have a long record of animal cruelty violations. By April of 1993, she had enough. She tried to escape during a circus performance. She didn’t make it. In July she tried to escape again; she was unsuccessful. Hawthorn should have retired her right then and there, as she was an obvious threat to the public. But they didn’t. Only God knows what punishment she received when brought back to the Circus.

In August of 1994 Tyke reached a breaking point. She had been in the circus nearly 20 years. She was tired of being beaten, whipped, and kicked. She could no longer take the pain and the confinement. She was angry and wanted to be free. At an afternoon performance at the Neal Blaidsell Center in Honolulu, it all came to an end…

At some point during the show, she veered from the script. Circus staff tried to beat her back, but no bullhook or whip could stop the rage that had been building inside her for two decades. She crushed her trainer, Allen Campbell. She attacked two other people. She panicked the crowd. She ran into the streets. It was rush hour. She was disoriented and no idea where she was. She charged at bystanders and smashed cars as she made her way through several city blocks. Onlookers screamed. The police were called out and started shooting at Tyke with rifles. Elephant goes out of control and gets executed YouTube

She slowly fell over, then awkwardly stood back up. The police kept firing. Her head swayed, and her legs buckled. She got up again. The spray of bullets continued. She rocked her head violently from side to side. Her legs gave way once more. She was on her knees and could not right herself. Her eyes were fully open and confused. The shooting went on for several more seconds. Finally, she fell, very slowly, onto her side.

This was Tyke’s final performance. The price of freedom from the circus was steep. She was shot 87 times… 

Remember that this is the reality of every Circus elephant. You pay the price for your ticket. They pay with their lives…

Circuses should be banned to have animals!

And the reason we should remember her and any other elephant that have suffered and still do, is that it needs to stop. They are trained in the most brutal way as I have written about before. See here.

I wrote about Tyke in May also https://ciccib.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/remember-tyke-the-elephant-and-her-painful-death-ban-all-circus-animals/

Elephant goes out of control and gets executed

 

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55 thoughts on “19 Years Since Tyke The Circus Elephant Was Brutally Killed.”

  1. Pingback: Tyke e Big Mary – per non accettare più la barbarie di circhi e zoo | outoflock

  2. Whenever I read about Tyke the Elephant, my heart goes out to her or him. It could be years and I still tear. I thank our Lord after that day… he is in heaven , our Lord put him to rest with no more suffering. I’m thankful to God, he is resting peace in heaven with all the other Angels..

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  3. Tyke,… you sweet gentle creature, just trying to escape your life long torture,,, and you were the crazy one?? NEVER!!! We are the evil ones for treating you this way. Please be happy where ever you are. I will come and personally see you in the afterlife, and spoil you with love and protection. I promise you this.

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  4. We need to pass a federal law banning the use of wildlife in circuses, shows, rides… It is tragic to know elephants endure so much pain in silence. Saw the documentary Gods in Shackles about the temple elephants in India, who are viciously abused to participate in religious ceremonies. We also have elephant rides and polo.

    If we want animal abuse to be abolished, we must ban circuses, zoos and other exploitive animal shows. When the last elephant becomes extinct, what will these animal abusers use to make money?

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  5. Close down this Hawthorne circus immediately. What a great story but really sad one as well. Hopefully it will be an eye-opener to the public that animal cruelty HAS to end and it starts with YOU. Stop buying tickets to circuses because every ticket gives them a reason to operate it. Stop buying furcoats or leather goods or materials containing ivory. IT HAS TO STOP PEOPLE. THE ABUSE AND CRUELTY ON WILDLIFE.

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    • You are SO right Casey! It starts with us all, the choices we all make when buying products. And the more people that boycot circuses and zoo’s the better! I wouldnt put a foot in any of them.

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  7. People needs to stop torturing any animals.
    They are tired of being abused by anybody just
    to make money out of them. STOP using them. Have pity on them. Have a heart. Put yourself on their body and be that animal and feel what they feel.

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  9. I am horrified. My heart breaks for Tyke, and all animals that endure pain at the hands of humans. Her story needs to be heard, and our children need to be educated on the horrors of animal abuse. It is time to stop hiding this, bring it out to the public’ eye. Animal abuse needs to stop.😢

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  10. Let me notify you why her execution was necesary? Wtf? Was t necesary to kidnap this animal and FORCE it everyday to do tricks? Was it necesary to beat and torture this wonderful smart animal for how many years? No the f**k it wasn’t. But the elephant was for her entire life, do the same to any human being and see how they like it? See how they’ll react!! See what they’ll do after they mews have the breaking point as this elephant did, fuck that trainer, he got everything he deserved.

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  12. Leave wild animals in the wild and there won’t be a problem, it’s bad enough we keep them locked up like prisoners in zoos for our entertainment. Animals don’t have a choice, we do.

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  13. HPD did NOT have the knowledge or means to deal with a rampaging elephant. One of those officers I knew personally, cried that they has to do this. But it had to be done. Losers on both sides. I don’t attend any animals on captivity functions. No one should. Rest now Tyke roam free in spirit.

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  14. Poor Tyke, It seems that all these people could do was torment their animals and there was no compassion in them at all. The circus was warned that she had had enough of the circus life; yet the people’s greed outweighed commonsense. She should have been taken to a sanctuary where she could have lived her life in peace. As for the trainer he was an oaf to think that treating an animal like that would result in anything but disaster especially as he was abusing substances whilst trying to control an elephant. As for shooting her so many times – another example of human cruelty. I hope that Tyke is now enjoying the peace and quiet away from inhuman humans; God must have a special place for such a magnificient creature. Everyone who goes to a circus where animals are used for sport should hang their heads in shame as they are contributing to all this misery; me I would much rather go to see a circus with just acrobats and clowns and no animals. RIP Tyke.

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  15. The only positive thing about the cruel death of Tyke is that the people with empathy spoke out against the cruelty of using elephants in any circus.We all need to speak out against this and make the authorities take notice.

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  17. I am watching about tyke at the moment, how could they do that to such a beautiful animal, hope she’s in heaven with all the other tormented animals, so very sad

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  18. All these circuses do is abuse animals, and Tyke could not take the abuse anymore, she was lashing out and psychologically it was taking a toll on her up to the point where she was acting violently as a reflection of how she was being treated. It sickens me to even watch how she was gun down so many times, as if this were the answer in solving such a life so tragic as Tyke’s. I have never gone to a circus and I stand by my narrow belief that within the advertised gimmicks of it being entertaining and fun for the whole family, that in truth there is pure evil that lies behind this facade they display. Tyke at least fought one last time, and when you look at it, people who are abused and mistreated, will snap, they will fight to get away, even if it means facing death, and that is what Tyke did. What ever circus Tyke was in, should no longer be running anymore, God knows how many more animals had to endure the same harsh treatment as Tyke did. I respect circuses like Cirque Du Soleil, they give a whole new meaning to the term circus and they have never needed any animals to entertain the crowd the performers are so talented and the stages are it’s just so artistic and beautiful. This is what circuses should be about, without the need to for animals to be the source of profit. Poor Tyke, I find it hard to watch the video, but shes in God’s Kingdom and she has more love and freedom than she ever had on this earthly plane. I pray all circuses that abuse animals will be put out of business forever.

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  19. This was so sad to read. I cried for tyke and all of the animals in circuses. These animals did not ask to be in a circus. They were in the wild to live free. You people should be ashamed of the cruelty, abuse, and breaking of animal spirit. Like it is said what goes comes around and 10 fold. Let them go back to there natural habitat. You could not break her spirit. Because she was a strong will. And she was fed up with how you all were treating them. Good God. You people are unbelievable. All this for making a buck.

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  22. I watched this on 5/10/15 only to discover Tyke would be shot and killed.
    She was trying to be free, by god she deserved freedom instead of life been taken from her.
    God bless Tyke RIP X

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  23. I watched this documentary and CRIED WITH HUGE TEARS for that POOR elephant!! She wanted 2 b FREE!!! and people, as egotistic as always, decided they USE her 4 their OWN ENTERTAINMENT purposes.SHAME on them 2 do such awful things 2 innocent natural beings who BELONG IN THE NATURE and need 2 b free from birth 2 the day they die!!
    Adopt pets from shelters and love them!!!
    RIP SWEET TYKE ❤

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  24. They shouldn’t have theses poor animals. And what was wrong with the stupid cop shooting this poor elephant.
    86 times. They should be ashamed of them selves. It just goes to show you how un prepared these circus are. They should have a tranquility gun . And this poor elephant should have been taken to a nice farm where she could have lived the rest of her life in peace.

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  28. What a cruel end for this beautiful animal, heartbreaking to watch the footage, Tyke was trying to save herself but really she was doomed from the moment she tried to escape, Her trainer etc should have none better than to mess with such a huge, intelligent animal, RIP Tyke x

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  29. woke up on settee 2 see tyke being shot utter sickness overcame me still cant sleep she was beautifull intelligent girl am ashamed 2b human she ran 4 freedom I pray the people responsible will go 2 a very bad place and feel her pain and deprivation she endured in her short life. am so angry. she could have been sedated .stop all performing animals .she lost her life 2b free .am so very sad .disgusted .humans have no right 2 harm mame torture any living creature especially 2 line their own pockets.

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  30. The commentator states,”Let’s not forget why this was necessary.” THIS WAS NOT NECESSARY, YOU IDIOT! If you had been held captive and beaten for twenty years, what would your reaction be if you had even the slimmest chance to escape? God forbid that by some freak of nature, animals become the rulers of this cruel world of humans! Rest in peace, sweet Tyke.

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    • Hunters on safari in Africa used to kill these beautiful creatures with one shot, maybe a few more, as do the poachers. Why did it take so many to kill Tyke unless they were aiming in the wrong place in which case they should have had someone who knew what they were doing instead of letting her suffer. Poor sad animal but I am not sorry that she got her revenge on the trainer!

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  32. How desperate this sweet elephant must have felt. To try to escape several times. Don’t people understand? Animals are like us (out better part). They feel pain. They feel affection. They have our anatomey, two ear, two eyes, heart, lungs, kidneys etc. They eat, defecate, and sleep. WTF, can’t the idiotic human race get that?

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  33. This is Disgusting,absolutely horrendous,this poor animal,why oh why are these magnificent creatures still being kept for people’s pleasure…..all that poor creature wanted was it’s freedom…..I do not blame the elephant for the way it reacted.

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  34. ugly humans. i cry. predator humans. i cry. do the same to the humans that did this to her. justice for Angel elephant. justice in nature. humans will pay the price for the harm they do. i cry

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  35. I dont know why they had to shoot her, they could have shot her by something that can make her sleep! it’s an animal life, and it’s as precious as a human life! how can they be so cruel??? They should have thought of why she had been so violent, it was the human who seperated her with her family, it was the human who tortured her for nearly 2 decades… Human! they have to pay for what they’ve done, sooner or later 😥

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  37. Whyjs was necessary? If stupid humansJUST FOR ONCE stopped thinking about money and being greedythen all this shit wouldn’t be happening. She wouldn’t have been in the damn circus if it wasn’t because of humans, I’m so sick of people thinking they can think about understanding animals. WE ARE DIFFERENT TO ANIMALS WE CAN’T ASSUME WE KNOW WHAT THEY WANT

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    • Agree totally with you Regina! The ignorance and cruelty in the human race is truly disgusting! From the creeps that catch the animals and to those who bring their children for a night of ‘fun’ animal cruelty..

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  39. Absolutely horrific, they did not need to kill this poor elephant. They could have tranquilizerd her and then remove the elephant to a more appropriate setting. Living a life in a circus is unimaginable to me. Circus’s need to be banned, the sooner the better. My heart breaks for this poor elephant, shot 86 times and left dying in the street for 2 hours, more than inhumane.

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