Elephants Waltz To Winter Home
By RUSSELL RAY
rray@tampatrib.com
Published: November 21, 2008
TAMPA - Bug-eyed motorists along Orient Road pulled to the side Thursday morning to clear the way for Asia, a 10,000-pound, 8-foot-tall elephant, and nine of her gigantic friends.
Locked trunks to tails, the circus elephants marched north in a straight line from the Uceta railroad tracks, where they were unloaded, to the Florida State Fairgrounds, their winter home. The elephants just completed a two-year, 90-city tour for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
Motorists didn't seem to mind the delay. Many snapped photos of the elephant walk, a 3-mile trek, with their cell phone cameras.
"I've watched them walk every year," said Mike Jenkins of Tampa. "They're beautiful animals."
Circus spokeswoman Melinda Hartline and other circus employees walked about 20 feet ahead of the elephant convoy, alerting trainers to potholes and kicking pebbles and bolts off the street.
"We'll stop along the way at some point to check all their feet," Hartline said.
Eleven horses also were unloaded and joined the 10 elephants for the journey to the fairgrounds.
Over the next few weeks, the animals will be rehearsing for the 139th edition of The Greatest Show on Earth. The "Zing Zang Zoom" tour debuts Jan. 7 at the St. Pete Times Forum.
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