THE BALLOON MAN

Circus’s animal performers get as excited as the fans before a show

Jake Rajewsky/The Globe Gazette 

Elephant handler Duane Ploof washes Cindy the elephant Saturday before the Shrine Circus at the North Iowa Events Center.

By JOHN SKIPPER

globegazette.com 

Saturday, May 12, 2012

MASON CITY — To see Bo up close brings a thought to mind.

Never has the word “big” seemed so inadequate.

Bo, one of the elephants performing at the Shrine Circus at the North Iowa Events Center, weighs 6 tons, is about 9 feet tall, has tusks as big as bowling pins and eats like, ah, well — an elephant.

“Grass, hay, grain, fruit, vegetables — if you’re eatin’ it, he wants it,” said Wayne Squibb of Houston, one of his handlers.

Bo and three other elephants are on hand for the circus. They range in age from 26 to 47. Bo is the youngest and the biggest.

One of the rituals prior to each show is the elephant wash — giving them a bath with soap and water.

When they get sprayed with the power hose “they know it’s close to show time,” said Larry Carden, their trainer.

“They get all psyched up, just like a kid getting ready for the prom,” he said.

“Elephants are like people. They have good days and bad days and they remember things. They know what it means when they get their bath and hear the music.”

Read more: http://globegazette.com/news/local/circus-s-animal-performers-get-as-excited-as-the-fans/article_b1b76c6a-9cb3-11e1-9c39-0019bb2963f4.html?mode=story#ixzz1ukEssRrX