Animal trainer John King, of the John Robinson Circus, was killed on September 27, 1880, after being crushed by an elephant.
The elephant, known as Chief, had a reputation for being unruly. His murderous behavior was blamed on surging testosterone from musth, a breeding cycle that male elephants go through periodically.
While the circus was in Charlotte for performances, Chief rammed King into his railcar cage, crushing him—the impact reportedly broke every bone in his body. Chief then started to rampage, but other circus workers managed to capture him and tie him to his mate, a larger female elephant named Mary, to get him back under control.
After this incident, Chief was sent to a zoo in Cincinnati. He is reported to have killed two additional people before being put down by a firing squad in 1890. His body was then made into steaks served at a local restaurant. His skin and skeleton were stuffed and put on display at the University of Cincinnati. Eventually, the skeleton was sent to the Cincinnati Museum Center, where it remains.
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