How Nicholas II collected elephants, and what the Bolsheviks did with overseas animals after the death of the emperor

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

There were many evil rumors and gossip about the family of Emperor Nicholas II. Most of them were deliberately spread in order to discredit the tsar and the monarchical power, which was of great importance for the people (only in Russia there was the expression “tsar-father) and was the cornerstone of the traditional social structure of the Russian state. One of the reasons for hostile conversations was "sweet eccentricity": in Tsarskoe Selo they kept an elephant in a special pavilion - a gift to Nicholas II from the prince of Abyssinia. The inhabitants were annoyed by the fact that 18 thousand rubles were spent annually on its maintenance. And this at a time when the country was dragged into a difficult and protracted war.

How elephants appeared in the collection of animals of Nicholas II

Nicholas II was an exemplary family man. He and his wife Alexandra Fedorovna loved each other and their children very much. It was a great joy for them to spend time together doing various activities. Since 1905, the family has been living in Tsarskoye Selo. On the surviving photographs of those years, their pets are often found next to members of the royal family. They lived in the palace and often took part in the family's walks and travels. The dogs Raven, Eira, Iman are the favorites of the emperor. Ortino is a French bulldog, presented to Princess Tatiana by the staff-captain of the Ulan regiment Dmitry Yakovlevich Malama (he was in the infirmary, where the princess came to help the wounded). The Japanese chin Jimmy was presented to Princess Anastasia. In addition, the “collection” included two pets of Tsarevich Alexei: Kotka, a cat, a mixture of a Siamese cat and marten (a handsome man with blue eyes and chocolate-colored fur), presented by the commandant of the palace, General Voeikov, and Joy, a dog brought from Great Britain especially for heir (it is noteworthy that he will remain alive after the death of the emperor and his family members, he will be brought to the Windsor Royal Nursery).

When the heir's illness worsened, children were not allowed to see him, so that in the excitement of the game he would not accidentally hurt himself, but the animals were with him inseparably and very much comforted him. In addition to the cat (the claws of all cats in the palace were removed) and the dog, he had a donkey with a cart. In addition, in Tsarskoe Selo there was a kind of menagerie in which the rest of the "living gifts" lived, the most exotic and impressive of which were elephants - Ceylon and African. The Indian elephant did not live long, and the one from Abyssinia until 1917.

In what conditions were the royal elephants kept and how much did their maintenance cost to the state?

In Tsarskoye Selo, elephants appeared at the beginning of the 19th century, but lived only a little - there was no proper care and habitat. By the time of the reign of Nicholas II, a special pavilion had already been built and all conditions had been created for keeping these large heat-loving animals. In the summer they walked outside, and in the cold season they lived in a heated room.

The museum of local history of the city of Zlatoust contains a photo album - it contains 210 photographs taken by the emperor himself, his wife or their children in the period from 1913 to 1916. The couple loved to take pictures (the emperor used an American camera, and Alexandra Fyodorovna used an English one). The pictures capture the moments of the family's daily life: the Emperor's visit to the army with Tsarevich Alexei, yacht walks, outdoor recreation, sports (rowing, tennis), cycling, hiking in the forest and on the river, and many others. Among them there is even a photo where the driver leads the elephant to swim (it took place every day in a pond located not far from the elephant), and the emperor is walking next to them. He loved to watch this funny procedure with his son. The wife of the emperor also came with the girls to admire the bathing giant.

The elephant was very good-natured and obedient. He carried out all the orders of his driver unquestioningly. But the elephant ate a lot, which caused terrible indignation among the huntsman. Still, the animal ate 2 poods of cakes fried in pure butter every day. But the elephant caused only positive emotions among the visitors. However, its maintenance cost the treasury 18,000 rubles in one year.

Why were the tsar's elephants taken around Moscow

“The Elephant was taken along the streets, as can be seen for show. It is known that Elephants are a gimmick in our country. So crowds of onlookers followed the Elephant. Indeed, an elephant in the Russian open spaces was a great rarity. The general public had the opportunity to see him only when he was driven from time to time (with all safety precautions) through the streets. This was done in order to please people and show them a strange animal.

In 1910, two elephants were confiscated from the deprived owner of the St. Petersburg Zoo, Winkler, and sent to the Moscow Zoo. The elephants were first led on foot along the streets of St. Petersburg to the carriages in which they were to be delivered to Moscow, and then the animals made a forced promenade through the streets of Moscow. The clumsy walkers aroused great interest among passers-by - not every day they had the opportunity to observe this.

The symbol of autocracy, or what the Bolsheviks did to the Romanov elephants

An elephant from Abyssinia was killed by revolutionary sailors in 1917. Apparently, the poor animal was only to blame for the fact that it lived in an elephant in Tsarskoye Selo, which for the revolutionaries was a symbol of autocracy. This fairytale corner "reminiscent of a skillfully made mechanical toy" was "a magical land where only a select few could enter." How hated Tsarskoe Selo seemed to the revolutionaries, who needed to destroy the old world to the ground in order to build a new one in their own way. Yes, even if ardent fighters for social justice had mercifully left the animal alive, most likely they would have nothing to support it. After the revolutionary storms and exhausting war, the people did not have enough bread, there is no time for spectacles.

And the war elephants had to oppose the army of Alexander the Great.