Elephant Figurines | ||||||||
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Siesta Tuskers Figurine
| A Kiss Tuskers Figurine
| Ups a Daisy Tuskers Figurine
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Close Knit Family Tuskers Figurine
| My Friend Tuskers Figurine
| Pamper Day Tuskers Figurine
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Sleigh Ride Tuskers Figurine
| Two n Fro Tuskers Figurine
| Tuskers Family Figurine
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Teatime Tussle - Tuskers Figurine
| Banana Heist - Tuskers Figurine
| Reaching for the Moon Tuskers Figurine
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Seeing Double Elephant Figurine
| Elephant Diving Figurine
| Elephant and Child Figurine
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Up Up and Away Elephant Figurines
| Elephant Duo Figurine
| Henry's Ark - Noah's Ark Limited Edition
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Snug as a Bug Elephants Figurine
| Sleeping on a Branch Elephant Figurine
| Walking Elephant Figurine
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Out of Africa Elephants Decrorative Plate
| Fighting Elephants Figurine
| Elephant Family Figurine
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Patchwork Elephant Figurines
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Elephant FigurinesThanks to conservation efforts, it is no longer legal to harvest elephants for the ivory in their tusks. There is still a black market for them however, and even in protected parks, elephants fall victim to raiders who slaughter one of these magnificent animals, simply for the ivory. An elephant’s tusk is actually their incisors, since they have no canine teeth. One-third of the tusk’s length is inside the skull, making it well anchored. The largest tusk ever recorded, weighed 214 lbs. and was 138 inches long. Because of the hunting and sale of ivory, it’s rare to find one now that weighs more than 100 lbs. as tusk size tends to be hereditary, and the elephants that consistently produced young with this feature, have been killed off. Today, most people will only see an elephant in a zoo, or in the few circuses left. The first zoos date back to Ancient Egypt when traveling dignitaries and royalty often brought gifts of strange animals to the countries they visited. This practice continued over the centuries, and in the 1300s, Henry I of England, established a royal menagerie with some of his gifts, including the first elephant brought to that country. However, it would be another three hundred years before the public had access to the royal menagerie, which in effect became the first “zoo”. Circuses were introduced to America in the late 1700s, and were instantly popular, even with such luminaries as George Washington. By 1815, Hackaliah Bailey (who would become half of the famous Barnum & Bailey team) had introduced his elephant “Bet” at a circus. The public was so fascinated with this new addition, that it soon became a requirement for every circus to have an elephant, and the more, the merrier. “Old Bet” has often been referred to as the “mother” of the circus in America. The most famous circus elephant however, was Jumbo. Billed as the largest elephant in the world, Jumbo was killed by a train in St. Thomas, Ontario, while on tour in 1885. The problem of what to do with him, was an elephantine one. Barnum, always on the lookout to milk an event for all it was worth, had Jumbo stuffed and put on display in the Barnum exhibit at Tufts University in Massachusetts, where he became a good luck symbol to students. Then tragedy struck once more in 1975, when the “remains”, which had become highly flammable from dryness and the stuffing, was destroyed in a fire. Phyllis Byrne, a university administrator, scraped up his remains (no, we’re not kidding), and put them in a peanut butter jar for posterity. Elephant figurines that artisans produce today, are often excellent representations of the majestic African species that Jumbo belonged to. Some of the finest examples are hand-carved from wood and natural stone, then highly polished. The intricate details make them an outstanding single piece for a table or mantel. Small groups of crystal, porcelain, or bronze elephant figurines, also make a nice focal point for a living room or den. Elephant Extras
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