Castor and Pollux (elephants)

One of the elephants is shot for its meat in December 1870.[1]

Castor and Pollux were two elephants kept at the zoo Jardin des Plantes[2] in Paris. They were killed and eaten, along with many other animals from the zoo, in late 1870 during the Siege of Paris. The two elephants may have been siblings, and were named after the twin brothers of Greek and Roman mythology. They had been popular before the siege for giving rides on their backs around the park, but the food shortages caused by the German blockade of the city eventually drove the citizens of Paris to kill them for their meat.

  1. ^ Illustration (insert, Engraving of News) for Lettre-Journal, 16 January 1871, No. 26"[gravure d'actualité] L'abattage de l'un des éléphants du Jardin des Plantes , livré à l'alimentation.". Lettre-Journal. philatelistes.net. Retrieved 18 December 2012. Translation: The killing of one of the elephants the Jardin des Plantes , comes to food.
  2. ^ Sources are split on the location of the elephants. There were zoos at both gardens, and both kept elephants around the time of the siege.