The simply astonishing, exhilarating story - complete with high
adventure, betrayal, and resurrection - of Modoc, elephant
extraordinaire, told by Heifer (The Beauty of the Beasts, 1990).
They were born on the same day, a hundred years back, in a Black
Forest village: Bram Gunterstein, son of a circus animal trainer,
and Modoc, an Indian elephant headed for big-top life with the
Wunderzircus, a provincial troupe. Their love for each other
develops early, when Bram is just a toddler and Modoc a youthful
one-ton package, and Bram's father on his deathbed councils Brain
to watch after Modoc. That he does, and the tribulations and
pleasures they share defy the imagination: The circus is sold out
from under Bram to the sinister Mr. North; Bram stows away on the
vessel transporting Modoc, leaving behind the girl of his dreams;
discovered, Bram wins over the captain, but the ship sinks during a
hurricane; Modoc and Bram float to the shores of India, where Bram
learns further tools of the trade at the maharaja's elephantarium;
there he lives in a teak-built compound, tends to Modoc, and is
honored to have an audience with the sacred white elephant; he woos
and wins a woman from the village but is warned that North is on
his trail. He strikes out with Modoc to the teak plantations of
Burma, is captured by rebels, loses his wife, confronts North,
journeys to the US and fashions a spectacular show for Modoc, wins
back his earlier love, only to have the elephant sold out from
under him again. Heifer (an animal trainer by trade) happens across
Modoc and buys him in the 1970s, then Bram appears yet again. The
story is told with a heart-tugging warmth that, granted, at times
slips into Disney mode, but that feels credible: There is,
amazingly enough, a truthful tang to the picaresque proceedings.
One glorious pachyderm and one cracking story. (Kirkus Reviews)
Spanning several decades and three continents, Modoc is one of the most amazing true animal stories ever told. Raised together in a small German circus town, a boy and an elephant formed a bond that would last their entire lives, and would be tested time and again; through a near-fatal shipwreck in the Indian Ocean, an apprenticeship with the legendary Mahout elephant trainers in the Indian teak forests, and their eventual rise to circus stardom in 1940s New York City. Modoc is a captivating true story of loyalty, friendship, and high adventure, to be treasured by animal lovers everywhere.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
