Famous Animal Gravesites Around the World
It's not just Kentucky Derby winners that are buried with great honor
- By Robin T. Reid
- Smithsonian.com, April 28, 2010
(Getty Images)
In 1966, everyone was either singing or humming “Born Free,” the Academy Award-winning song from the like-named movie about Elsa the lioness. The story of the great cat reared by a couple in Kenya was already a best-selling book, and the film laid the foundations for more movies and a TV show.
The golden-haired star of Born Free is buried in Meru National Park in Kenya, not far from where she died—in the arms of George Adamson, one of her human “parents”—in 1961.
Elsa was a tiny cub in 1959 when Adamson, a game warden, shot her mother, who was about to charge him. He then discovered Elsa and her two sisters, and realized that the lioness had been protecting them when she charged. He and his wife, Joy, raised the three cubs through infancy. After a few months, two of her cubs went to a European zoo, and Elsa, the smallest, stayed with the Adamsons until she could be returned to the wild.
To get her to that point required months of training, teaching her how to hunt and survive on her own. Finally Elsa was released into Meru.
She never lost contact with the Adamsons. When she was about 3 years old, she showed up at their home with her own three cubs. She died two years later of a tic-born disease called babesiosis.
Comments (13)
The title has no relationship to the results shown. It’s so National Geographic in that it appeals to kids. Going farther, I find this totally disrespectful to the locations that have monuments and histories equal to and in many cases beyond the ones represented here. Animals deserve respect. Obviously this is not well thought out at all. The issue here lends itself to marginalizing all the information presented at this site. That is not good, unless of course it is your intention. I can not solve this problem for you. [Looks at posting rules to see if I have violated threatening/ offensive/ whatever]
Posted by l k lietner on August 5,2012 | 06:36 PM
Im a proud owner of a retired race horse named Coker Road who is a descendant of the great Man o War! Coker raced 40 races and pursed $50,000. He has been trained and shown in jumping. Now he is my friend and trail riding partner :D. He is chestnut with three white socks and a blaze and is currently age 11. I LOVE HIM!
Posted by Phylis on June 9,2012 | 06:02 AM
He is such a hero!
Posted by George Smoe on February 15,2011 | 08:57 AM
Strolling Jim, Tennessee's first grand champion walking horse in 1938, is buried "quietly" at Wartrace, Tenn., the cradle of Tennessee Walking Horse Country.
Shaker's Shocker, who carried the first woman, Betty Sain, to win the breed's biggest Celebration in 1966, is buried in the rolling hills of Middle Tennessee about five miles from Strolling Jim's grave...
Posted by Dan Whittle on February 7,2011 | 06:47 AM
Can we please stop calling yellow labs "golden"?
Posted by Lauren on July 2,2010 | 04:49 PM
This website is cool and i love animals lol i think they are soooo cute ;]
Posted by leela on May 17,2010 | 11:56 AM
Hachiko, who faithfully waited for his owner every day at the Shibuya train station for 9 years after his death, died on March 8, 1935. His stuffed remains are mounted at the National Science Museum of Japan in Ueno,Tokyo. He has become an international symbol of loyalty.
Posted by Mariam Arthur on May 15,2010 | 10:08 PM
Smokey the Bear in Capitan, New Mexico. Originally rescued as a cub (1950), became famous as "posterboy" in campaign against forest fires, lived at the National Zoo in Washington DC, returned to Lincoln National Forest for burial after his death in 1976.
Posted by Mariam Arthur on May 15,2010 | 09:59 PM
Where was Smokey the Bear???
Smokey was/is truly an American Icon and has one of the most touching stories of survival and the human impact on nature.
Posted by Tara on May 14,2010 | 04:15 PM
No GREYFRIARS BOBBY?? For Shame.
Posted by Ken David on May 3,2010 | 01:24 PM
she has days to live
Posted by naveenchilakapati on May 3,2010 | 11:25 AM
the world first creation first went into space great.
Posted by naveenchilakapati on May 3,2010 | 11:22 AM
A tiny cub in 1959 and about 5 years old when she died in 1961...
Don't mind placing this comment, just remove the error please.
Posted by Auke on April 30,2010 | 03:01 PM