BORN 1917 died 27\/10\/1975<\/p>\n
Born in Asia named after Flo Ziegfeld
\nThe great American impresario
\nWho bought him from John Ringling
\nIn 1920 and
\nWanted him as a birthday gift
\nFor his daughter understand
\nA six year old
\nAnd and an elephant
\nNot the ideal gift
\nAnd the the elephant
\nSmashed his greenhouse down
\nAnd Ziegfeld feeling miffed<\/p>\n
He sold him back to Ringling
\nWho sold him onto a
\nSingers Midget Circus
\nAnd he bonded straight a way
\nWith a Mr Charles Becker
\nWho taught Ziggy to play
\nHarmonica and smoke cigarettes
\nAnd genuinely to play<\/p>\n
He went to other circuses
\nBut in 1936
\nWas paired up with a
\nJohnny Winters
\nBut hated his tactics
\nAnd ran away
\nAnd after that was sold
\nTo Brookfield Zoo
\nHis keeper a Slim Lewis
\nAnd animal lover who<\/p>\n
Realised a particular day
\nThats when he was in \u201cMusth\u201d
\nThis was in 1941
\nAnd what follows was unjust
\nZiggy was placed in an old stall
\nFacing away from light
\nChained to a wall
\nAlone and sad
\nWhich clearly wasn\u2019t right<\/p>\n
Human beings sadly
\nAre not humane no they
\nDid not understand the soul
\nAnd so sadly from that day
\nTortured him made him suffer
\nFear and intimidation
\nSo many misgivings
\nAnd I am sure much trepidation<\/p>\n
He must have suffered desperation
\nBut seemingly resigned
\nTo not experiencing sunlight
\nWhich clearly changed his mind
\nWhich set him on another course
\nOf a nervous self preservation
\nOf circumspection and secretiveness
\nAnd considered deliberation<\/p>\n
During this lonely period
\nHis keeper had always knew
\nThat being in Musth
\nWas why really Ziggy flew
\nOff the handle aggressively
\nAnd hurt him and he tried
\nTo raise the plight of Ziggy
\nWhich the world at large denied<\/p>\n
Six tons he weighed and ten feet
\nTall
\nA giant in the extreme
\nBecoming a Cause Celebre
\nIn some perhaps a dream
\nExisted to give him a better life
\nAnd children began to try
\nAnd collect their pennies
\nAnd clean cars and the figures
\nRaised were high<\/p>\n
Serving marines and others
\nIn the sixties carried on
\nHoping to build a brand new house
\nSo the dark old stalls would be gone
\nBy 1971 yes it took a long long time
\nA new facility was ready
\nThe reason and the rhyme<\/p>\n
Together it all came about
\nWith a remote control door
\nOver 50 thousand dollars
\nAnd a wading pool and more
\nAnd a beautiful enclosure inside
\nIt all was there
\nSome light some heavenly choices
\nAnd, no more despair<\/p>\n
In March whilst he was playing
\nHe fell into the moat
\nBroke a tusk and scraped his head
\nAnd kind of hurt his throat
\nWorkers filled the moat up
\nZiggy continued to lay
\nFor 31 hours he seemingly
\nJust wanted to stay<\/p>\n
But when the gravel was all filled up
\nHe managed to get
\nback on his old legs again
\nSeemingly was set
\nOn enjoying what was left
\nOf life
\nIn the confines of his stall
\nAnd seven moths later
\nLay down and died
\nLoved by one and all<\/p>\n
1917-1975
\nBuried in the Field Museum
\nChicago<\/p>\n
His bones in store<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BORN 1917 died 27\/10\/1975 Born in Asia named after Flo Ziegfeld The great American impresario Who bought him from John Ringling In 1920 and Wanted him as a birthday gift For his daughter understand A six year old And and … Continue reading