After nearly 20 years of captivity and abuse, on August 20, 1994, the elephant Tyke rebelled, killing her trainer and escaping from the circus in Hawaii. Tyke enjoyed only half an hour of freedom before being shot dead by 87 bullets. Captured in Mozambique in 1973, the female elephant Tyke was trained for circus performances from a young age. After being transferred to the United States, Tyke was quickly sold to Hawthorn Corporation – a company specializing in providing animals to circuses. Unfortunately, the animal endured years of abuse from her handlers. It was only a matter of time before she fought back and freed herself. On that fateful day in 1994, Hawaiians witnessed the streets where they lived stained with elephant blood.
After escaping the circus, the elephant Tyke roamed the streets of Honolulu, Hawaii (USA). Photo: Wikimedia Commons
After several performances on the US mainland, Tyke was moved to Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii. The 21-year-old animal was brought to the Neal S. Blaisdell Center for more shows. But Tyke had her own plans. She not only killed her trainer but also severely injured her caretaker, all witnessed by a horrified audience.
Desperately trying to escape, Tyke then frantically broke free from the circus, running into the streets. Rushing through the streets outside, Tyke reveled in more freedom than she had ever seen in two decades. But sadly, the joy of freedom was short-lived as Tyke was surrounded by police and shot down by 87 bullets.
Tyke the elephant was tragically surrounded and shot down by police. Photo: Pinterest
A Life in Captivity
Tyke did not live an easy life. Sadly, her experiences were not unusual. Like many elephants captured in the wild and sold to Hawthorn Corporation, Tyke was forced into servitude as a circus performer from a very young age.
Born in the early 1970s in Mozambique, Tyke was captured as a calf and subjected to rigorous training. Some of her former trainers – like Tyrone Taylor – said they had deep affection for Tyke. But there was no doubt that the living conditions of this African elephant were inhumane.
Tyke the elephant with trainer Tyrone Taylor, after one of her escape attempts. Photo: Facebook
Chained 22 hours a day, for the remaining time, Tyke had to participate in training sessions filled with shouts, scolding, and abuse. Former elephant handler Sally Joseph admitted that Tyke was an unhappy performer. But instead of backing down, the African elephant began to rebel.
From attacking trainers to rampaging in the performance arena, it was clear Tyke only wanted to escape the circus. In April 1993, Tyke became extremely agitated during a performance in Altoona, Pennsylvania (USA). During that show, the animal managed to free her foot from her chain and tried to escape.
Tyke the elephant trampled her trainer Allen Campbell to death in front of the audience.
“That’s when I knew she was a runaway,” trainer Taylor said, fearing that a subsequent outburst would be worse. But no one paid attention to those warning signs.
The Tragic Death of Tyke
It was August 20, 1994, and Tyke had just arrived in Hawaii. She was brought to Honolulu to perform at the Neal S. Blaisdell Center, where crowds eagerly awaited a spectacular animal show.
By the time Tyke was led into the packed arena, she had lived in captivity almost her entire life. Harboring resentment, Tyke defied years of training, kicking her caretaker, William Beckworth, to the ground.
Initially, the audience wasn’t overly concerned. “We thought it was part of the act,” a witness explained. But the crowd soon realized something was wrong when trainer Allen Campbell stepped in.
The African elephant enjoyed half an hour of freedom in Hawaii after nearly 20 years in captivity.
Campbell tried to persuade Tyke to submit, but his efforts were in vain. The 4.3-ton elephant quickly charged and trampled Campbell to death. Beckworth survived but was severely injured.
After killing her trainer and injuring her caretaker, Tyke stormed out of the arena, running wildly through the streets of Honolulu for about half an hour. What followed was a frantic attempt to stop her from harming anyone else. Very quickly, Tyke was hunted down by the police.
Taking 87 bullets, Tyke collapsed and died almost immediately on the streets of Hawaii. Those sent to clear the animal’s remains reported that Tyke’s eyes were filled with tears. The city of Honolulu was outraged by the tragedy and soon proposed a ban on the use of wild animals in live performances. Although the ban was ultimately overturned, many circuses in Hawaii also began to remove animals from their shows. In 2018, the US government officially banned the import of wild animals, including elephants, for use in circuses.
As for Hawthorn Corporation, they were found guilty of violating the Animal Welfare Act in 2004. Hawthorn was forced to release its elephants to more humane facilities – where they could hopefully live peacefully.