Roy's Postcards: 1984/10/31

Inscription:

Rachel - I saw this big elephant when I was in Washington, DC. I love you.
Daddy [sticker: I AM SOMEBODY SPECIAL]

Postcard back:

The African Elephant, Loxodonta africana, formerly ranged over most of Africa south of the Saharah Desert. Its distribution and numbers hae dwindled severely in recent times due to human pressures, either in the form of habitat destruction or ivory hunting. To sustain their ponderous physiques, elephants may spend 14 to 18 hours of every day feeding or searching for food. This particular individual, a bull African Bush Elephant from Angola, is one of the largest ever recorded, weighing approximately 6-8 tons and measuring 13 feet, 2 inches from the top of its shoulder to its forefood. This bull was over 50 years old at the time of his death in 1955. Gift of J. J. F´ykövi.

Leonard's comments:

I've been able to confirm that J. J. F´ykövi. was more than a mere bystander to the death of this elephant.

See also: dc missing-front

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