Tusko
In 1962, three men at the University of Oklahoma, lead by the idiosyncratic, CIA-collaborator Louis Jolyon "Jolly" West, injected LSD into an elephant for the first time. Their stated intent was to determine if LSD would induce "musth", a naturally occurring condition in which elephants become violent and uncontrollable. After a series of events, the elephant died. There is some controversy and confusion surrounding the cause of death.
Tusko is a popular name given to elephants in captivity. Several notable elephants have been given this moniker. Formerly known as "Ned," this Tusko was a giant circus elephant captured at age 6 in Siam (now Thailand). He stood just five feet high when he was unloaded from a sailing ship at New York harbor in 1898. By 1922 he was touted as "The Meanest Elephant" as well as "the largest elephant ever in captivity", though at 10-feet-2-inches tall (3.1 meters), he was seven inches shorter than Jumbo. Nonetheless, Tusko was a ton heavier than Jumbo and the largest elephant in North America since Jumbo. The tusks which earned him his name were about seven feet long (213 centimeters). No other circus wanted Tusko and he spent some time in an exhibition road show, accompanied by his keeper and lifelong devotee, young George "Slim" Lewis. Tusko ended his days in the Seattle Zoo, dying of a blood clot on June 10, 1933. "Tusko" was also the name of a male Indian elephant at the Oklahoma City Zoo. On August 3, 1962, researchers from the University of Oklahoma injected (human use involves oral ingestion) 297 mg of LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) to him, which is over 1,000 times the dose typical of human recreational use. Within five minutes he collapsed to the ground and one hour and forty minutes later he died. It is believed that the LSD was the cause of his death, although some speculate that the drugs the researchers used in an attempt to revive him may have contributed to his death. An Asian elephant by the name "Tusko" currently resides at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, Oregon. It is believed he was born in the wilds of Thailand around 1971, and is estimated to be 43 to 44 years old. Tusko arrived at the Oregon Zoo in June 2005 on a breeding loan. He has successfully sired three calves in the past; two while living in Canada and one in California. Tusko has also successfully mated with Rose-Tu, the youngest elephant in the herd at the time. On August 23, 2008, she delivered her first offspring, a male named Samudra and nicknamed Sam. Sam is also the first third-generation elephant born in the United States. Zoo officials have stated that they were very lucky to find a bull like Tusko. He has been a good match for the herd, providing genetic diversity as well as great social skills, experience with calves, a gentle nature with the females and positive role model for Samudra. She and Tusko again mated successfully in 2011 and her second calf, a female named Lily, was born on November 30, 2012. A controversy was sparked when the Seattle Times reported that the new baby would become the property of Perris-based Have Trunk Will Travel, a company which offers elephant rides at fairs, zoos and weddings. Zoo officials explained that although the breeding contract states that the zoo owns the first, third and fifth of Tusko's offspring, while the California company owns the second, fourth and sixth baby elephant, there are no plans to ship the elephant to California. The plan has always been for Rose-Tu and her baby to stay together their whole lives as they would in the wild; however, the legal details of the arrangement cannot be negotiated before the elephant is one month old Eventually, the Oregon Zoo foundation did a fundraiser to purchase both Lily and Tusko for $400,000, giving the zoo legal ownership of both. Currently, there are plans for Tusko to also mate with the zoo's other two females, Shine and Chendra, although it hasn't happened yet. Tusko recently underwent two surgeries to have his tusks removed due to risk of chronic infection. He is blind in his right eye. List of historical elephants
Nov 9, 2007.. Featured in this week's New Scientist magazine, his book, Elephants On Acid And Other Bizarre Experiments, also tells of attempts to bring ..
#1: Elephants on Acid. image What happens if you give an elephant LSD? On Friday August 3, 1962, a group of Oklahoma City researchers decided to find out.
