Lotus
Posted By thecircusblog on September 8, 2011
This is a very famous 1903 photograph by Bob Wallace for the Golmar Bros. Circus of Lotus the Hippopotamus. She was a female Nile Hippo and she eventually became the most famous. The fact that Lotus was a female, and that her species was a Nile Hippo, made her easier to handle.
Males are indeed quite different. As they get older, they become very dangerous and constantly vicious. If provoked, which is very easy to do, they have a surprising amount of speed in their charge.
In 1916, Golmar Bros. sold Lotus to James Patterson. Then in 1919, Patterson sold her to the Al G. Barnes Circus. Ringling gained control of the Barnes show in 1929 when John Ringling bought out the American Circus Corp, which, at that time, was owned by Jerry Mugivan and Bert Bowers.
Lotus died in 1954 at the Ringling winter quarters, Sarasota, Fla. On the Barnes Chow she had been trained to pull a cart. I believe this was her only claim to fame other than being on exhibition.
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thecircusblog
My name is Ivan M. Henry and I am the 4th generation of a circus/show business dynasty. I hope you enjoy the blog.Comments
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This is so interesting to me because my father’s mother was Louise Golmar from Cleveland, Ohio! The Golmar Brother’s was her family!