Bernard Shea

From the list of elephant persons Family: Shea

Bernard Shea
Profession circus elephant trainer
Personal details
Country United States
Locations
Title elephant trainer -1902
Location at Harris Nickel Plate Shows in United States
Title elephant trainer -1902
Location at Harris Nickel Plate Shows in United States
Title elephant trainer -1895
Location at Harris Nickel Plate Shows in United States
Title elephant keeper
Location at George W. Popcorn Halls elephants in United States
Biography details

Bernard Shea , circus elephant trainer in United States

Born ? .

Affiliation with 1 elephants

1: Empress (Gypsy) (attacked)

Casualties

1 casualties
  1. 1885: elephant trainer Bernard Shea attacked by Empress (Gypsy). Shea rode Gypsy to a stream so she could cool herself. There, Gypsy’s Trunk grabbed Shea and shoved him underwater. Bernard Shea Survived. Wriggling free, Shea subdued Gypsy in a “brutal” manner, which Johnston does not detail. “Shea quit the show after this incident, knowing it was only a matter of time before (Gypsy) would kill him.”


In 1896, during a Chicago show, Shea was away and animal handler Frank Scott ignored warnings to leave Gypsy alone. He exercised her. Scott climbed onto Gypsy’s back and sat on her head, the usual custom for riding an elephant. Riding down an alley, “Gypsy caught (Scott) with her Trunk and hurled him to the ground,” according to the Johnston article. “Using her front Feet, she stomped the life out of him. Shea was contacted at once. He hurried back to the show to be greeted by Gypsy with happy snorting and trumpeting. She held him in her Trunk gently, and appeared to be overjoyed to see him.” But Gypsy’s love for trainer Bernard Shea was a temperamental one. On a hot day in Smith’s Grove, Ky., Shea rode Gypsy to a stream so she could cool herself. There, Gypsy’s Trunk grabbed Shea and shoved him underwater. Wriggling free, Shea subdued Gypsy in a “brutal” manner, which Johnston does not detail. “Shea quit the show after this incident, knowing it was only a matter of time before (Gypsy) would kill him.”



Reference list

References

Koehl, Dan, (2025). elephant trainer Bernard Shea in United States. Elephant Encyclopedia, available online retrieved 26 March 2025 at https://www.elephant.se/person.php?id=3418. (archived at the Wayback machine)

Sources used for this article is among others:



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Categories elephant trainer | circus | Harris Nickel Plate Shows | Shea family | Born ? | People from United States


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