The owner of the circus knew that because of her size, it was unlikely that he could sell her to another circus which was what usually happened when an elephant killed a human. He set up and publicized the “execution” to preserve show dates that had been threatened with cancellation, and to help recoup his loss.

Yes, it was a depraved thing to do by our present-day standards when we understand that keeping wild animals in captivity does not change their basic nature and that doing so is wrong for many reasons.

I feel sorry for Eldridge, who should never have been put in charge of an elephant, and who died an awful death. I also feel sorry for the elephant, living an unnatural life in captivity and dying an unnatural and painful death for no other reason than a natural reaction to abuse.