Tyke the Elephant Escapes (1994)

Sat Aug 20, 1994

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Image: Tyke, in circus dress, runs along the street while police officers in the background aim their weapons at her

On this day in 1994, Tyke, an abused circus elephant, killed her trainer and seriously injured her groomer during a performance, escaping into the streets of Honolulu, Hawaii. After thirty minutes of being pursued by police, she died after being shot 86-87 times and subsequently became an international symbol for animal rights.

Tyke had been captured as a baby in Mozambique in 1973 and was shipped to the United States to be used as a circus animal. She had been involved in had escaped twice prior to her killing on August 20th.

On August 20th, 1994, during a performance at Circus International in Honolulu, Hawaii, Tyke trampled and critically injured her groomer, Dallas Beckwith, throwing him around numerous times in the process. She also killed her trainer, Allen Campbell, when he attempted to save Beckwith, knocking him to the ground and crushing him to death under her trunk.

Tyke then escaped and police pursued her for a half an hour, riddling her with bullets. After being shot 86-87 times, Tyke finally collapsed from nerve damage and brain hemorrhages.

Following the incident, Tyke became a symbol for animal rights. Lawsuits were filed against the City of Honolulu, the State of Hawaii, the circus, and Tyke’s owner, John Cuneo Jr. These suits were settled out of court.

Although no official ban on animal acts materialized at the arena where the incident occurred, no circus featuring exotic animals has performed at the Blaisdell Arena since Tyke’s killing.