Whatever
Happened...
Question: What ever happened to the elephant that somebody in Indochina gave to the Pacific commander here? Commander’s gift
elephant now lives at
Los Angeles zooAnswer: The Cambodian elephant, one of the weightiest matters Adm. John S. McCain ever had to deal with, eventually was neatly trunked off to the mainland.
McCain had to call on his ivory tower staff to help decide what to do with the bull elephant presented him Sept. 11, 1971. Later that year, the bulky gift was flown from Phnom Penh to Los Angeles for safekeeping at that city's zoo. Honolulu Zoo director Jack Throp said bull elephants weren't right for Honolulu because they go through times of frenzy.
The 20-year-old elephant, named Chamrocun, which means prosperity, was presented to McCain by Cambodian Premier Lon Nol when McCain visited that country. Los Angeles Mayor Sam Yorty came to the rescue and arranged for Chamrocun to be admitted to the zoo as a featured attraction. He made the trip from Cambodia through normal military airlift channels on a space-available basis.
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